Updated at 12:31 p.m. ET  Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich blamed the mass resignations of his campaign staff to "a strategic difference" and defended the role his wife, Callista, is playing in the White House race.  A day after his senior campaign strategists and aides in key states bolted en masse, the former House speaker vowed to "campaign very intensely" for the White House.  "I want a campaign on ideas and on solutions and I want to do it in a way that brings Americans together into a large movement," Gingrich told reporters outside his house in McLean, Va.  "There is a fundamental strategic difference between the traditional consulting community and the kind of campaign I want to run," he said. "Now we'll find out over the next year who's right."  Gingrich is scheduled to speak Sunday in California to the Republican Jewish Coalition. He'll participate in a New Hampshire debate on Monday.  Craig Schoenfeld, who stepped down as Gingrich's Iowa campaign manager, said he had a concern with Gingrich's commitment to spending time in the key state to get to know voters and to raising money for the campaign.  A source close to Gingrich told USA TODAY that some advisers were upset when Gingrich took the strategic advice of his wife, Callista, over others. Gingrich defended her on Friday.  "We make decisions as a couple," he said, according to a transcript posted by ABC News. "I think most couples would find that refreshing, not a problem."  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Gingrich blames staff exodus on 'strategic differences' - On Politics: Covering the US Congress, Governors, and the 2010 Election - USATODAY.com