Mike Huckabee, Leave Me Alone

Mike Huckabee  just called (again). He seems like a good guy so one part of me feels bad hanging up on him.  But he is driving my family crazy.  He keeps calling us with pre-recorded solicitations to sign a petition or give money.  We keep hanging up, so I no longer recall what the issue is for which he urgently needs our help to defeat the Libruls.

This has been happening for weeks; maybe he's moved on to a new issue.  All I know is that the phone rings, someone in our family answers it and quickly hangs up. When I ask who called, I'm told, "It's Mike Huckabee again with an important message."

It would seem that technology has advanced to the point where the company working for Huckabee might infer, after the 30th, hang-up, that the people at that phone number are not interested in hearing his important message.

Perhaps I would agree with him on the issue.  He method of communication, however, has become so annoying that I am willing to risk missing out on the chance to advance whatever the cause is.

Too Much Good News

I only have so many fingers to hold my nose, and only one nose. So that info from the Rand Paul campaign that Mike Huckabee is coming to support Paul's U.S. Senate candidacy -- look to someone else to republish that release.

It's all well and good to have a big tent. The Huckabee announcement, right aftter the Sarah Palin appearance, is starting to feel like a parade of horribles for 2012.

Not wanting to be an elitist, but we need to address this reality now.

Huckabee Applauds McCain For Uniting Party With Palin Choice

In his address to the Convention, Mike Huckabee used a line that he tried out a breakfast with the Texas delegation: Sarah Palin got more votes running for Mayor of Wassila, Alaska, then Joe Biden did running for President of the United States.

Huckabee Makes His Support of McCain Clear

Excerpts from Mike Huckabee's speech at tonight's convention:

On why he is a Republican: "I'm not a Republican because I grew up rich, but because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me."


On "change,"McCain style: "John McCain doesn't want the kind of change that allows the government to reach deeper into your paycheck and pick your doctor, your child's school, or even the kind of car you drive or how much you inflate the tires."


Regarding the risk of an Obama presidency: "Maybe the most dangerous threat of an Obama presidency is that he would continue to give madmen the benefit of the doubt. If he's wrong just once, we will pay a heavy price."

Republican Big Shots Coming To Town

You'd think the Republican National Convention had come early, judging by the slate of speakers expected for next week's National Rifle Association meeting in Louisville. USA Today reports:

The National Rifle Association says Republican presidential candidate John McCain is scheduled to give a speech during a forum at the N.R.A.'s annual meeting next week in Louisville.

N.R.A. spokesman Andrew Arulanandam says the U.S. senator and presumptive GOP presidential nominee will take part in the group's Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum on May 16, the first day of the three-day meeting. The meeting will be followed a few days later by Kentucky's primary election.

Also scheduled to speak at the forum are former GOP presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, former White House political director Karl Rove, [and] Republican U.S. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell . . . .

Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama received no invitation to speak. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear apparently will be the odd man out, as he looks to be the only Democrat scheduled to give an address.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

The Blank Slate in Arkansas

Mike Huckabee wasn't playing coy when he said he would not run for U.S. Senate against one term incumbent, Mark Pryor. The filing deadline has come and gone and Huckabee will not be on the ballot. In fact, no Republican will be on the ballot.

Neither the Arkansas Republican Party nor the National Republican Senatorial Committee could find a single warm body to oppose Pryor. Even if said warm body had done no campaigning whatsoever, he or she would have won votes, lots of votes, in a state that is socially conservative and that George W. Bush carried twice.

At the one extreme, if the Kentucky Demo-blogs are to believed, we see Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Chuck Schumer throwing around his weight and micro-managing the choice of which Democrat will oppose Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell. Schumer, according to the Demo-blogs, showed little respect for the opinion of local Kentucky Democrats.

But in Arkansas we see the other extreme: a complete abdication of the most basic duty of the state and national party: to recruit candidates.

