Huckabee handles heckler

Yes he did handle that individual very well. The more I read or learn about Mike the more I want him to win the primary seat for President. I feel comfortable to call him by his first name, because he seems to be a real person and not fake. I want a person in office that has the same values that I have and I know that he does have those same values. Being a Christian in not a bad thing, it means that we have to follow a higher set of values than those who are not.

Sure...but do we want a president who believes the earth is 6,000 years old?

Why not ...? What he believes based on his faith about the age of the earth has nothing to do with his ability to be president and to lead this country. Why not focus on the issues that matter and his ability to handle himself in a high-stress situation that could have easily gotten out of hand.

Why not ...? What he believes based on his faith about the age of the earth has nothing to do with his ability to be president and to lead this country. Why not focus on the issues that matter and his ability to handle himself in a high-stress situation that could have easily gotten out of hand.

The biggest issue facing the next president is global warming. To have a president who believes the earth is 6,000 years old, who is so incredibly ignorant that he dismisses the evidence of 10,000 scientists and a mountain of scientific proof would be a disaster. Another huge danger facing the U.S. is the failure of our educational system at a time when other countries--China and the European community--are putting huge amounts of money into education. Do you really want a man who believes the earth is 6,000 years old making decisions about education. Huckabee seems like a nice man, but I don't want a nice man, or woman, for president. I want a smart one.

I respect Mike Huckabee. I think he is genuine and his heart is in the right place. However, while I was raised a Christian and believe Christ had the right message I cannot let a comment like "Christian in not a bad thing, it means that we have to follow a higher set of values than those who are not." go by without comment. Who can say who has the higher values - Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Taoist, etc? Is a righteous Christian better than a righteous Buddhist? What is the lesson of the story of the Good Samaritan, or the woman at the well? It is "Do not judge lest ye be judged."

"Why not ...? What he believes based on his faith about the age of the earth has nothing to do with his ability to be president and to lead this country. "....Interesting point. Stalin refused to let Mendelian genetics influence his domestic agricultural policy because it was too "Capitalist"-as a result he created a fanciful view of life-science, and plunged his country into famine. Bush has already dumbed down our scientific credibility to the point of outrage. Even so, I personally am not so alarmed about what the potentially most powerful person in the world believes about the beginning of the Bible-I would be more concerned about his feelings on the last chapter. We haven't heard too many folksy stories about the End Times or Left Behind books, but this guy is riding a wave of popularity from folks who are getting ready for the Rapture. Not for me. I would rather use God given, primate-evolved brain to make the world a better place.

That's great, but I know a lot of people who would have handled the situation similarly, and they aren't running for President. Being a Christian is not a bad thing if you don't push your values onto other people. Huckabee wants to push his anti-choice, anti-homosexual agenda into law. That is a higher set of values? What a laugh. It's idiots who thought the same as you that elected that jackass Bush into office...twice. Great job he's done!

"The biggest issue facing the next president is global warming." HUH, There seems to me lots of more important things to woory about. Let the Irainians get nuclear weapons and the earth will really warm up.

I am sorry, but I fail to see how Mike Huckabee's belief in creationism is in any way related to Mr. Rowland's fear of nuclear annihilation at the hands of "Irainians." Other than, um...oh yeah-HUCKABEE ALSO HAS NO CLUE REGARDING FOREIGN POLICY! So if you, like Chris, stay awake at night dreading The Bomb you might want to pick a candidate that thinks more like Henry Kissinger....

New Hamphire voters can really relate to Huckabee. He is fun to be around, down to earth, plays the guitar and makes people feel good. New Hampshire people feel the can trust this man with his honest integrity.

New Hampshire voters have always been right there in the middle of the left right specturm. That's exactly where Huckabee stands. It's a direct match with New Hampshire voters.

New Hampshire voters are pumped up, now watch them pump a lot of ballots into Huckabee's box.

What the heck does him believing the earth is 6000 years old have to do with him being president? He evidently is awesome, prepared, intelligent, and honest. Plus, scientists aren't God, flawless, perfect, and omniscient. There is so much to learn. I love science, but we need to be humble, and not arrogantly assertive regarding our advocacy of science. Plus Huckabee in a debate this past June said he doesn't know if God did it 6000 years ago, or in 6 days, or not. He wasn't there he said.

i'm more worried about a guy who uses our infantile adulation of a washed up hollywood kickboxing actor (read: chuck norris), to draw attention to a washed up candidacy.
Plus, do some homework and read about all the gifts he accepted as governor.

Who cares about how old he may think the earth is. Anyone but Hillary!!!!! Hillary will pass more laws which undermine the basic civil liberties of american fathers. VAWA makes the Patriot act look like kids stuff. VAWA is bad feminist ideology writtne into law. VAWA removes non-violent fathers from the lives of their children. VAWA creates a global village of government funded misandrists. I'll take anyoine but Hillary. She is evil, or for you secularists - she is not a good person...

Global warming and the need to move to a post-fossil fuel economy IS the biggest challenge facing the US. Do you really think that Iran with zero nuclear bombs (or at best, one?) is more dangerous than the collapsing Soviet Union with thousands? Al-qaeda and its ilk, while being scary and a useful tool for Republicans to exploit by terrifying the meek into voting for them, are NOT an existential threat to the US. Just ask General Wes Clark. Let's get it through our skulls, folks: terrorists are not the #1 issue. It's climate change, governmental cronyism, corporations running wild, israel/palestine, a stagnant economy, rampant and irresponsible deregulation, global poverty, our addiction to oil.......then, MAYBE, terrorism.

