Detroit News Talks about Mike Huckabee's Money Situation

As y'all know I think campaigns should be less about talk of who has how much money, but since it is the talk of the day, here is what the DetroitNews.com has to say about Mike Huckabee regarding Mike's money and campaign.

• Lack of funds hampers Huckabee's presidential bid

• Arkansas governor runs a good campaign, but is he a serious threat to other GOP rivals?

• Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau

• 

  

• Mike Huckabee has officially been anointed the "It Candidate" of the moment in the Republican presidential race, enjoying a flood of favorable media coverage and a string of good campaign news.

• But can the man whose campaign was so cash-strapped that it couldn't afford a trip to Mackinac Island be considered a serious threat in Michigan, or the rest of the country?

• That's the question that hovers over the former Arkansas governor's long-shot bid for the White House.

• His advantages are many: He's an engaging, charismatic campaigner. He's on the rise in Iowa's influential caucus campaign. He's a Baptist minister with good credentials among social conservatives, a status solidified by the departure of fellow anti-abortion candidate Sam Brownback and a well-received appearance at a conference of influential religious conservatives last week.

• And he brings a populist economic message that could appeal to Michigan voters of both parties -- one critical of free-trade agreements and supportive of working-class families.

• "I listened to all the other candidates talk about how great things are, 22 consecutive quarters of economic growth and how great the stock market is," Huckabee said last week in a pointed reference to this month's GOP debate in Dearborn.

• "They were talking right off the Republican National Committee talking points. I just kept thinking, 'You guys need to get out more.' Maybe they're all at upscale cocktail parties."

How does Mike's performance in Iowa affect his results in Michigan's primaries?

• Iowa performance is vital

• A strong Iowa performance is vital in the Michigan race, said Tom Shields, a consultant with Republican firm Marketing Resource Group in Lansing.

• "Michigan will react to the candidates who have the momentum, coming in" to the Jan. 15 primary, Shields said.

• That could mean Huckabee -- languishing in single digits in most Michigan polls -- could get a big boost with a stronger than expected Iowa performance.

• But building on that momentum will be a challenge, Ruff said. Though the calendar is far from final, there will likely be 10 days or less between Iowa and Michigan, with the New Hampshire primary probably coming in between.

• "If he comes out of Iowa with a surprise win or a strong second, is there enough time to raise enough money between then and our primary to mount a real media campaign?" Ruff asked.

• "It's going to take some money, and right now, that's the thing he doesn't have."

Click here to read the full article. Have you given money to Mike's campaign? If not go do that now. Click on the map above to do that.

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!

Happy Halloween, Y'all

FROM KATHY, BOBBIE AND JOE

Mike Huckabee on Taxes/Mike Huckabee will "Own" FOX News Tomorrow

• Mike Huckabee's Tax Plans
• 

• Reported by: S. Burnette, KARK 4 News
• Tuesday, Oct 30, 2007 @03:39pm CST
  

• Mike Huckabee was talking taxes on national television Tuesday afternoon.

Here's how he responded when asked if he would raise taxes if elected president.

• "I would change the whole tax code and bring in the productivity tax that would implement the fair tax which would finally give people, especially those at the bottom, a chance to reach the next rung on the ladder," said Huckabee.

• On Wednesday, Huckabee will be in New York for a string of national television appearances.[Source]

Oh that reminds me. Check out all the TV appearences on FOX News on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, October 31, 2007

• 7:40 a.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox Business Channel with host Alexis Glick to discuss presidential politics.

• 4:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY –Guest on Fox News' "Your World with Neil Cavuto" to discuss presidential politics.

• 7:30 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox Business Channel " America 's Nightly Scorecard" with host David Asman.

• 8:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" with host Bill O'Reilly to discuss presidential politics and the growing momentum for Governor Huckabee's presidential campaign.

• 9:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" with his wife, Janet Huckabee as part of a series on the presidential candidates and their wives.

Look out Robert Murdoch, Mike Huckabee will own FOX, at least for a day.

Huckabee's Fiscal Record Is Fine

Check this out from RedState where anteater looks into Mike Huckabee's fiscal record and Club for Growth's attacks on him.

• Here, I would like to make the case that Mike Huckabee's fiscal record, while not perfect, should be perfectly acceptable to conservatives. Should he receive the nomination, I believe that Huckabee will be able to unite the three major factions of the Republican party, with his acceptable fiscal record, his impeccable social conservatism, and his strong stance against Islamofascism.

• First, Huckabee was governor of Arkansas for 10.5 years, and lieutenant governor before that. Governors are responsible for running the state and balancing budgets, and thus, Governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney (and mayor Rudy Giuliani) should be graded on a totally different curve than Senators John McCain and Fred Thompson when it comes to economic issues. I believe it is much easier to be fiscally conservative as a Senator than as a Governor of a very economically liberal state (Arkansas) with a legislature composed of 86% Democrats.

Read more here.

Q & A for Mike Huckabee from politicsiowa.com

Ohh my, check out this Question and Answer session politicsiowa.com posed for Mike Huckabee. Here are the questions, then I will provide the link to see Mike Huckabee's answers. Some of the answers are too good not to include in my post.

Huckabee Talks About Keeping Iowa Momentum Going

• By - Justin Schardin

  

• (October 30, 2007)

• It's been a good couple of weeks for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huc kabee (R). Following an impressive showing earlier this month at the Value Voters Summit, Huckabee became the hot item to discuss in the Republican presidential race. Could he be the one to unite a dissatisfied GOP electorate?
• It appears voters are at least giving him a second look. Though trailing badly in fundraising, his poll movement shows promise, particularly in Iowa. An oft-noted classic rock aficiona do, Huckabee was on his way Friday to playing Clear Lake's historic Surf Ballroom with his band Capitol Offense when PoliticsIowa caught up with him.

Here are some of the questions.

1. Let's start with the important question. Taking Jimi Hendrix as a given, who's the second-best guitarist ever?
2. Had you come in third at the Ames Straw Poll, where would your campaign be now?
3. With all the recent national media attention, do you feel a like the bench player who works hard in practice, and then one day the coach says, get in there and show us what you've got?
4. Given Iowa's importance, inexpensiveness, and seeming suitability to your message, why have you not spent more time here?
5. Why has fundraising not kept pace with your rise in the polls?

• "Well, that has changed dramatically in the last week. We've raised more money in the past six days than we raised in the first three months of the year... We now have a goal of a million dollars by midnight on the 31^st.

1. "What's your pitch to voters who like you, but think you might not be electable?

• "Well, I'm the only guy that really knows Hillary that well. I've survived politically in the environment of a Democrat Arkansas the Clintons created and controlled for virtually two generations. I've already proven that I can win. We've established that I can. What hasn't [been] proven is whether any of these other guys can."

1. What do you say to voters who are scared off by mixing religion and government?
2. What do you want to come to peoples' minds when they hear the word Republican?

• "Competent leadership."