Huckabee Says He Won't Run For Senate

Mike Huckabee still says that he won't run for U.S. Senate against Mark Pryor (D-Ark.). The deadline to file is tomorrow, March 10.

Huckabee has been mentioned as a possible VP nominee. He told The Hill, however, that he has "no indication" that the vice presidential slot is a possibility. “That’s Senator McCain’s decision.”

In the meantime, Huckabee plans to make some money by hitting the speaking circuit.

Will Huckabee Run for Senate?

Mike Huckabee withdrew from the race last night with great dignity and in a nick of time -- to run for U.S. Senator from Arkansas. As we wrote last month, the deadline is March 10th.

Incumbent Senator Mark Pryor would not be an easy opponent, but Huckabee now has a nationwide base of supporters from which to raise funds. A little time in the Senate, moreover, would give Huckabee the background in foreign affairs that he so woefully lacked, and therefore would position him to run for president in 2012.

One last compliment to the Huckabee campaign (I know I haven't given many). Janet Huckabee comported herself as a lady throughout the race. She stayed in the background and never embarrassed her husband. And though this couple had quite a romantic courtship -- high school sweethearts -- they kept it private, perhaps the best indicia of its genuineness.

In an age where candidates make out with their spouses on the convention stage or trot out their spouses as co-presidents and honorary members of the Cabinet, Janet Huckabee showed a refreshing restraint and humility. We wish the Huckabees all the best and hope he does run for Senate. Republicans could use the seat.

How Huckabee Could Help McConnell

Political pundits are increasingly bewildered as to what former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has up his sleeve. For example, Mike Madden of Salon.com writes: "For some reason, Mike Huckabee is still running for president. Is he really auditioning for the No. 2 job -- or a show at Fox News?"

Here's another idea for Huckabee. How about filing to run against Arkansas Democratic Senator Mark Pryor, who is up for reelection this year? The filing deadline is March 10, which allows Huckabee enough time to have his last hoorah in the Texas primary on March 4 then bow out of the presidential race. Though Pryor would be a formidable opponent, Huck may very well be able to transfer the momentum of his presidential bid into a Senate seat. It would be a silver lining for Huckabee's supporters -- and another vote towards Senator McConnell becoming the Majority Leader.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

McCain Double Checks Huckabee's Fuzzy Math

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's strategy to deny Sen. John McCain a first-round nomination at the Republican convention hit a snag yesterday. In an email distributed to the media, McCain Campaign Manager Rick Davis does the math after McCain's victories yesterday in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia:

The results from tonight's primary elections in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, make it mathematically impossible for Governor Huckabee to secure the Republican nomination for president. He now needs 950 delegates to secure the required 1,191. But in the remaining contests there are only 774 delegates available. He would need to win 123% of remaining delegates.

. . . .

In the contests that remain, only 774 delegates remain to be allocated.
After tonight's contests, Governor Huckabee has 241 delegates and John McCain has 839 (739 before the results in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC -- based on AP reporting).

For John McCain to reach the threshold of 1,191 delegates needed to secure the nomination, he needs to win roughly 35% of the 774 remaining delegates. For Governor Huckabee to reach the 1,191 delegate threshold, he needs an additional 950 delegates -- more than remain available in future contests.

Thirty-five percent (35%) is a rather low threshold for McCain to achieve in the remaining primaries. It looks more and more like Huckabee will require a miracle to get his brokered convention.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Huckabee's Fuzzy Math

Here's the line that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's campaign is feeding the Washington Post as to why he has not dropped out of the presidential race:

Huckabee's campaign says he is not hurting McCain by staying in, but instead keeping media attention focused on the GOP race instead of the Democratic contest.

"Because MH is who he is, he will continue to campaign as he always has, in an honorable and honest way. He will draw distinctions, he will debate and debate hard, but he will always be civil and decent,"wrote Huckabee chairman Ed Rollins and campaign manager Chip Saltsman in a memo to supporters. "Even many McCain supporters have told us that they appreciate the constructive role that Governor Huckabee can play in the months to come, because a vigorous discussion will keep all the media 'oxygen' from migrating over to the Democratic contest."