You Hick, er, Huckabee devotees take the cake.

Steve asks:

What the heck does him believing the earth is 6000 years old have to do with him being president? He evidently is awesome, prepared, intelligent, and honest.

Allow me to demolish that ridiculous assertion. Go to the link and you will see the Hick's beliefs in action. If you don't think the man's retrograde ideas won't have a profound influence on how he governs you are a fool.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5244/is_199608/ai_n20976416

Evidently awesome?

I don't find the following remotely awesome, but rather appalling.

Huckabee called No Child Left Behind "the greatest education reform effort by the federal government in my lifetime." (Washington Times 03/01/05)

Is the Hick, intelligent? Well, he clearly expresses himself quite ably. On the other hand the Hick disavows Evolution, and subscribes to Christian fundamentalism instead, a stance which has nothing to recommend itself intellectually. Not to put too fine a point on it, it's a position for morons, Bush, and maniacs, Coulter. I wonder which one the Hick is, not that the two are mutually exclusive.

Is the Hick honest?

Arkansas State Senator John Paul Capps, a Democrat, says:

"[Huckabee] outshines (other Republican hopefuls) with his glibness and ability to speak...He's quick with answers and leaves a good impression. In the past, he blamed Democrats for raising taxes...We voted for them, but he proposed them."

He's also not honest when he claims he never raised taxes in Arkansas. He raised all sorts of taxes, just not personal income taxes.

The man is a talented operator, I'll give the Hick that. He comes from a long line of southern grifters, going back many generations. I'm from the South and I've seen his like before. Basically the South is only good for barbecue and bigotry (of one sort or another) though the weather is lovely in early spring. The sooner the nation rejects southern politicians and their brand of politics, lock, stock and barrel, the better.

Huck is THE guy! His belief is wonderful. His stance on issues is clear. He is THE ONLY Republican who had the courage to bring up same sex marriage and the Sanctity of Life .. the only ONE who even spoke about these very important issues guiding everyone's basic thinking. Happy, compassionate, musical and intelligent. They have never ever found the 'connecting link' for all you evolutionists. Darwin on his death bed declared a deep faith in God. America can not water down it's belief in what it is. Otherwise, we will water down freedom and it won't be long till it's Live, PAY SALES AND INCOME TAX and DIE dreadfully. and New Hampshire people who speak about Global Warming (It was Global Cooling not that long ago..I think last Thursday!)

"The Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think-tank organization whose members include many former government officials, is a favorite target of conspiracy theorists who think it is secretly plotting to create a one-world government."

Secretly plotting? From the CFR's own magazine "Foreign Affairs": http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19950701facomment5047/arthur-schlesinger-jr/back-to-the-womb-isolationsm-s-renewed-threat.html. In his article, "Back to the Womb, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. says, "In defense of the world Order, U.S. soldiers would have to kill and die. ... We are not going to achieve a New World Order without paying for it in blood, as well as in words and money."

No secrecy here! They admit it.

Jane, you don't understand what Darwin said, including the deathbed comment. God and evolution are only in conflict because ideologues such as Mike Huckabee, George W. Bush, and yourself choose to make it so. The prioritization of ideology over reality, whether in regard to evolution, global ecology, science, economics and the decision to go to war in Iraq is what has damaged this country over the last seven years and caused it to lose its way. Enough is enough. Americas of faith and reason alike will see through this charlatan and vote for a candidate that can tackle big problems and mobilize Americans to do the same.

"I feel comfortable to call him by his first name, because he seems to be a real person and not fake. I want a person in office that has the same values that I have and I know that he does have those same values."

This sounds frighteningly similar to what so many people used to say about Bush: "he seems like a good man, the kind I would like to have a beer with"
Look how that turned out.

Please don't vote for someone because you want them to be your friend or because they appear likable. Look to their positions, their record, their experience and their intelligence first, then consider personality.

"I feel comfortable to call him by his first name, because he seems to be a real person and not fake. I want a person in office that has the same values that I have and I know that he does have those same values."

This sounds frighteningly similar to what so many people used to say about Bush: "he seems like a good man, the kind I would like to have a beer with"
Look how that turned out.

Please don't vote for someone because you want them to be your friend or because they appear likable. Look to their positions, their record, their experience and their intelligence first, then consider personality.

Traveler Says moronically..."Basically the South is only good for barbecue and bigotry.

This is a neanderthal comment..One reason some people live in snow country is because they do not want to be around a gazillion blacks so..

I say to "traveler" that Huckabee is a super intelligent man that is not rich and just wants to help the country as an outsider.

"He handled a heckler???" what a joke ...but Sherie and Shirley started something....
No doubt about, he sells himself as a good man (like any preacher) with decent values. And he is probably smarter than Mr. Carter too.
Remember him???
In 2008 to consider a Huckabee for president???
What a joke!!!

Sure, the guy is likable. But let's remember all the votes for Bush because he was "just one of the guys". Do we want a President "just like us", or one that can be the best of us?

With respect to religion, it's a matter of authority. What authority should our President recognize? A deity described in text and song, or the will of the people? Even the will of the people requires boundaries (think: tyranny of the majority); I'm not sure that we'd survive [another] President that did what his faith or gut ("l looked into his eyes") told him was right with no limits such as that idea of "reality-based" thinking.

An earlier poster mentioned "same sex marriage". Let's not forget:

"Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix."