1. Have you spoken to Sen. Brownback since he announced he was leaving the race?
2. Did you get a sense he would be inclined to endorse you?
3. Did you make a pitch for his support?
4. Which of your Democratic opponents do you have the most respect for?

• "I have respect for all of them. I have a respect that Hillary's going to be a much stronger candidate than people give her credit for. I appreciate that Obama has brought a freshness to the campaign and a sense of energy. I've had some fun at Edwards' expense, but I do believe that he understands the plight of many ordinary people. I know Bill Richardson probably quite well, and I am extremely fond of him on a personal level. I also find him to be extraordinarily capable individual and consider him a personal friend."

1. Is there something most people don't know about Sen. Clinton that you do from your experience in Arkansas?

• "The answer is yes. You're going to ask me what it is, and I'm going to save that for the election."

Ohh, they really saved the best last for last. Question wasn't long winded, nor was Mike's answer. But it is all good. I wonder what he knows that know one else does. Can't wait to find out. I just love surprises!

To find out all of Mike's answers to all these questions, click here.

Even the Brits are Interested in Mike Huckabee

Check out this article from...England. Yes I said England. Not only do they care about what is going on in the American Primaries, they care enough to write about Mike Huckabee. This is snippets from an article from the British Times Online.

• Republicans start to swing behind Mike Huckabee's Capitol offensive

• Tom Baldwin in Washington

• Mike Huckabee, armed with little more than a bass guitar and the kind of Christian conservative authenticity that his rivals cannot buy, is elbowing his way into the 2008 Republican presidential contest.

• Written off in the summer as a no-hope prospect, he has made up so much ground that what was once a four-way race between Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and John McCain now has a fifth hard-running – if dark – horse in the field.

This American says, let's kick one of those guys out, but keep Mike Huckabee, and keep it a four way race.

• Over lunch in Washington yesterday Mr Huckabee, 51, spoke of his amazement over a “phenomenal couple of weeks” that began when he so out-shone his rivals before an audience of Evangelicals that a straw poll among those present backed him by five to one. Since then, fuelled by celebrity endorsements, he has received a desperately needed injection of cash.

• But as Mr Clinton himself pointed out recently, Mr Huckabee is a Christian conservative without the anger or self-righteousness that characterise many of his fellow believers.

• Does he think that God is on his side? “I would never be so presumptuous,” Mr Huckabee replied. Will non-Christians go to Hell? “I don’t know. Being president is not about picking out the people who will go to Heaven or Hell. Like a good Christian he believes...Jesus will sort that out.”

• He said that proof that his campaign had come alive was that he now found himself “in the crosshairs of every predator out there”, adding: “A good hunter never aims his gun at a dead carcass.”

• How they stand

• With Republican primary voters

• Giuliani 25%
• Thompson 17%
• Romney 14%
• Huckabee 12%
• McCain 12%

• With Democrat primary voters

• Clinton 42%
• Obama 22%
• Edwards 14%

• Source: Rasmussen Reports poll

Read the full article here.

Cheerio yanks and God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!

An Honest Analysis of Mike Huckabee

Here is an honest analysis of Mike Huckabee. As you know, I try to provide honesty to you, my dear readers. This article in the Politico is an observation from journalist Roger Simon. It is not a raving review, nor is it a negative review, just the truth. Here is some snippets.

• Huckabee not conservative enough for some

• By: Roger Simon
• Oct 29, 2007 06:27 PM EST

Huckabee, who was governor of Arkansas for 10½ years, was only the third Republican governor there since Reconstruction. Photo: AP

• Mike Huckabee says he is the “conservative who is not mad at anybody,” but that doesn’t mean some people aren’t mad at him.

• As Huckabee has done better in the polls, criticism of him has increased.

• “The far left and the far right curse the ground on which I walk,” Huckabee told me Monday. “That is a great place to be. I am where far more of the country is.”

True that!

• There may be another reason for some fiscal conservatives not to like him, however: Huckabee is anti-greed.

• In his speeches, Huckabee rails against the “unbridled greed” of some Wall Street executives.

• “I am not interested in being the candidate of Wall Street but of Main Street,” he says. “CEOs get paid 500 times what the average worker does, but they are not necessarily 500 times smarter or harder-working, and that is wrong.”

• Last Friday, an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal quoted Randy Minton, a former Republican state representative from Arkansas, as saying Huckabee’s “support for taxes split the Republican Party and damaged our name brand.”

• Name brand? Of the Republican Party? In Arkansas?

• Huckabee, who was governor of Arkansas for 10½ years, was only the third Republican governor there since Reconstruction. And he says that, far from damaging the name brand of Republicans there, he beat the “Clinton political machine” in Arkansas four times.

• “Nobody knows Hillary better than me,” Huckabee told me. “The Clintons campaigned for my opponents four times, and I won. When people talk about who can beat Hillary, I say I already have.”

Mike Huckabee on immigration?

• “I do not believe in amnesty, I don’t believe in sanctuary cities, I believe [illegal aliens] who commit crimes ought to be deported, and I believe we ought to go after the employers,” Huckabee said.

• “But do I have a seething anger toward immigrants?” he went on. “No. I definitely have anger toward the incompetence of our government; I am just livid over it. But immigrants just love our country like we do.”

Mr. Simon did some math, see.

• I did some math:

• Mitt Romney has spent $53.6 million this primary season and has 36.2 percent of the vote in Iowa, according to the poll. Which means Romney has spent $1.48 million for every percentage point of support.

• Rudy Giuliani has spent $30.6 million and has 13.1 percent of the vote. Which means he has spent $2.34 million for every percentage point of support.

• Mike Huckabee has spent $1.7 million and has 12.8 percent of the vote. Which means he has spent $133,000 for every percentage point of support.

• So who is the biggest fiscal conservative?

I think we all know the answer to that question.
Read the full article here.

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!

Huckabee Could Have Spirit of Reagan

Here are a couple of great articles on Mike Huckabee.
From USA TODAY;

• Huckabee could have 'spirit of Ronald Reagan'

• "At a time when GOP candidates are falling all over themselves to rekindle the spirit of Ronald Reagan in their party," our Gannett colleague David Yepsen of the Des Moines Register writes in his column today, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is "coming as close as anyone."
• David, who holds the unofficial title "dean of Iowa political correspondents," says that:
• It's time to "concentrate on (Huckabee's) message. It is a positive, inclusive, good-humored one. As Republicans seek to rebuild from their defeat of 2006 and try to stave off a similar loss in 2008, they might study the Book of Huckabee."

Read more here.
Here is some of the article the first article links to.

• Yepsen: Positive, Reagan-like spirit spurs Huckabee's rise

• David Yepsen

• October 30, 2007

6 Comments

• Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's been the hot candidate in the Republican race since he finished second in the Iowa GOP's straw poll back in August.
• Oh, there was a little time out for some chatter about Fred Thompson, but as he has fallen flat, the talk about Huckabee has resumed.
• In recent days, that talk has escalated to a new level of buzz: Huckabee's doing so well in Iowa, he just might be able to win the Iowa Republican caucuses.