Don't buy anything Ed Rollins says. And don't believe for a minute that Huckabee is staying in because he actually expects to win enough delegates before the Republican convention to steal the nomination from Sen. John McCain. As the Post notes, "Huckabee aides don't expect to carry any of the states in tomorrow's primaries, and those losses make it closer to mathematically impossible for Huckabee to win the GOP nomination."

The real reason Huckabee fights on is because, wink, wink, he knows that a brokered convention could still flow from the confluence of (a) a low turn-out in the remaining primaries by lacksadaisacal McCain supporters who mistakenly think their candidate already has the nomination sewn up, (b) evangelistic zeal of Huckabee voters who refuse to lose, and -- the most critical element of all for Huckabee's strategy -- (c) conservatives who may not like Huckabee as a candidate, but will vote for him nonetheless in order to deny McCain the delegate count he needs for the nomination.

It is not far-fetched to say that Huckabee's efforts just might produce a brokered convention. In order to win the prize, McCain needs 1,191 delegates. According to RealClearPolitics.com, he has garnered 724 delegates thus far (not counting Louisiana and Washington, where the delegate apportionment is not final). Adding up the primaries that remain, there appear to be 996 delegates (including those from Louisiana and Washington) who are still up for grabs. McCain must have 467, or 46.88% of those remaining delegates, to be nominated. And significantly, the vast majority of the primaries that are left (including Kentucky's) award delegates proportionally, so McCain will not have that many winner-take-all states left to pad his lead.

Given that McCain has cracked the 46.88% level of support in only a small number of the Republican primaries held thus far, and his current average standing in national polls is just at 49%, Huckabee and Ron Paul could conceivably, between them, deny McCain the requisite number of remaining delegates he needs to win on the first ballot at the convention. That outcome could make Huckabee (or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney) the king-maker.

If Huckabee plays it right, he might be able to force McCain to name him as McCain's running mate in exchange for Huckabee's delegates. Or in the second or a later round of voting, Huckabee might form an unholy alliance with Romney's delegates and enough frustrated McCain delegates to obtain the nomination for Huckabee or another candidate who is not McCain.

Of course, Romney could follow the same strategy, but he is not likely to have the heart for it. For one thing, Romney has suspended his campaign, essentially conceding defeat to McCain. Moreover, if the brokered convention scenario does occur, Huckabee undoubtedly will have many more delegates than Romney come convention time.

That is why Huckabee stays in the race. The businessman Romney may have been better at math when he made his money in the private sector. But the preacher Huckabee knows that the numbers for McCain don't quite add up, at least not yet, and it may not require a miracle to produce a brokered convention at which the anti-McCain forces could prevail after all.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Horse Analogies (Cont.)

Former Solicitor General Ted Olson, a Rudy Guiliani supporter, has recently "likened the nomination process to a horse race," reports MSNBC.com's Vick Zast -- an analogy that was already noted by this blogger last November. Zast continues:

Olson, of course, has suggested that the former mayor of New York City is mimetic of a talented 3-year-old colt that hasn’t yet competed in a race that suits his running style. Scarborough and many other political observers believe the race goes to the candidates fastest from the starting gate. Recent history, both in politics and horse racing, illustrates that they both can be right.

Zast also explains the similarities of the upcoming primaries to the Derby prep races:

For all practical purposes, the late March/early April stakes races for Kentucky Derby candidates are the same as Super Tuesday is for presidential aspirants. Win or do well in one of them and running in the Derby is a foregone conclusion. Flop at the end, without benefit of a fast start, and you’ll find yourself sitting on the sidelines.