How convenient when one can use one's faith (ie. "Curse of Ham") to defend bigotry. Is America best served by a bigot in the White House?

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTcyMTM5YzRiMzVjMjA3MGEwMjUwM2Y3NGJiMzM1YWY =

The Story Mike Huckabee Dreads
With his new success comes new attention to an old Arkansas crime.

By Byron York

In August, I interviewed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee about the case of Wayne Dumond, the convicted rapist who was freed under Huckabee's administration, only to rape and kill a woman in neighboring Missouri. The crime attracted enormous attention in Arkansas, but at the time of our interview, it had not made its way into much coverage of Huckabee's presidential bid. "If [Huckabee] continues to rise in the polls," I wrote, "it's likely he'll be talking about it a lot more."

Now Huckabee is rising in the polls, and sure enough, the Dumond case is attracting more attention. This morning, ABC News ran a report featuring the mother of the woman Dumond murdered, who blames Huckabee for her daughter's death and vows to do everything she can to stop his campaign. "I can't imagine anybody wanting somebody like that running the country," the woman told ABC.

For many people, the report is the first they've heard of the Dumond case. Once they learn about it, however, they are unlikely to forget its bizarre details and the strange turn of events that led to Dumond's final crime. The case is the wild card in Mike Huckabee's record, the single most controversial event during his time in the Arkansas governor's office. And it is a potential threat to his now-soaring candidacy.

It began in September 1984, when Dumond, a 35-year-old handyman, kidnapped and raped a 17-year-old high-school cheerleader in the small eastern-Arkansas town of Forrest City. Dumond was allowed to remain free on bond while awaiting trial, and in March 1985 two masked men entered his house, tied him up with fishing line, and castrated him. People were stunned; the case, already notorious, became much more so. And that was before the local sheriff, a rather colorful man named Coolidge Conlee, displayed Dumond's severed testicles in a jar of formaldehyde on his desk in the St. Francis County building. Amid tons of publicity, Dumond was found guilty and sentenced to life plus 20 years.

The case took on a political coloring when it became known that the victim was a distant cousin of Bill Clinton. After conviction, Dumond, who claimed he was innocent, asked Clinton for clemency. Clinton declined.

Dumond also argued that even if he were guilty his sentence was excessive, and his position won him some sympathy, not least on the grounds that he had suffered terribly at the hands of those unknown assailants. In April 1992, when Dumond had served just seven years, Lt. Gov. Tucker, acting as governor while Clinton was out of state campaigning for president, commuted Dumond's sentence to a level where he would be eligible for parole. That didn't mean Dumond would go free, only that the state parole board would consider the question. The board declined to free Dumond.

That's where things stood when Huckabee took office on July 15, 1996. Last August, Huckabee told me he had his doubts about Dumond's guilt, and also felt sorry for him over the castration attack. On September 20, just weeks after taking office, Huckabee announced that he intended to set Dumond free, saying that there were "serious questions as to the legitimacy of his guilt." On October 31, Huckabee met with the parole board. Not long after, the board voted to free Dumond, but on the condition he move to another state. Huckabee was pleased, in part because — given that the board had voted to free Dumond — there was no need for Huckabee to commute the sentence or pardon him. So Huckabee denied Dumond's now-irrelevant pardon application while at the same time congratulating him on his soon-to-come freedom. "Dear Wayne," Huckabee wrote in a letter to Dumond. "My desire is that you be released from prison. I feel that parole is the best way for your reintroduction to society to take place."

But no state would take Dumond. He remained behind bars for two and a half more years, until the board voted to free him in Arkansas. He was released in October 1999 and returned home. The next year, Dumond left the state, moving to a small town near Kansas City, Mo. Within weeks of arriving, he sexually assaulted and murdered a 39-year-old woman at an apartment complex near his home. The day that happened, everyone knew that freeing Wayne Dumond had been a very, very bad idea.

A political storm erupted. Huckabee sought cover by saying that all he had done was to deny Dumond's pardon application. But some Democrats claimed that Huckabee had pressured the parole board to free Dumond. What actually happened between Huckabee and the board remains unclear to this day, but there is no doubt that Huckabee wanted Wayne Dumond set free. And today, he knows he was terribly wrong, but he still defends his actions. "My only official action was to deny his clemency," Huckabee told me in Iowa. As we talked, Huckabee spread the blame around, not only to Tucker, who originally commuted Dumond's sentence, but to Bill Clinton as well. "Tucker could not have done that without Clinton's full knowledge and approval," Huckabee said.

I asked about the "Dear Wayne" letter. Didn't Huckabee want Dumond to go free? "I thought he would, you know, be clean," Huckabee told me. "And he had a job, he had sponsors lined up, so at the time, I did not have this apprehension that something horrible like that would happen. I did want him to report in [to parole authorities], because I just didn't know — you never know about a guy like that."

As he talked, Huckabee looked down. "I hate it like crazy," he said. "It's one of the most horrible things ever that he went off and did what he did. It's just terrible. There's nothing you can say, but my gosh, it's the thing you pray never happens. And it did."

The Dumond case followed Huckabee around for the rest of his time in the governor's office. In his 2002 reelection bid, his Democratic opponent based virtually her entire campaign on the issue. And beyond the narrow issue of Dumond, Huckabee's actions raise larger questions about his views on crime and punishment. Critics, and some friends, too, have said Huckabee's position was deeply influenced by his Christian faith. "When I first met him, I was going through his positions on issues and I said, 'You're a conservative, so I'm sure you oppose granting parole for violent felons,'" Dick Morris, the campaign consultant who ran Huckabee's first run for lieutenant governor, told me. "And he said, 'Oh no, I would never take that position, because the concept of Christian duty requires that there is a possibility of forgiveness. The concept of Christian forgiveness requires that we keep open the process of parole — use it sparingly, but keep it open.'"