Who are you gonna trust more to be in control of your tax dollars? I think the following thoughts will give you the answer.

• ...Romney's had a juggernaut in Iowa for months. He's spent millions, runs lots of TV commercials, has made a couple of hundred appearances in the state and has staff all over it, including those in a sprawling suburban office park.
• Huckabee's low-budget campaign is, well, the difference between Beacon Hill and a trailer park. He's got only eight full-time staffers and runs his operation out of a low-rent storefront in downtown Des Moines...

Yeah, Romney sure does like to spend other people's money.

• Like Huckabee, Romney is fond of telling people he ran and won in a Democratic state. It's also true Romney ran as a liberal on social issues such as gay rights and abortion. Had he taken the positions on those issues that he proclaims now, he never would have been elected in Massachusetts.
• Huckabee, on the other hand, has been consistent, and GOP stalwarts are noticing that difference between the two men. Huckabee's rallied enough social conservatives to force Sam Brownback out of the race.
• After Thompson's late start, he's lighting no fires in Iowa. His speech at the big Reagan Dinner Saturday night was a boilerplate thing he could have given anywhere. Romney didn't show. Huckabee got the only standing ovation.
• "I'm a conservative, but I'm not mean about it," he tells audiences. He shows up at events with minority groups. His pro-life message also encompasses health care for poor women and a concern for children. His talk about education reform includes developing creative skills through art and music.
• Unlike some Republican presidential candidates, who grew up in well-to-do families, Huckabee tells audiences his mother grew up in a house with dirt floors, and on his father's side, he is the first male to graduate from high school. That seems to give him a populist bent - and an understanding for poor people - that isn't seen in the Ivy League conservatives.

Read the full article.

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!

Mike Huckabee on the Situation Room

I am waiting for Mike Huckabee to appear on the Situation Room. OK, here is Huckabee. Wolf Blitzer is talking about poll numbers being good. He is asking Mike about Pat Toomey's attacks in regards to taxes. Mike Huckabee is setting the record straight. The taxes were voted by the people of Arkansas and he didn't sign for all of them. He will not be an old fashioned conservative who will be controlled by Wall Street. He doesn't want to put down other opponents, even though they have been putting him down. He is setting the record straight about Mitty's statement that he "gave special rates to children of illegals" who were planning on going to college. He did not give them special rates. He gave them the same opportunity as all kids of Arkansas. Mike knew it would be better in the long run for them to get good jobs after graduating so they could be independent from government, if they were stuck in minimum wage jobs. Holy!#$#$ Mike is in 2nd place in Iowa polls now. He is different from Rudy Giuliani on abortion. He believes all abortion is wrong. Would Mike ask Rudy as his running mate? It depends, if he can change his views on abortion.

Man of Wisdom, Speaks Words of Wisdom

Got this from Jeremy's post at Mike Huckabee '08

• Neal Boortz, under Reading Assignments on Boortz.com, writes:

• Mike Huckabee .. proud of his record in Arkansas. This is the guy I would vote for if the election were held today.

Here is some of what is in the second link that Jeremy provided.

• My Proud Record
• I cut taxes and fees over 90 times as governor.

• BY MIKE HUCKABEE
• Monday, October 29, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT

• John Fund's view of my 10 1/2-year record as governor of Arkansas and my vision for America's future ("Another Man from Hope: Who is Mike Huckabee?") calls for me to set the record straight.

• It's important to note that every living Republican in Arkansas who has been elected to either a statewide or a federal office has endorsed my candidacy. I'm grateful for their support and proud that in 1998, I received the largest percentage of votes ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas, and that Arkansans re-elected me to another four-year term in November 2002.

• I am even prouder that, throughout my tenure as governor and lieutenant governor of Arkansas, I campaigned tirelessly for countless Republican candidates for the state house and federal office--and even helped get some elected.

• As governor, I pushed through the Arkansas Legislature the first major, broad-based tax cuts in state history--a $90 million tax relief package for Arkansas families; led efforts to establish a Property Taxpayers' Bill of Rights; and created a welfare reform program that reduced the welfare rolls in the state by almost 50%. We also doubled the standard deduction to $2,000 for single taxpayers and $4,000 for those who are married. In total, I led the fight to cut taxes and fees over 90 times during my 10 1/2 years as governor, saving the people of Arkansas almost $380 million. When I left office, Arkansas had over $800 million in state surplus. continued
  

• Huckabee expands S.C. leadership team

• Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has named the S.C. leadership team for his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

• Huckabee already has the support of former Gov. David Beasley and much of former Gov. Carroll Campbell’s family, including Campbell’s widow, Iris, and his youngest son, Mike.

• Endorsing Huckabee on Friday were:

• • Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville

• • Sen. Danny Verdin, R-Laurens

• • Rep. Liston Barfield, R-Horry

• • Rep. Glenn Hamilton, R-Greenville

• • Rep. Keith Kelly, R-Spartanburg

• • Rep. Rex Rice, R-Pickens

• • Former Rep. Warren Arthur, R-Darlington

• • George Graham, former chairman of the state GOP.[Source]

Now he just needs to expand, ahem, start a Michigan Leadership Team. Maybe there will be news at the Lincoln Day Dinner I talked about below.

Some Good News

Hey y'all! I have some good news from this little cottage in the UP. I have switched my browser over to Firefox. What's the big deal about that? Well, when I had Explorer it was a mess trying to sign into Blogger. My computer would always shut down. Now I just sign into Blogger and have no problem. Now I can get out better posts. I am still trying to figure things out in reagards to cut and paste. But the cool thing is I can cut and paste pictures. With Explorer I had to save pictures to my comp then add them to my post. This is much easier.
Another thing is, this Saturday Nov. 3, I along with at least one other person, will be setting up a Mike Huckabee table at the 1st District meeting.
Wednesday Nov. 8 I will be attending the Clinton County Lincoln Day Dinner where Mike Huckabee will be the Guest of Honor.

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan! I think I might start a fire in my fireplace for the first time this year.

Chuck Norris Talks More About the Greatness of Mike Huckabee

I found this over at One Mom's blog. Chuck Norris has more great things to say about Mike Huckabee. Here is some of the things he talks about in his column on World Net Daily.

• The surge is working – Huckabee's too!

---

• Posted: October 29, 20071:00 a.m. Eastern

Former Gov. Mike Huck

• The surge is working.

• I said that when I was in Iraq for the second time. I also thought that this past week as I watched former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's GOP presidential popularity and political purse keep growing.

• Signs of significant increase began a month ago when Huckabee took the top position in a straw poll conducted at the Value's Voter Presidential Debate.
• Another tell-tale sign came from the Rasmussen Reports, which reported last Friday, "for the first time ever – Mike Huckabee moving into the top four among those seeking the Republican presidential nomination."

