WASHINGTON (January 15, 2013)--House Republicans are making a mistake by using the issue of increasing the borrowing limit to challenge President Barack Obama on spending issues, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday.

Gingrich told "CBS This Morning" that's a losing proposition.

"In the end, it's a threat they can't sustain," he said, because no one wants to see the country default on its debts.

The former Georgia congressman also says Republicans have two "much better arenas" for a fight, including a stopgap spending bill and a budget sequester.

Mr. Obama told a news conference Monday he wouldn't engage Republicans in a fight over raising the federal debt limit.

In the interview Tuesday, Gingrich accused the president of trying to "bully House Republicans," but said the GOP shouldn't "pick fights" that they cannot ultimately win.