When I asked Huckabee about that, he reminded me that he was tough on a lot of criminals, too. "Heck, I executed more people than any governor in the history of the state," Huckabee told me. "It's not something I'm bragging about, I'm just saying that if it had been simply a matter of my Christian conscience saying I don't believe in capital punishment, then I was pretty lousy in my conscience."

Huckabee doesn't duck talking about Dumond or the larger clemency issue. But he doesn't enjoy it, either, given that it was unquestionably the worst thing that happened while he was governor. Now, with the press spotlight shining on him, he has no choice but to explain himself.

—

Byron York, NR's White House correspondent, is the author of the book The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy: The Untold Story of How Democratic Operatives, Eccentric Billionaires, Liberal Activists, and Assorted Celebrities Tried to Bring Down a President — and Why They'll Try Even Harder Next Time .

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorblog/019
Huckabee May be the God Squad Flavor of the Month, But Two Mothers Say He is Responsible for Their Daughters Being Killed
Submitted by mark karlin on Mon, 12/10/2007 - 7:00am. EditorBlog
BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

Mark Karlin, Editor and Publisher, BuzzFlash.com

December 10, 2007

In the growing Internet and mainstream press coverage over Mike Huckabee's role in the release of a convicted rapist who went on to kill two young women, Huckabee is relying on the usual pat answer of GOP politicians who claim "to be close to the Lord"; they are not responsible for their actions because they are doing God's work.

BuzzFlash covered the main points of Huckabee's role in the Clinton-hater orchestrated paroling of Wayne DuMond in its most recent BuzzFlash GOP Hypocrite of the Week .

But getting lost in the coverage is a startling accusation from the mothers of the two daughters who were killed by DuMond, a dangerous, vicious rapist and then killer who was championed by persons obsessed with believing Clinton was the Anti-Christ.

According to the Kansas City Star, the grieving families hold the former Governor accountable for his actions.

Their message is simply this: You bear a large part of the responsibility for these murders. You were informed that DuMond would continue his streak of violence, and yet you came to his defense.

To be more specific here are what the Missouri moms who lost their daughters to brutal murders had to say to the Kansas City Star (DuMond had moved from Arkansas to Missouri):

The mothers say Huckabee is responsible, at least in part, for the release of DuMond, who died in a Missouri prison in 2005.

"What a fool," Lois Davidson, (Carol) Shields' mother, said of Huckabee. "Thinking he could rule the country when he couldn't even do a good job as governor of Arkansas."

Janet Williams, (Sara) Andrasek's mother, said: "Wayne DuMond should have never been on the streets in Missouri. … When politics are involved, people get hurt, and Sara and Carol Shields paid the ultimate price with their lives."

Davidson and Williams said they're particularly angry because Huckabee has never called them to apologize or explain his part in the DuMond case.

No, instead of apologizing, Huckabee has adopted the typical strategy of the phony religious right: he has made himself into a victim.

Yes, despite the headline of the Kansas City Star article, ""Murdered women's mothers blame Huckabee for his part in killer's release," Huckabee is making himself out to be the one who is being hurt by the deaths of these two women.

According to a December 6 CNN interview, Huckabee is deftly accusing the grieving moms of "politicizing" the murders that wouldn't have happened if he had kept DuMond in jail, as many professionals and past victims of DuMond had urged him:

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said it was "heartbreaking" that the deaths of women killed by a convicted rapist who was released from prison after Huckabee supported his parole had become politicized.

On Wednesday, the mother of the woman the convict later murdered pledged to campaign against the former Arkansas governor.

"There are families who are truly, understandably and reasonably, grief stricken," Huckabee told CNN. "And for people to now politicize these deaths and to try to make a political case out of it rather than to simply understand that a system failed and that we ought to extend our grief and heartfelt sorrow to these families, I just regret politics is reduced to that."

Notice how skillfully Huckabee, ever the slick preacher, appears to be expressing sympathy with the mothers on the one hand, while making himself out to be the victim of a political attack. Sorry, Mike, this is about two girls who were killed because you cast your lot with a group of preachers, lynch mob members, and a Rupert Murdoch journalist who, in a fit of rabid hysteria, went to bat to release a violent criminal.

In an unusual move for a Governor, Huckabee even wrote DuMond while he was in jail telling him of Huckabee's personal interest in paroling him.

"In 1996, Huckabee, during his first term as Arkansas governor, expressed support for the parole of DuMond in a letter to him," according to CNN. "Huckabee on Sunday confirmed to CNN he had sent the letter to DuMond."
Huckabee uses the preacher's cloth to make him immune from his sins and his role in causing a murderer to go free in order to gain political advantage with a GOP mob of Clinton haters (who for bizarre reasons believed that Bill Clinton had "framed" DuMond, but it's such a crazed assertion we won't even go there because there is no there there.)

Like Bush, Huckabee puts on the mantle of being a victim, when two young women are dead because of his actions.

This is not about two murders being politicized: it is about Mike Huckabee being so opportunistic that he put the lives of women at stake by releasing an unreformed rapist.

He gambled with the lives of Americans and lost.

Now he wants us to feel sorry for him.