What else does Chuck Norris say about Mike Huckabee? Click here to find out about what he says about these things. Such as;
When the saints come marching in
The urge to surge?
Can America ever have victory in war again?

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!

Dissecting the Dissecting

OK, my fellow bloggers are defending Huckabee on more substantive issues against attack pieces. But this one just stuck in my craw. This is an article from Newsweek regarding Mike Huckabee and his band playing at the historic Surf Ballroom. To get my inspiration for this post I am listening to my new Ritchie Valens CD.

• The Deep, Dark Secrets of Huckabee's Rock 'n' Roll Set List
• Andrew Romano

• On Friday night, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee stood on stage at the historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa--a Tobias bass guitar slung over his shoulder, his Little-Rock-based covers band Capitol Offense arrayed behind him--and said to the crowd that he was there to "to show that conservatives, Republicans, Christian believers can have as much fun as anybody else in the whole world... Nothing heavy, nothing political.
• "Riiight.

That's right Mr. Romano. It was nothing more than fun.

• Sorry, Mike, but when you're campaigning for president, everything is political. For starters, Friday's show--with tickets priced at $10 per person, or $25 per family--raised thousands of dollars for the cash-strapped Huckabee campaign. I (Kathy) think that the ticket prices were more than reasonable, not just to see Mike Huckabee play guitar, but to also be at the historic place. You just mentioned that he is cash strapped. He could have taken advantage of the situation, but he didn't. That's the kind of person Mike Huckabee is. He wanted everyone to be able to attend, not just some sort of snobbery event where only people with Caddilac SUVs could attend. Secondly, the Surf (site of Buddy Holly's final gig) was swarming with reporters from NBC, the Rocky Mountain News, the Los Angeles Times, the Des Moines Register, Radio France and, um, Newsweek; do you think we would've trekked to remote Clear Lake and provided much-needed media attention if not for the novelty of a rocking 'n' rolling Republican? Subtle hint: the correct answer is no. The Surf Ballroom was swarming with reporters when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson played there. What's your point?
• And then there's the little matter of the Capitol Offense set list. On the surface, it may read like the repertoire of a typical Baby Boomer wedding band--"Roll Over Beethoven," "Wonderful Tonight," "Brown Eyed Girl." But we political junkies know better. While well-behaved supporters danced to the simple sounds of yesteryear--or so they thought--Stumper listened closely for subliminal political messaging. Below, in a Newsweek worldwide Web exclusive, are the results of our hard-hitting, no-holds-barred investigation...
• Nice try on the innocent "nothing political" routine, Gov. Huckabee. You've just been Stump'd.

Oh no, here we go.

• Only in America: The opener, say showbiz types, is always important. But when I first heard the lyrics of this Brooks and Dunn hit -- "One kid dreams of fame and fortune / One kid helps pay the rent / One could end up going to prison / One just might be president" -- I was puzzled. Then it hit me. Mike Huckabee wants to president! (Also, the entire band pointed to him at this point in the song.) "Only in America," goes the chorus. "Dreaming in red, white and blue." NB: those are the colors of the American flag, according to documents obtained by Stumper. You sly dog, you.

This is a great song. It has a great message about the fabric of America, that we all are raised different and grow up different. This choice of song for Mike to pick just goes to show that he understands the American people. I would like to think that the American people are not just going to pick a president based on what songs he likes. Sheesh.

• R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.: Track two was also, I think, about the United States of America (a.k.a., the "U.S.A."). "With the blind faith of Jesus, you know that they just might be rockin' in the U.S.A," sings John Cougar Mellencamp on the original recording. This "Jesus," sources say, is a very popular figure in this country--especially with the heartland conservatives Huckabee is courting in Iowa. Campaign aides would not comment when asked if an endorsement was forthcoming. Calls to Jesus's press office were not immediately returned.

For real, did ya really have to bring Jesus into this?

• Taking Care of Business: Does this Bachman Turner Overdrive track have something to do with America's "business" community and how Huckabee would "take care" of it? I'll let you, dear reader, be the judge of that.
  

OK, I can't stand this song. I guess because I associate it with that dumb Office Max commercial from about ten years ago. Otherwise, there is no meaning in him picking this song.

• Sweet Home Alabama: After examining a map, I discovered that "Alabama," the subject of this Lynyrd Skynyrd song, is a place in the Deep South. While I understand the importance of establishing one's credibility with rural, red-state America, a rival campaign points out that Huckabee is misleading voters by calling Alabama his "sweet home": he is actually from "Arkansas." A fine distinction, as both states begin with the letter "A," but an important one nonetheless. We urge the governor to come clean.

OMG, Mike Huckabee never said he was from Alabama. What a dork. This is a great song. No political meaning in it.

• Money: Stumper can exclusively reveal that the lyrics to this early Motown hit--"You're lovin' gives me a thrill / But you're lovin' don't pay my bills / Now give me money / That's what I want"--mark the launch of a new effort by Huckabee to translate his growing support in Iowa polls (or "lovin'") into increased campaign contributions (or "money"). No word yet on whether this innovative "give me money" fundraising strategy is working.

Again, another great song. There was no hidden agenda in this. If there was, perhaps he was making fun of Mitt Romney.

• I Want to Hold Your Hand: An early version of the Capitol Offense set list obtained by Stumper includes another Beatles song--"Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" Apparently, campaign manager Chip Saltsman intervened at the last minute and insisted, much to Huckabee's chagrin, that the band play "I Want to Hold Your Hand" instead, claiming that the original number's impassioned support of public intercouse would offend social conservatives. Where does Huckabee stand on "doing it in the road," then? Your guess is as good as mine.[Source]

Well, Mr. Romano, I do have to agree on this. "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" would have been a terrible choice. A big huge hat tip to Mr. Saltsman for intervening on that. No offense, but eeewww gross, no band who has even one member over the age of 40 should be allowed to play that song. Hang on a while. I gotta scrub my brain with bleach. The image, oh God the image.

Well I am now awaiting a piece from Mr. Romano about the teaming up of Buddy Holly, who was married to a Hispanic woman, and Ritchie Valens , who was dating a white girl, had to do with the public awareness of interacial dating. Sure, it makes sense now. That's why Ritchie Valens played Donna, a song about the white girl, for the commercial for the "Winter Dance Party." Perhaps, it was because they were great musicians. Just like Mike Huckabee likes to play music. What's the difference if Mike Huckabee were to play a concert or Mitt Romney were to play golf at a fancy country club? Or maybe he could go out and kill rabbits and small varmint, snicker, snicker.

Onscener, Mike Huckabee

Numbers Game

Check out this article from the New York Sun regarding Mike Huckabee's surge in the polls and talk about money compared to that of his competitors. Here are a few snippets.

• Rising in Polls, Huckabee Could Be GOP's Dark Horse of 2008

• By NICHOLAS WAPSHOTT
• Staff Reporter of the Sun
• October 30, 2007

• The quiet man of the Republican presidential race, Mike Huckabee, is becoming the dark horse social conservative candidate who could end up trouncing his better known, better funded rivals.

