GQ style writer rates GOP's "gentlemen"

When President Obamaabruptly cut off Wednesday's debt talks with Republican leadership, saying "enough is enough," was he a gentleman about it? GQ magazine's style guru Glenn O'Brien says yes.

"I think he did the right thing. Sometimes a gentleman’s gotta put his foot down," O'Brien told THE BLAZE at a restaurant Thursday evening in Washington, DC, where he stopped by to promote his book "How to be a Man: A Guide to Style and Behavior for the Modern Gentleman."

And it may be no surprise, but this New York style guy said Obama hits the whole "gentleman" thing on the money. "I think he’s always conducted himself as a gentleman," he said, "which is one of the greatest things about him."

O'Brien isn't hung up on Obama, though. The lifestyles guru also evaluated the gentleman status of key players in the GOP.

On Rep. Paul Ryan's recent restaurant binge, in which he spent $392 for a meal and bottle of wine, O'Brien said that has no effect on Ryan's standing as a gentleman. "If he's got it, why not?" And as for the $80 tip Ryan left: "That seems about right."

We went down the roster of a few Republican White House hopefuls to see who qualified as a gentleman, who didn't and why the hell not. Here's what O'Brien said...

Mitt Romney

"Any politician that doesn’t over indulge in rhetoric is a gentleman. [Romney] has pushed it a few times, to my knowledge."

Newt Gingrich

"No."

Tim Pawlenty

"Politically, I think he's a buffoon. [As for being a gentleman,] I really don't know."

Rick Santorum

"No, not a gentleman. A gentleman stands by his word and is very concerned with telling the truth. I don’t want to get into detail but I think he’s too caught up in rhetoric.

Though O'Brien is GQ's go-to guy for men's lifestyles, conservative stars of the double-X persuasion were fair game. He said he doesn't "know enough" about Michele Bachmann, but admitted she may very well be a gentle-lady. Sarah Palin was a different story: "I’m not a fan. I don’t think [she's a gentle-lady]. She’s a frontier’s woman."

O'Brien's book was published in late April. You can read some of his how-to tips on being a gentleman here.