According to CNN, Huckabee received information fully informing him of DuMond's horrifying danger. "I feel that if he is released it is only a matter of time before he commits another crime and fear that he will not leave a witness to testify against him the next time," one victim wrote. She described how DuMond had raped her at knifepoint.

America has had enough of men who hide behind God instead of accepting responsibility as individuals for their actions.

Huckabee is just another such huckster.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTcyMTM5YzRiMzVjMjA3MGEwMjUwM2Y3NGJiMzM1YWY =

The Story Mike Huckabee Dreads
With his new success comes new attention to an old Arkansas crime.

By Byron York

In August, I interviewed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee about the case of Wayne Dumond, the convicted rapist who was freed under Huckabee's administration, only to rape and kill a woman in neighboring Missouri. The crime attracted enormous attention in Arkansas, but at the time of our interview, it had not made its way into much coverage of Huckabee's presidential bid. "If [Huckabee] continues to rise in the polls," I wrote, "it's likely he'll be talking about it a lot more."

Now Huckabee is rising in the polls, and sure enough, the Dumond case is attracting more attention. This morning, ABC News ran a report featuring the mother of the woman Dumond murdered, who blames Huckabee for her daughter's death and vows to do everything she can to stop his campaign. "I can't imagine anybody wanting somebody like that running the country," the woman told ABC.

For many people, the report is the first they've heard of the Dumond case. Once they learn about it, however, they are unlikely to forget its bizarre details and the strange turn of events that led to Dumond's final crime. The case is the wild card in Mike Huckabee's record, the single most controversial event during his time in the Arkansas governor's office. And it is a potential threat to his now-soaring candidacy.

It began in September 1984, when Dumond, a 35-year-old handyman, kidnapped and raped a 17-year-old high-school cheerleader in the small eastern-Arkansas town of Forrest City. Dumond was allowed to remain free on bond while awaiting trial, and in March 1985 two masked men entered his house, tied him up with fishing line, and castrated him. People were stunned; the case, already notorious, became much more so. And that was before the local sheriff, a rather colorful man named Coolidge Conlee, displayed Dumond's severed testicles in a jar of formaldehyde on his desk in the St. Francis County building. Amid tons of publicity, Dumond was found guilty and sentenced to life plus 20 years.

The case took on a political coloring when it became known that the victim was a distant cousin of Bill Clinton. After conviction, Dumond, who claimed he was innocent, asked Clinton for clemency. Clinton declined.

Dumond also argued that even if he were guilty his sentence was excessive, and his position won him some sympathy, not least on the grounds that he had suffered terribly at the hands of those unknown assailants. In April 1992, when Dumond had served just seven years, Lt. Gov. Tucker, acting as governor while Clinton was out of state campaigning for president, commuted Dumond's sentence to a level where he would be eligible for parole. That didn't mean Dumond would go free, only that the state parole board would consider the question. The board declined to free Dumond.

That's where things stood when Huckabee took office on July 15, 1996. Last August, Huckabee told me he had his doubts about Dumond's guilt, and also felt sorry for him over the castration attack. On September 20, just weeks after taking office, Huckabee announced that he intended to set Dumond free, saying that there were "serious questions as to the legitimacy of his guilt." On October 31, Huckabee met with the parole board. Not long after, the board voted to free Dumond, but on the condition he move to another state. Huckabee was pleased, in part because — given that the board had voted to free Dumond — there was no need for Huckabee to commute the sentence or pardon him. So Huckabee denied Dumond's now-irrelevant pardon application while at the same time congratulating him on his soon-to-come freedom. "Dear Wayne," Huckabee wrote in a letter to Dumond. "My desire is that you be released from prison. I feel that parole is the best way for your reintroduction to society to take place."

But no state would take Dumond. He remained behind bars for two and a half more years, until the board voted to free him in Arkansas. He was released in October 1999 and returned home. The next year, Dumond left the state, moving to a small town near Kansas City, Mo. Within weeks of arriving, he sexually assaulted and murdered a 39-year-old woman at an apartment complex near his home. The day that happened, everyone knew that freeing Wayne Dumond had been a very, very bad idea.

A political storm erupted. Huckabee sought cover by saying that all he had done was to deny Dumond's pardon application. But some Democrats claimed that Huckabee had pressured the parole board to free Dumond. What actually happened between Huckabee and the board remains unclear to this day, but there is no doubt that Huckabee wanted Wayne Dumond set free. And today, he knows he was terribly wrong, but he still defends his actions. "My only official action was to deny his clemency," Huckabee told me in Iowa. As we talked, Huckabee spread the blame around, not only to Tucker, who originally commuted Dumond's sentence, but to Bill Clinton as well. "Tucker could not have done that without Clinton's full knowledge and approval," Huckabee said.

I asked about the "Dear Wayne" letter. Didn't Huckabee want Dumond to go free? "I thought he would, you know, be clean," Huckabee told me. "And he had a job, he had sponsors lined up, so at the time, I did not have this apprehension that something horrible like that would happen. I did want him to report in [to parole authorities], because I just didn't know — you never know about a guy like that."

As he talked, Huckabee looked down. "I hate it like crazy," he said. "It's one of the most horrible things ever that he went off and did what he did. It's just terrible. There's nothing you can say, but my gosh, it's the thing you pray never happens. And it did."