This last set of preps, not the preps we are watching now, determines the Kentucky Derby field. It includes the Florida Derby (Gr.1) on March 29, the Santa Anita Derby (Gr.1) and Wood Memorial (Gr.1) on April 5, and the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Gr.1) and Arkansas Derby (Gr.2) on April 12.

So, in other words, all we have seen thus far are caucuses and primaries that don't qualify as real races. What counts are the upcoming contests, such as the Florida Derby (where Giuliani will finally emerge from the starting gate), the California race (where John McCain, Mitt Romney and Giuliani will likely run neck-and-neck), the Arkansas Derby (which is Mike Huckabee's race to lose) . . . okay, the analogy breaks down eventually, but one gets the point.

Speaking of Huckabee (and also as predicted by this blogger last November), he remains well positioned to place at the Republican Convention -- that is, be named the Republican vice presidential nominee ("winning the silver", as Romney might say, but that would be mixing sports metaphors).

Doug Mead, writing at Newsmax.com, touts a potential Romney-Huckabee ticket as "a great team." Mead argues that "[t]here is no way either one will win in a general election without having the other one on the ticket. . . . Neither one can win without the other. They are joined at the hip. " Think of two horses that are both needed to pull the GOP wagon.

It might be worth placing an exacta bet on Romney-Huckabee, who may be ready to reconcile in order to win. But I'm not so confident in that prediction so as to rule out other exotic bets before the Republican nomination is decided.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Who Needs Screenwriters With Talent Like This Running For President?

Baptist theology thrives on giving a person a second chance, and Mike Huckabee may have garnered one yesterday evening on the Tonight Show. Also, Jay Leno proved himself to be funnier writing the jokes himself without the Writers Guild of America. (So funny that, after the broadcast, the union said it "was withholding comment until it spoke to Leno about his show.")

Except for one quick pot shot about Mitt Romney needing a bath (which drew zilcho laughs), Huckabee repositioned himself (with Leno, at least) as a likable, affable candidate who can play the electric bass (better than Bill Clinton plays the saxophone, we might add) and talk tax policy with a non-expert as well as anyone. (Huck must have thanked the heavens that Leno asked him no foreign policy questions.)

Huckabee preached effectively what should separate Republicans from Democrats: taxes. He reminded America that the former want to lower them, while the latter want them to go the other direction -- even if in practice, with all due respect to the Bluegrass Warriors, it didn't always work out that way when he was Governor of Arkansas.

Huck also made a convincing case against fried food that would make the Colonel (as in Sanders, not Andrew Horne) roll in his grave. The fit-and-trim candidate rested his case when Leno showed a clip from a few years back when Huckabee was on the show wearing 110 pounds more and a bright yellow shirt that, with Huck's grin, made him look like the Wal-Mart smiley face about to roll back prices. It was yet another reminder of why Hillary made sure she had resigned from the Wal-Mart board of directors before she ran for President.

Whether the performance was enough to stem the blood loss in Iowa (alluded to by Huckabee on the show) will be known later today. It will be fascinating to learn whether Jay Leno has more influence on Iowa Republicans than does Rush Limbaugh, who yesterday excoriated the non-conservative aspects of Huckabee's tenure in Arkansas. My bet is that Limbaugh beats Leno in those ratings, but Huckabee may have more talent as an entertainer than both of them combined.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Huckabee Walks (Across) The Line

Maybe on his plane trip to California, Mike Huckabee has been listening to another famous Arkie, Johnny Cash, singing "I Walk The Line." Hillary surely has not.

The New York Times reports that Huckabee had no idea that he will be crossing a picket line to appear on the Tonight Show. Hugh Hewitt's radio show just speculated that news of the screenwriters' strike must have been reported on the same day as the National Intelligence Estimate of Iran's nuclear capabilities -- the day when Huckabee apparently didn't read the paper.