• In a poll of Iowa Republicans published yesterday, the former governor of Arkansas is neck and neck with Mayor Giuliani in a tie for second place behind Mitt Romney, who has spent tens of millions including an injection of his personal wealth to establish his lead in the bellwether state.

• The Hawkeye poll, conducted by the New University of Iowa, shows Mr. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, in the clear lead with 36.2% support.

• But in a statistical tie for second place, Mr. Huckabee is at 12.8%, while the former New York mayor has 13.1%. A former Tennessee senator, Fred Thompson, comes fourth with 11.4%, and Senator McCain of Arizona is fifth, with 6%.

• Mr. Huckabee's current strength is seen in the 10% spurt he has had since the summer. In an identical poll in August, Mr. Huckabee attracted just 1.8%.

• "What we're seeing is the power of message over money and mechanics," Mr. Huckabee said in a statement on hearing the result. He has spent just $1.7 million on advertising; Mr. Romney has spent $53.6 million, and Mr. Giuliani has spent $30.2 million as of September 30, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Read the rest here.

Be a Prostitot for Halloween!

I am watching Glenn Beck right now. He is talking about the Halloween costumes for little girls. I don't have kids, but I guess the new costume style for little girls is now mini skirts, high boots, low-rise pants and high tops. I don't know what these little girls, or their parents for that matter, call these outfits. I know what I call them.
When I was a kid we dressed as witches, ghosts, vampires, princesses (with ankle length hems), fifties girls in poodle skirts (again, hem was below the knee), baggy cat customs, etc. According to one of the ladies, who runs a costume shop, he was interviewing, the little girls, and their moms, want the little girls to dress "sexy." They dress like go-go girls, Britney or Lindsay, traditional costumes have mini skirt hemlines. She said it is the moms who encourage this behavior. Possibly they are living vicariously through their daughters.
The churches in my town get together to hold an alternative to Halloween where participants can dress as Biblical characters or just fun dress up that is not "sexy" or scary. All ages are welcome. I have never attended any of these, but I think this is a great alternative. Even with women my age, I think it is disgusting for them to dress skanky.

Mike Huckabee Tied for 3rd with John McCain

Check this out, from Rasmussen.

• Daily Presidential Tracking Poll

• Monday, October 29, 2007

• The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows five candidates within eleven points in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. Among Likely Republican Primary Voters nationwide, Rudy Giuliani is preferred by 23% while Fred Thompson is six points behind at 17%. John McCain and Mike Huckabee are at 13% while Mitt Romney is a point behind at 12%. No other Republican attracts more than 3% support (see recent daily numbers).

Read more here.

Mike Huckabee's Weekly Schedule

• Media Advisory: Mike Huckabee's Public Schedule for the week of October 29, 2007

• The O'Reilly Factor, Charlie Rose, Good Morning America, Hannity and Colmes and much more...

• October 29, 2007

• Little Rock, AR – The following is a listing of schedule highlights for former AR Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee for the week of October 29, 2007.

• NOTE: For media planning purposes only. Subject to change.

• Tuesday, October 30, 2007

• 7:10 a.m. ET – Guest on ABC's "Good Morning America" with political correspondent George Stephanopoulos to discuss growing momentum for Governor Huckabee's presidential campaign.

• 1:30 p.m. ET – Washington D.C. – Speaks at the National Republican Congressional Committee Event, The Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW. (This event is closed press). Contact: Kirsten Fedewa, 202-365-6936.

• 3:30 p.m. ET – Guest on MSNBC's "All Politics Day" with host Nora O'Donnell.

• 4:10 p.m. ET – Guest on CNN's "Situation Room" with host Wolf Blitzer.

• 5:00 p.m. ET – 6:00 p.m. ET – Washington D.C. – Guest on C-SPAN / XM POTUS "'08 Town Hall Meeting" with students from Thomas Jefferson Science and Technology High School . Listen live on XM Radio's POTUS '08 Channel as well as C-SPAN Radio. It will run on C-SPAN TV at 6:30 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 4.

• Wednesday, October 31, 2007

• 7:40 a.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox Business Channel with host Alexis Glick to discuss presidential politics.

• 5:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY –Guest on Fox News' "Your World with Neal Cavuto" to discuss presidential politics.

• 7:30 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox Business Channel " America 's Nightly Scorecard" with host David Asman.

• 8:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" with host Bill O'Reilly to discuss presidential politics and the growing momentum for Governor Huckabee's presidential campaign.

• 9:00 p.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" with his wife, Janet Huckabee as part of a series on the presidential candidates and their wives.

• Thursday, November 1, 2007

• 6:30 a.m. ET – New York, NY – Guest on Fox News "Fox & Friends" with hosts Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade to discuss presidential politics.

• 10:30 a.m. ET – Guest on Accent Radio's "The Right Balance" with host Greg Allen to discuss presidential politics and the growing momentum in the Huckabee campaign. The show can be heard online at www.accentradio.com and www.therightbalance.org.

• 11:00 p.m. ET – Guest on PBS's "Charlie Rose" to discuss presidential politics. Check your local listing for show time or online at www.charlierose.com

• Friday, November 2, 2007

• 1:00 p.m. ET – Columbia, SC – Speaks at the South Carolina Renewal Project Pastors' Policy Briefing, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center , Ballroom.

• Saturday, November 3, 2007

• 5:00 p.m. CT – DeSoto, TX – Attends fundraising reception at the private residence of Buddy and Vicki Pilgrim. Governor Huckabee will host a media availability at 5:00 p.m. CT at the home.

• Sunday, November 4, 2007

• 10:00 a.m. CT – Irving,TX – Speaks at New Beginnings Church , 3000 West Airport Freeway.

• 11:15 a.m. CT – Plano, TX – Speaks at Prestonwood Baptist Church , 6801 W. Park Blvd.

• 6:30 p.m. ET – Washington D.C. – Guest on C-SPAN / XM POTUS "Town Hall Meeting" in the first of a series of town hall meetings with the presidential candidates. The program will re-broadcast at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Just for Laughs

Do I really need words for this?
Found these in Slate Cartoons in the Partisan Woes category.