The Dumond case followed Huckabee around for the rest of his time in the governor's office. In his 2002 reelection bid, his Democratic opponent based virtually her entire campaign on the issue. And beyond the narrow issue of Dumond, Huckabee's actions raise larger questions about his views on crime and punishment. Critics, and some friends, too, have said Huckabee's position was deeply influenced by his Christian faith. "When I first met him, I was going through his positions on issues and I said, 'You're a conservative, so I'm sure you oppose granting parole for violent felons,'" Dick Morris, the campaign consultant who ran Huckabee's first run for lieutenant governor, told me. "And he said, 'Oh no, I would never take that position, because the concept of Christian duty requires that there is a possibility of forgiveness. The concept of Christian forgiveness requires that we keep open the process of parole — use it sparingly, but keep it open.'"

When I asked Huckabee about that, he reminded me that he was tough on a lot of criminals, too. "Heck, I executed more people than any governor in the history of the state," Huckabee told me. "It's not something I'm bragging about, I'm just saying that if it had been simply a matter of my Christian conscience saying I don't believe in capital punishment, then I was pretty lousy in my conscience."

Huckabee doesn't duck talking about Dumond or the larger clemency issue. But he doesn't enjoy it, either, given that it was unquestionably the worst thing that happened while he was governor. Now, with the press spotlight shining on him, he has no choice but to explain himself.

Mike Huckabee scares the living crap out of me.

He has pledged to support:

- a constitutional ban on abortion,
- a veto of legislation to protect gay and lesbian Americans from discrimination,
- support for a bill to keep federal courts from intervening when local officials violate the separation of church and state,
- a far-right Supreme Court
- bringing back Bush’s social security privatization plan
- imposing a ban on federal funding for any U.S. group that performs or advocates for abortion
- boosting federal abstinence spending to match contraceptive funding.

When asked about what kind of justices Huckabee would appoint to the Supreme Court -- something CNN predicts the next president could get to do three or more times -- his answer was: "I would want people who are in the spirit of Scalia. He's probably my hero in the Court."

That should make Americans even more nervous.

Also he was declared an answer to prayer by organizer Janet Folger (author of “The Criminalization of Christianity”), who said Huckabee had been revealed by God to be the “David among Jesse’s son’s.” Folger has only ramped up her rhetoric since then, insisting that God’s hand is on Huckabee and that he will be the next president of the United States. Folger was recently named to co-chair Huckabee’s Faith and Family Values Coalition.

In 1992, many years after science had definitively ruled out the possibility of HIV/AIDS being passed through casual contact, Huckabee called for a quarantine of people infected with the virus.

As governor, he violated federal law and defied an order from a federal judge and barred the use of Medicaid funds to pay for an abortion for a 15-year-old mentally retarded girl impregnated by her stepfather.

At the 2000 Christian Coalition Road to Victory conference, Huckabee criticized the Clinton Administration by saying that they will "suck your brains out" when you're born and "suck your pocketbook" when you die.

Finally, Huckabee sees no apparent division between religion and politics. His recent television ad, which was also aired on the CNN/YouTube debate, proclaims in large letters that he is a “Christian Leader” and shows the candidate saying “Faith doesn’t just influence me – it defines me.”

He is ignorant, bigoted and would only continue the blatant defiance of the separation of church and state begun so effectively by George Bush. If he is elected I am convinced that we're only a heartbeat away from national Sunday laws and anyone who disagrees with him and his adherents, i.e. an individual makes up their own heart and mind to be judged only by God, will be quarantined on an island somewhere or prosecuted and jailed.

I don't like Mike Huckabee for my people.
You see, it was supposed to be a joke, his running...I mean, watch him play the
guitar! It's awful. Anyways, I'm eternally sorry. My bad.

Wow, I sure created a bunch of stupid people. Sheep that they be, they
follow the wrong person every time and claim that they know MY
will. Happened with that clown they wanted to call "dubble-yoo", and now this.

Ah well, maybe I'll let them have their rapture after all, and start fresh:
New Bible, new prophets, new everything. It's so hard to create people
that don't constantly take the joy out of things. 6,000 years, HA! My ass.
You try to create a universe in 6,000 years!

Is it just possible, people, that Mike Huckabee knows that a president is not only an executive but a symbol of fatherhood, uncledom, and sometimes (as with Eisenhower and Reagan) grandfatherdom, and that this Protestant minister is so personally at peace with himself that he can say publically that he believes the story in the Bible just because he knows that 98% of Americans believe in God, and that such belief is really, deep down, incompatible with evolution? Why debate an issue that's irrelevant to one's ability to govern? In other words, in a global sense it is more important for Mike to be in tune with the deepest wishes of ALL mankind and not necessarily with the dean of the Harvard faculty or its president, who just coincidentally recently proved he can't get along with half of humanity. Remember "Miracle on 34th Street"? A president pursues peace overseas and justice at home; the reason Mike Huckabee is qualified for the office is because he intuitively "knows" the innermost desires of all spiritually hungry people. After all, it's the hungry who need politics; those with money, power, or influence could really care less who's elected in November. Politics is mainly for the children ... and for those who would be God's children, whatever their religion. It's impossible to listen to Mike and not realize that he's a truly great man, an American original, someone unlike anyone who has occupied the oval office since the days of McKinley, in touch with the feelings of all people and not just his partisans. Sure, he has a lot to learn about foreign relations; so did Truman; so did Bill Clinton; so did (if you'll go further back) Coolidge. But they were all successful presidents, in Truman's and Coolidge's cases willing to say and do what they thought right rather than what was necessarily popular. I omit Clinton for a reason: Huckabee is the anti-Clinton, no more capable of betraying his sense of what is right than of intentionally being cruel. He inspires trust, not just in voters but in all human beings--even Iraqis and militant Muslims, if they'll just watch him. Ask yourself when was the last time people from foreign countries as well as the US could identify with and look up to their leader?
I can't say for sure that I'll vote for Mike Huckabee when the time comes, but I sure do wish him well. Great men like him show up once a century--maybe.