Hillary is guilty of many things (see the post immediately below, for example), but leaving The New York Times unread is not one of them. So she obviously knew about the strike and has done the politically correct thing, Politico.com reports: tape a cameo appearance for the beginning of the David Letterman show. Hillary's late-night pitch for votes (unlike Huckabee's) will involve no crossing of union lines because Letterman (unlike Jay Leno) has struck a deal with his screenwriters.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Heeeeere's Huckabee!

Thanks to the screenwriters' strike, Jay Leno needs a joke writer, and thanks to his good sense being on strike, Mike Huckabee is fast becoming a joke. Put them together, and what do you get? Huckabee making a guest appearance on the Tonight Show this evening.

The timing for Huckabee to meet Hollywood -- the eve of the Iowa caucus -- may seem strange even for this most unconventional of candidates. But in a way it makes sense.

Huckabee's most notable news bites of late have been foreign policy gaffes punctuated by paraleipsis (thanks to Bill Bennett for that SAT word!). The former Arkansas governor's most recent IHOP insights were first to apologize for former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination, then to betray his ignorance as to whether Pakistan is under martial law, and finally to argue that America needs more border security for that invisible horde of illegal Pakistani immigrants. His paraleipsis -- defined as a "rhetorical device of emphasizing [some]thing by omitting it or mentioning it only cursorily" -- was earlier to assert that Mitt Romney's Mormonism shouldn't matter (even as Huck asked a New York Times Magazine reporter whether Mormons really ‘‘believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?’’), followed by a New Year's Eve press conference at which he played a negative ad against Romney that the man from Hope hopes he won't have to air. (Who needs to pay for media placement of negative advertisements when the evening news casts will show them for free?)

So a trip to the Tonight Show may be just what the Huckster needs to clear the air in Iowa of his stench. After all, it worked well twenty years ago for the last Arkansas Governor who needed a makeover with the national public. After the 1988 Democratic Convention, Bill Clinton played the saxophone on Johnny Carson's show and made everyone forget how disastrously long winded his speech had been for delegates who started to chatter loudly amongst themselves while he was still at the podium. If Clinton could use a late-night television appearance to resurrect himself from a more-boring-than-Michael-Dukakis grave, then maybe a Baptist preacher could use some of the same type of electoral salvation, though Huckabee's sins may be unpardonable with voters.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Kentuckians Arrive In Iowa On The "Huckabeast"

Word has it that some elephants have migrated from the Bluegrass to the Hawkeye State for the week. The name of their vehicle is fitting: a bus known as the "Huckabeast." As DesMoinesRegister.com reports:

The "Huckabeast" has arrived.

That's the name of the purple-and-gold bus that five Mike Huckabee volunteers from Louisville have brought to Iowa. They were in Des Moines Sunday.

To help pay for the trip, John Brewer, 46, says he sold his wedding ring on eBay. He got $150."It wasn't as popular as I thought it would be," Brewer says. "It wasn't so much the amount as the fact that we were trying to inspire people."

Brewer says Betsy, his wife of 21 years, supported the move.

"I'll get another ring eventually," he says. "The way we look at it, the ring is not what held us together for 20-some years."

Here is the YouTube video prepared by Brewer's merry band.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

RINO Alert: Mike Huckabee

There is some dispute about whether Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative. Here's what the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, says:

On its annual governor's report card, Cato gave Huckabee an 'F' for fiscal policy during his final term, and an overall two-term grade of 'D.' Only four governors had worse scores, and 15 Democratic governors got higher grades, including well-known liberals like Ted Kulongoski of Oregon, Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, and Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania.

Surely we can do better than a candidate who earned an "'F' for fiscal policy."

That's great that he lost 120 pounds and was a Baptist preacher. But at the end of the tax year, I want the candidate who understands that it's my money, and that I don't need the federal government to spend it for me.

Huckabee displays a suspiciousness of the market that makes me wonder why he's not a Democrat. He is the only candidate to oppose school choice, and he is hostile to free trade.

More frightening is the prospect of Huckabee on the world stage. Vladimir Putin (and anyone else, for that matter) would run circles around him. We might as well bring back Jimmy Carter.