Iowans Give Huckabee a Second Look

• DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Mike Huckabee, who strums a bass guitar and cracks jokes at campaign stops, is quietly establishing himself with Iowa voters as a serious candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
• ''I think he's the sleeper candidate this year,'' said Steve Roberts, a Des Moines lawyer who sits on the Republican National Committee. ''He makes a very positive impression in his public appearances and in the debates.''
• Huckabee's success thus far in this early voting state has raised the question: Can he overcome his rivals' advantages? He doesn't have the money of Mitt Romney, the celebrity of Rudy Giuliani or the personal history of John McCain.
• But the former Arkansas governor has a message that resonates with many Iowans. He is an ordained Baptist minister whose opposition to abortion and gay rights appeals to social and religious conservatives, and he has a personal story of losing more than 100 pounds that has helped form his stand on health care.
• Huckabee often delivers his conservative message while poking fun at himself and others -- at times while performing with his rock band, Capitol Offense.
• It's a combination that led him to a strong showing at the recent Values Voter summit in Washington where he tied with Romney in a straw poll and 12 percent in the latest survey by The Des Moines Register.
• In August, Huckabee finished second to Romney in a high-profile Iowa GOP straw poll.
• Still, Huckabee has been unable to attract the necessary cash for his campaign, and he is stuck in low single digits in national polls. Huckabee raised $2.3 million as of Sept. 30 and had $650,000 cash on hand. By comparison, Giuliani had $16.6 million cash on hand, Romney $9.2 million and Fred Thompson $7.1 million.
• His lack of money means Huckabee can field only eight paid staffers in Iowa, about half the size of Romney's campaign, and cannot air TV ads as Romney has done for months.
• Given the front-loaded election schedule, in which Iowa and New Hampshire will be followed by an explosion of primaries, many wonder if a candidate without a pile of money can afford to build the organizations needed to compete throughout the nation.

Read the rest here.

Huckabee Gains Ground in Polls

I am rather tired to day so I am just going to give at least one news column, but no opinions.

• Former Governor Mike Huckabee has moved into the top 4 among those seeking the Republican Presidential nomination. According to the Rasmussen Report, Rudy Giuliani remains at the top, with 20 percent, Fred Thompson's close behind with 19 percent, Senator John Mccain's in third place with 14 percent, and, Huckabee gains ground with 12 percent.
• This is the first time all year Huckabee has surpassed Mitt Romney, who's at 11 percent.
• So does his recent jump in the polls mean his chances are more promising?
• Just when you thought the Huckabee hype has died down, his presence in the campaign grows even stronger. Across the nation he's making a name for himself, passing Mitt Romney in the Rasmussen poll for the first time.
• But he's still not gaining full support from the Christian conservatives, and considering he's a former Baptist minister, it doesn't completely add up.
• "That's one of the great unknowns, why people are not supporting Governor Huckabee. He is an outstanding candidate," Todd Minnery, Senior Vice President of Focus on the Family, the ministry of Dr. James Dobson said.
• Minnery says it's not that Christians don't like Huckabee, it's that they don't know him.
• "It’s surprising to see how many are still unfamiliar with whom Huckabee is and I think that's a result of his inability of TV and radio commercials," said Minnery.
• Of course that's not the case in Arkansas.
• "A lot of Christians in this area, me being one of them, i would support him," Steven Wyatt of Clinton said.
• But some Arkansans do say it takes quite a candidate to impress the conservative Christian crowd.
• "I think Christians are looking for basic blue collar type candidate, someone who is for people themselves and not for making themselves rich," Tommy Garland of Cabot said.
• According to Minnery, if Huckabee wants to gain ground, he's got to focus on gaining funds first.
• "I think until Governor Huckabee can demonstrate more fundraising ability, some conservative Christians are going in other directions," Minnery said. [Source]
  

Mike Huckabee played at Historical Surf Ballroom Friday

As y'all know I am a huge Rockabilly fan. I am also a huge Mike Huckabee fan. So when the two things are combined I can't help but be excited. Mike Huckabee and his band, Capitol Offense, played at the one and only Surf Ballroom yesterday. Of all places I wish I could have been, that Mike Huckabee was at, this is where I would have liked to have been. Sadly, the Surf Ballroom is all the way in Clear Lake, Iowa. The Surf Ballroom has historical and melancholy significance due to the fact that this is where Buddy Holly, J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson, Ritchie Valenz played their last concert as part of the Winter Dance Party. The three of them died in a plane crash in February of 1959. Check out this article about Mike Huckabee at the Surf Ballroom.
Of all the pictures I have ever seen of Mike Huckabee, including other ones of him playing his guitar, this is the best I have seen. Just look at him, grinning like a school boy. He seems very elated to be there.

• CLEAR LAKE — Whether or not GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee’s appearance Friday at the Surf Ballroom was a clever campaign gimmick, two things were clear.
• One, this conservative crowd didn’t really care and two, Huckabee’s band, Capitol Offense, really could play danceable classic rock.The 300 or so who attended were greeted by a festooned stage alive with red, white and blue bunting and signs everywhere that said simply, “Mike Huckabee.”
• T-shirts emblazoned with “I Like Mike” were scattered for sale across three tables next to bumper stickers and Huckabee’s book, “Character Is the Issue.”
• “We came from Ames to hear him,” said April Hill, 39, who brought her entire family — husband, three children and mother — to see the former Arkansas governor. They had first heard his band play at the GOP Straw Poll this summer in Ames.
• While the music is fun, his message is better, she said.
• “We really feel he’s the only candidate who offers hope. He embodies all the conservative values our family holds without being negative about it,” said Hill.
• “I think he’s a great presidential candidate,” agreed Faith Swanson, 16, from Ankeny. The home-schooler called Huckabee’s values similar to her own.
• Huckabee said only a few words of welcome to the crowd before the band dived into popular rock favorites such as “Only In America,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” and “Roll Over Beethoven.”
• In addition to bass-playing Huckabee, band members are Marynell Branch, Aaron Black, Teri Cox, Rick Calhoun, Steve Pyle and Chris Pyle.
• The band was scheduled to play with special musical guest Barry Goudreau, former lead guitarist for Boston.The group, together since 1996, was formed shortly after Huckabee became governor. It has fronted for musicians such as Willie Nelson, Percy Sledge and Grand Funk Railroad.
• The event — which drew scores of national media to the apron of the Surf stage — raised questions about whether or not the event was, well, an event, or a campaign stop. People could donate money for a chance at a raffle or a Huckabee-signed guitar and other items. Money would go to the campaign.
• But his love of music — and Buddy Holly — was as much a draw, said his daughter, Sarah, who was also at the Surf with her mom, Janet. He was fascinated with the Surf during a for-real campaign stop. He called the Clear Lake venue, “preserved and unmolested.”
• “A few years ago, we all went to England for Christmas and ‘Buddy The Musical’ was playing — and my dad really got excited,” Sarah Huckabee said as she watched her dad perform.
• He said, ‘That’s it. C’mon, we’re all going to the show.’ He loves Buddy Holly.” [source]

Bye, Bye Miss American Pie and See Ya Later Alligator!

Does International Law trump US Criminal Law? (Update)

Update: DR from Maritime Sentry just let me know that the young girls in the story were 14 and 16.
This is sick, sick, sick and just plain old sick! The Glenn Beck email update from Thursday just came to me this morning. Normally if emails from a news source comes late I usually delete it. This time I opened it. What was included in the email, that I will include in this post, is not Glenn Beck's words but the words of Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D. Please read this. Read about what our President is up to. Read what some sick bastards did to some innocent young girls. read about how President Bush wants to help...the bastards, yes, I said the bastards. He wants to help them, not the familie of these innocent girls!