"The great thing about America is that we're not going to take him out and shoot him"

Indeed, you'll taze him right then and there in plain sight so everybody gets the message.

I'm sorry, what is the south good for, again? Okay, it's true they do grow pecans
in Alabama and peaches in Georgia, and New Orleans USED to be good for \a bowl of Gumbo and a few days of fun, but weighed against the prevalence of truck pulling, NASCAR, fundamentalist bible thumping, and generally rampant ignorance, why jump to the South's defense?

The fact is, it has had an inordinate influence on national politics for far too long and if they ever choose to secede again, the rest of the nation should just say, thank you Jesus and wave bye bye. Go Pats!

And special kudos to any of you Yankees that can guess the special southern significance of the name Traveler.

Mike H. doesn't seem to know all the science behind why evolution is wrong, but he knows God is right, and that's good. Evolution is a religion for those who reject God, and Global Warming one of their stories. All they do is look at things in life that go along with their beliefs, and close their minds to the rest.

I have heard North pole ice has gotten smaller, but that South pole ice has increased. But don't even the ice shelves have seasons in a year and change size?

I heard tell the some places have are getting hotter temperatures. But why is Boston getting near record snow falls, just to name one.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/30/hub_may_close_on_a_new_snowfall_record/

And why are the equator countries not getting hotter? Because the God rejectors only see what they want to believe.

Does weather change from year to year; sure! I remember the snow fall of 19xx.... or the heatwave of 19xx.. Yeah, we were . . . .

Don't we only have recorded temperatures from the last hundred years or so?? I heard one guy say that and in the next breadth tell me 'we know it's gotten hotter in the last 400 years', and then he went on to talk about temperatures thousands and millions of years ago, being lower by what 1/2 degree.

And we're all going to die if it changes another .5 degrees so you have to believe me! Sure buddy. But the weather man can't come withing 5 degrees of tomorrow's temperature, and what's the chance he'll be able to tell me if it will rain, or snow??

answers in genesis .com has some good books on the subject.

How about being judged by the content of your character and not your religion?
Shirley Love posed on January 6, 08 05:44 PM:
"I want a person in office that has the same values that I have and I know that he does have those same values. Being a Christian in not a bad thing, it means that we have to follow a higher set of values than those who are not."

Buddhists follow a set of values, Jews follow a set of values, Islamists follow a set of values, Humanists follow a set of values. However, fundamentalists, fascists, and bigots follow higher sets of values than others. If we keep up with the values superiority thinking, that is where we are headed.

Increasingly, Mike Huckabee is what leadership looks like. He's an adroit public speaker, and he communicates his message in life-like, cogent terms, with compelling examples like the story he told (at the Ames Straw Poll) of what his then-11-yo daughter entered into the "Comments" section of a Visitors Book after visiting the Yad Vashem holocaust museum: “Why didn't somebody do something?” Very effective.

Huckabee is all about calling his listeners to "do something," to awaken them to their own empowerment, and summon them to action in order that "Main Street," and not "Wall Street," will prevail in guarding the values and beliefs upon which the Republic was founded.

Huckabee puts his listeners at ease, and reassures them, articulating clear concepts in a natural, easy style (no doubt something well-cultivated as a pastor). He’s not as “mechanically-scripted” as Romney, nor angry or demanding, like a Ron Paul, and his large brown eyes, peering through a humble demeanor, draw a striking contrast to a unconvincing, tired-looking Thompson. One can easily imagine sitting comfortably with Mike over a cup of coffee at the Main Street Cafe.

Most importantly, perhaps, Huckabee is ONE with the FairTax grassroots movement. While many - like Romney, and others, who are invested in the current income tax system - seek to demagog the well-researched FairTax plan, its acceptance in the professional / academic community continues to grow. Renown economist Laurence Kotlikoff believes that failure to enact the FairTax - choosing instead to try to "flatten" what he deems to be a non-flattenable income tax system - will eventuate into an irrevocable economic meltdown because of the hidden aspects of the current system that make political accountability impossible.

Romney's recent WEAK response to FairTax questioning on “This Week with Geo. Stephanopoulos” drew a sharper contrast between Huckabee and all other presidential front-runners who will not embrace it. Huckabee understands that what's wrong with the income tax can't be fixed with "a tap of the hammer, nor a twist of the screwdriver." That his opponents cling to the destructive Tax Code, the IRS, preserving political power of granting tax favors at continued cost to - and misery of - American families, invigorates his campaign's raison d'etre.

Of the FairTax, Huckabee asserts that it's...