I'm still not prepared to commit to a presidential primary candidate. Huckabee, however, needs to be scrapped from consideration by anyone who believes in limited government and lower taxes.

Huckabee Had Better Spend Some Time At The IHOP

When then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, Pat Buchanan quipped that Clinton’s experience in foreign policy consisted of “eating breakfast once at the International House of Pancakes.” A similar joke may be brewing with Mike Huckabee's coffee this morning.

According to USA Today:

A reporter for The Politico had to tell the former Arkansas governor what was in the National Intelligence Estimate. Here's an excerpt from the transcript that the newspaper published on its website:

David Paul Kuhn: I don’t know to what extent you have been briefed or been able to take a look at the NIE report that came out yesterday ...
Huckabee: I’m sorry?
Kuhn: The NIE report, the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. Have you been briefed or been able to take a look at it —
Huckabee: No.
Kuhn: Have you heard of the finding?
Huckabee: No.

Huckabee then shares his views on the Iranian program. "I’ve heard, the last two weeks, supposed reports that they are accelerating it and it could be having a reactor in a much shorter period of time than originally been thought," he says, according to Politico.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Are Giuliani's Friends Attacking The Wrong Man?

The Log Cabin Republicans and Republican Majority for Choice are taking one-two punches at Mitt Romney in new advertisements to be aired in New Hampshire. Giuliani's allies apparently believe they will help their candidate by going negative. Perhaps so, but by softening up Romney, they may be unwittingly aiding a potentially more formidable foe -- Mike Huckabee.

In radio ads the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights advocacy group, don't criticize Romney for what is their real beef -- his opposition to same-sex marriage -- but rather what they call "Mitt flops" on tax issues. In contrast, the Republican Majority for Choice does not hide its agenda. The pro-choice group criticizes Romney for changing his position on abortion -- which he again acknowledged in last Wednesday's CNN YouTube GOP debate -- thus continuing with the flip-flop theme.

The Log Cabin Republicans should consider what Huckabee had to say about them at the debate. When Anderson Cooper asked Huckabee whether he "would . . . allow support from the Log Cabin Republicans," Huckabee answered: "You know, in my position in this entire election, I need the support of anybody and everybody I can get. . . I disagree with them [i.e., the gay rights advocates], strongly disagree with them on the idea of same-sex marriage, but in a democracy we can have disagreements over some policies and still agree on the greater things that make us Republicans. So would I accept their support? Of course. Would I change my position on same-sex marriage? No, I wouldn't. But if they're willing to support me, I'll be their president. I'll be anybody's president, but I'll be true to my convictions, and I think that's what Americans look for -- not someone they're going to agree with on everything, but somebody who at least has some convictions, sticks with them, and explains them, and can at least have respect for people who have different ones."

As for his stand on abortion, Huckabee's commercial during the debate said it all: "Fair doesn't just influence me. It really defines me. I don't have to wake up every day wondering what do I need to believe? Let us never sacrifice our principles for anybody's politics. Not now, not ever. I believe life begins at conception. We believe in some things. We stand by those things. We live or die by those things."

Those are no-compromise yet adroitly articulated positions coming from a candidate who, according to John McIntyre of RealClearPolitics.com, "has a real shot to be the Republican nominee." Giuliani's friends may need to rethink their media buys.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Huckabee Answers Gore's Question

Some may recall that when Al Gore ran for President he wore one of those wristbands inscribed with the initials "WWJD", which stood for "What Would Jesus Do?" Tonight, at the CNN YouTube GOP debate, Mike Huckabee gave an answer to Gore.

When pressed by Anderson Cooper to say whether Jesus would have supported the death penalty, Huckabee responded, "Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office, Anderson. That's what Jesus would do."

By the way, of all the candidates on stage, Rudy Giuliani laughed and clapped the most upon hearing Huckabee's answer.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.