• Almost unbelievably, President Bush has argued at the U.S. Supreme Court that a Mexican murder on death row should be given a new trial at the demand of the UN's International Court of Justice in the Hague, all because this illegal alien killer was not allowed to first call the Mexican consulate when he was arrested.
• At issue is the death penalty verdict for Jose Medellin, who confessed in 1993 to participating in the rape and murder of two Houston teenagers, Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena. Both were sodomized and raped for over an hour by Medellin and eight of his Mexican illegal alien gang members.
• The girls made a fatal mistake. After a pool party that ended late, they decided to take a shortcut home by the railroad tracks, trying to make one of the girl's midnight curfew.
• In their hour-long torture, one of the girls was hit so hard teeth were kicked out of her head. Medellin and his gang buddies strangled the girls to death with their belts. Medellin then boasted of keeping one girl's Mickey Mouse watch for his girlfriend as a souvenir of the crime.
• Medellin and four others were convicted of capital murder and sent to Texas' death row. One of these criminals has already been executed for the crime.
• Now, the Bush administration is arguing that Medellin's confession should be thrown out because years after the crime Medellin complained that his civil rights were violated because the Mexican consulate was not invited to take on his defense.
• The Supreme Court has already rejected Medellin's complaint once and the Texas appellate court has properly instructed President Bush that under the Constitutional separation of powers the chief executive has no authority to tell Texas criminal courts how to conduct their business.
• Medellin has now appealed the Texas court decision and the case is back at the Supreme Court a second time. This time, President Bush sent the Solicitor General to argue alongside Medellin's attorneys that international law has supremacy over U.S. criminal law, such that U.S. treaty obligations under the Vienna Convention trump Texas criminal law.
• If Bush prevails and Medellin's confession is thrown out by the Supreme Court, there may not be enough evidence to retry Medellin, meaning he would have to be released despite his confession to the heinous crime.
• What is at stake is the very foundation of U.S. judicial sovereignty.
• Truly, the UN's World Court in the Hague hates the death penalty, just as Mexico is loathe to see even their worst criminals in the United States be put to death for their capital offenses.
• The case, shocking to most Americans, provides further evidence that the Bush administration under the Security and Prosperity Partnership is doing everything possible to open our borders and placate Mexico.
• If Medellin's appeal is successful, will our law enforcement officers be required to call the Mexican consulate every time a Mexican illegal alien is arrested?
• Even worse, with so many sanctuary cities in place, the police dare not ask arrested Mexicans if they are legally here or not. So, if Medellin's appeal is successful, the police will have to call the Mexican consulate every time any Mexican, legal or illegal, is arrested.
• Yet even this will not be enough.
• Since the police cannot racially profile, maybe we should just call the Mexican consulate every time anybody is arrested. That way we can be sure we do not violate the civil rights of any Mexicans who commit violent capital crimes while they are illegally here in what used to be our country.
• Jerome R. Corsi is a Staff Writer for World Net Daily and Author of The Late Great U.S.A.: The Coming Merger With Mexico and Canada.

How many ways is this sick? Let me count the ways. Our president, yes our president, the president who is supposed to put American's needs and safety, is putting the needs of these sick bastards ahead of everyone else. How dare he?! How dare he listen to the drivel of the UN?!

These sick bastards should not of been allowed to call anyone. Not even cry to mama. Let alone the Mexican Consulate.

Rape in itself is horrid, whether it is stranger rape or "date rape." But this was just horrendous. The things that were done were just SADISTIC and EVIL!!!!!

Medellin took her Mickey Mouse watch, to take it to his girlfriend, take it to his girlfriend as a souvenir????!!!!! WTF?????!!!!! Now this within itself deserves it's own subcategory of sickness and counting the ways.

Let's see, where shall I start?

1. A Mickey Mouse watch- The article doesn't say how old the girls are. Doesn't matter though. Whether the victim is 1 yr or 100 yrs it is sick. But my point on the watch is this. The mention of the watch alone puts a personal story onto the young girls. It gives a glimpse into the victim. The fact that the watch had Mickey Mouse on it would say they were rather young. Maybe they could have been in high school, since some girls that age like to have stuff that is cartoonish. Even still, high school is young.
2. More on the watch. He wanted to take it to his girlfriend for a souvenir?! Again, WTF?!
3. What kind of female would want something that her boyfriend stole? Even worse, something he stole from a victim that was both his rape victim and murder victim? This girl has SERIOUS self esteem problems. I am sorry, but this is where forced sterilization is a good thing. Can you imagine her having a baby? I don't care if it is with another guy other than this Medellion or not. I hate to think of what kind of person her child would grow up to be. It would just be a waste of taxpayers dollars.

Medellion has no right to any appeals. The U.N. has no right to meddle in US business. This guy should be put to death. He should never be allowed to see the light of day.

Very Important Email from Coral Ridge Ministries

• A Fresh Perspective from Coral Ridge Ministries
  Facing Reality: Choice (a special on FOX - Sat. Oct. 27 at 9pm & 12 mid ET ) (Click Here for more info on FoxNews.com)
  Friday , October 25, 2007
  Abortion: It's one of the most controversial issues in America . For many women, it's an agonizing decision and one many regret for a lifetime. For many unborn babies, it's a violent and sudden end to a life of promise and possibilities.
  In an upcoming special, 'Facing Reality: Choice,' FOX News will look at the issue from a different angle when they offer the personal stories of three women. After viewing the special, FOX News asks you, the viewer, to log on to their web site and join a discussion about whether you think abortion is an acceptable choice or the cruel and unjust taking of the life of an innocent and weak member of the human race. We encourage you to respond to Fox, but before you do, we ask that you look at this issue from the perspectives presented below.
  Please check out the following stories:
  
  Gianna - "She [my mother] went to have a late term abortion; it was a saline abortion, which is a saline salt solution that's injected into the mother's womb.except they had a big shock in that abortion clinic that day because I arrived alive at 6 am in a Southern California abortion clinic."
  Watch Gianna's Story
  
  Nina - A mother and wife who has three healthy children, but finds out during her forth pregnancy that her child has down syndrome. In addition, because of Nina's health, the doctors recommend terminating the pregnancy.
  Watch Nina's Story
  
  Johnny - "I reject the phrase 'God allowed me to be born with spinal-muscular atrophy'. God didn't allow it. God designed it. It was in God's eternal purpose for me to have this disease."
  Watch Johnny's Story
  
  FOX News is seeking feedback before you tune in to its special, Facing Reality: Choice, airing October 27 at 9pm / 12 mid ET. Tell FOX News your thoughts in light of Johnny, Nina, and Gianna's stories. What advice would you give to a woman considering abortion? Send your thoughts to Fox and email us as well. We'd love to hear from you!E-mail FOX and join the discussion!

Mike Huckabee explains why he's surging

John Dickerson of Slate Magazine interviewed Mike Huckabee. Here is a few snippets of the three, yes three, page interview. While Slate is a liberal site, I think this was a dang good interview of Mike Huckabee. The interview covers every basis of Mike Huckabee's views of his candidacy. This is one of those interviews that whether you have been supporting Mike Huckabee for a long time, wanting to learn more about him, or just heard of him, this is enjoyable and interesting for everyone. Let's take a looksee.

• For weeks, Mike Huckabee has been inching up in the polls in Iowa, but recently he seems to be surging. His strong performance at the recent Value Voters Summit and strong debate performances finally seem to be paying off. He also seems to be the pundit's choice, garnering favorable reviews from Jonathan Alter, Dick Morris, and David Brooks. He also recently won the endorsement of Chuck Norris, who might help him win over voters by simply staring them into submission.
  I caught up with the former Arkansas governor on a weak cell-phone connection as he drove from the Omaha, Neb., airport to Sioux City, Iowa.


• Slate: You have a bit of the buzz of the moment. Is it paying off?
  Huckabee: We've raised more money the last six days online than in the entire first three months of the campaign. We've had to upgrade the server twice just to handle the traffic and get more people in to handle the phones, because we couldn't get to them all. It's just exploded on us.


• Slate: Now what do you do?
  Huckabee: We have to turn the momentum into funding. We have people who have been sitting on the sidelines, but now they're willing to host fund-raising events. We now have a whole new energy. The amazing thing is that we've gotten this far by being patient and figuring if we stayed here long enough, the message would get through, and people would realize that many of the other candidates just don't scratch the itch for them.

True that!

• Slate: Does this mean that social conservatives are deciding to vote their principles rather than voting for the person who appears the most electable?
  Huckabee: The rank and file are no longer waiting to be given the nod by people who are perceived to be their leaders. Many are frustrated they're not getting more of a sense of leadership from the organizations they've supported. But also now even [those concerned with electability] are seeing that we have an opportunity to win. That I'm not out of this thing.

OK, here is the best part, what I have been thinking for a long time. Ya ready? Ya sure? Ya sittin down?

• Slate: Your skeptics worry you can't take on Hillary Clinton, about whom Republican voters are very emotional. Why are they so emotional, and can you take on Clinton?
  Huckabee: Frankly, I'm the only person who can. I know her better than any other person running for president. I understand her better and how she's going to approach this campaign. The contrast is going to be much starker if it's Hilary and me than if it's anyone else on our ticket. The other thing is that we're not going to beat Hillary by demonizing her. If people believe that's the way to win the election, they are quite wrong. They're going to have to show contrast, but by showing a superior vision, not simply painting a nightmare scenario.

I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. Just wish everyone else can see that. Perhaps now they will, now that Mike is getting more attention and being taken more seriously. Mike Huckabee has that superior vision.

• Slate: The pro-life movement has always welcomed converts—Norma McCorvey being the most famous. Why isn't Mitt Romney's conversion on abortion a part of that tradition?
  Huckabee: I welcome him to the fold. I think that's great. I also think it's great he's had an epiphany on the Second Amendment and the Bush tax cuts and the Reagan-Bush legacy, as well as on traditional marriage and farm subsidies. All of those are wonderful conversions, but anyone who doesn't think the Democrats won't use that video must have been out of the country and out of touch during the 2004 presidential campaign during the Swift Boat efforts on John Kerry.

I think he just gave Mitt Romney an underhanded compliment.

• Slate: How much of a threat is Iran, and what would you do about it?
  Huckabee: The threat is real, and if they were to obtain a nuclear capacity, that would be a serious threat not just to us and Israel but to the entire world. The president has taken the right step imposing severe economic sanctions. Before we bomb them, we ought to try to bankrupt them. You take the military action as your court of last resort, but you have to keep that as an option, because what's unacceptable is the thought that they could obtain and possibly use nuclear weapons.




• Slate: Rudy Giuliani suggested recently that water-boarding might not be torture. What's your view?
  Huckabee: I'm going to defer to Sen. McCain. Of all the people standing on the stage, he's the only one who has experienced torture. I'm certainly not endorsing him for president, but it's silly for some of us to talk like we know more about the effect of torture than John McCain does. He and every military leader are quick to say that the information that is obtained from true torture—and that's an issue that has to be decided by the military experts—but once you cross into that line—the information is not very reliable, and two, whatever we do to them, we invite them to do to us.

This man makes soooo much sense. Also, could the statement about John McCain being his VP be more than just a ribbing joke? Check out the previous post about Mike and John at the AARP event here.

• Slate: Barack Obama has been criticized for campaigning with a gospel singer who has called homosexuality a curse. Critics have claimed it's as if a white candidate campaigned with David Duke. What's your view on the equivalence of homosexuality with skin color in the civil rights debate?
  Huckabee: Most of the African-American leaders with whom I'm familiar are very, very unhappy with tying the two together. First of all, because a person is black and discriminated against by sight. It's not a matter of a relationship. It's not a matter of even getting to find out that someone has a sexual preference other than hetero. If a person walks into a room and is black, you know it. You don't necessarily know that a person might be homosexual. There is a different level of bigotry and discrimination. Most African-American leaders I'm familiar with believe it's a huge jump to try to equate the two.


• Slate: What issue are you talking about that isn't getting covered?
  Huckabee: One thing I hope for [is that] more information will come out [about the] Law of the Sea treaty, which some people have called the U.N. on steroids. It does have some damaging and dangerous implications for our national sovereignty. I'm hoping that more of the American people would realize it would be a terrible mistake to ratify that treaty as it's written.


• Slate: You talk about the need for arts education in school. Why? And how have you benefited from being a musician?
  Huckabee: The discipline that one learns from it is important, but also the stimulation and creativity. If an education system is only left-brain and it does not properly stimulate the right brain, then it's no small wonder why students are bored to the point of quitting. We lose 6,000 kids a day to drop-out. A third of students in our public schools will drop out of school. It's not because these kids are dumb. They are bored. What music and the arts do is make sure that those who are right-brain oriented have their lives touched as much as kids who are logic-centered. It's our creativity that becomes our cultural vehicle and gives us continuity between one generation and the next. Without that continuity, we not only lose some songs or artwork, we lose our capacity to transmit our culture.

See how he answered these questions...

• Slate: Does this mean that social conservatives are deciding to vote their principles rather than voting for the person who appears the most electable?


• Slate: Are you going to use this moment to confront your GOP opponents more?


• Slate: Why is it unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?


• Slate: You have said that one of the failings of the Iraq policy was that the American people were not sufficiently educated about the true threat from Islamofacism. What is that threat?


• Slate: Who is your favorite musician whose politics you disagree with the most? Oh, I just gotta give ya hint on this. I think he likes that this musician R.O.C.Ks in the USA.

...here.

This is far and away both the best interview of Mike Huckabee and writing of John Dickerson. Mr. Dickerson seemed to approach this with a very professional and unbiased angle. I have always liked John Dickerson's take on politics. Now I really like him for this interview. I would really like to see this interview in Slate V.

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!