• SIMPLE, easy to understand
• EFFICIENT, inexpensive to comply with and doesn't cause less-than-optimal business decisions for tax minimization purposes
• FAIR, FLAT, and FAMILY FRIENDLY, loophole-free, and everyone pays their share
• LOW TAX RATE is achieved by broad base with no exclusions
• PREDICTABLE, doesn't change, so financial planning is possible
• UNINTRUSIVE, doesn't intrude into our personal affairs or limit our liberty
• VISIBLE, not hidden from the public in tax-inflated prices or otherwise
• PRODUCTIVE, rewards - rather than penalizes - work and productivity

A detailed benefits analysis of the plan (from The FairTax Book) explains Huckabee's ardent advocacy:

For INDIVIDUALS:
• No more tax on income - make as much as you wish
• FairTax is paid on retail goods and services when purchased new, not used

• You receive your full paycheck - no more deductions
• Every household receives a monthly amount, or "prebate"
• "Prebate" is "advance tax payback" for monthly consumption to poverty level
• FairTax ensures poverty protection, being less regressive than income tax
• Increased household income preserves real purchasing power against any higher prices

• Reduction of pre-FairTaxed retail prices (due to reduced costs; increased competition)
• 29.9% mark-up yields 23% FairTax portion of new price tags
• FairTax portion of new prices reveal true cost of gov't to consumers

• FairTax is captured on illicit forms of income, when spent
• Parasitic income tax filing industry eliminated
• No double taxation on goods and services
• No more IRS or FILING OF INCOME TAX returns
• Savings is bolstered with reduction of interest rates

For BUSINESSES:
• Corporate income and payroll taxes revoked under FairTax
• Business compensated for collecting tax at "cash register"
• No more tax-related lawyers, lobbyists on company payrolls
• No more embedded (hidden) income/payroll taxes in prices
• Reduced costs. Competition - not tax policy - drives prices
• Off-shore "tax haven" headquarters can now return to U.S
• No more "favors" from politicians at expense of taxpayers
• Resources go to R&D and study of competition - not taxes
• Global "free (and equitable) trade" becomes possible for currently-disadvanted U.S. exports
• U.S. exports increase their share of foreign markets

For the COUNTRY:
• 7% - 13% economic growth projected in the first year of the FairTax
• Jobs return to the U.S.
• Foreign corporations "set up shop" in the U.S.
• Tax system trends are corrected to "enlarge the pie"
• Larger economic "pie," means thinner tax rate "slices"
• Initial 23% portion of price is pressured downward as "pie" increases
• No more "closed door" tax deals by politicians and business
• FairTax sets new global standard. Other countries will follow

Passionately supporting FairTax, Huckabee understands that, if elected President, Congress will have to present the bill for his signature. His call to action goes beyond his candidacy: Main Street will have to demand that their legislators deliver the bill.

(Permission is granted to reproduce, in whole or part. - Ian)

ow about being judged by the content of your character and not your religion?
Shirley Love posed on January 6, 08 05:44 PM:
"I want a person in office that has the same values that I have and I know that he does have those same values. Being a Christian in not a bad thing, it means that we have to follow a higher set of values than those who are not."

Buddhists follow a set of values, Jews follow a set of values, Islamists follow a set of values, Humanists follow a set of values. However, fundamentalists, fascists, and bigots follow higher sets of values than others. If we keep up with the values superiority thinking, that is where we are headed.

No, the real question is do we want a president that cooks squirrels in the popcorn popper?

Is there a happy medium with you twitts? All of you.

Traveler,

was Marse Roberts horse, but for all of your bigotry, your handle would be more appropriately Traveler's Arse.

I can't say I care for Mr. Huckabee, but I care even less for your vituperation. Maybe there is an anti-KKK you can join, one that preaches Yankee supremacy, Southern racial inferiority, hatred, etc.?

For the rest of you out there, please excuse the ad hominem attack, but I have had my fill of the Arse's flatulence.

Yes, he handled it great. He never answered the question and threated him by sending "Chuck" back there. Nice to see in a "free" society that the nazi police tried to get him before he could "escape".

Am I missing something?

Yes, he handled it great. He never answered the question and threated him by sending "Chuck" back there. Nice to see in a "free" society that the nazi police tried to get him before he could "escape".

Am I missing something?

Knutgrobber: is that your real name, or joke from the Simpsons? Either way, it's funny.

Just what we need another "right fighter" that uses paranoia and prejudiced cloaking it in the "I believe in Jesus faith flag." Making it seem that Christianity is the only 'real' religion and Anglo Americanism as the only "true" race. Eluding to the ideology that all others are evil and that Christianity is the only religion that has god behind them. There is no difference from that ideology and the radical ideology of Jihad. I am Christian and as a Christian we should not judge or label anyone as evil and radical, We (US) use these antiquated fear tactics to get votes!! Right fighting only leads to all the hate mongering that is rampant in our world today!!!

Just what we need another "right fighter" that uses paranoia and prejudiced cloaking it in the "I believe in Jesus faith flag." Making it seem that Christianity is the only 'real' religion and Anglo Americanism as the only "true" race. Eluding to the ideology that all others are evil and that Christianity is the only religion that has god behind them. There is no difference from that ideology and the radical ideology of Jihad. I am Christian and as a Christian we should not judge or label anyone as evil and radical, We (US) use these antiquated fear tactics to get votes!! Right fighting only leads to all the hate mongering that is rampant in our world today!!!

I Love Huckabee! Going to vote for him, too!

I Love Huckabee! Going to vote for him, too!

Huckabee believing that the earth is 6000 years old has as much to do with his ability to be president as Bill Clinton believing that oral sex is not sex.

Huckabee believing that the earth is 6000 years old has as much to do with his ability to be president as Bill Clinton believing that oral sex is not sex.

He's not part of the Washington scene. Oh thats comforting...So Hass can help bring him in then. How sweet. Only Conspiracy Theorists talk about the CFR and world government Savage? Why don't you do your job and look it up in their own documents. Try typing into Google "CFR Foreign Affairs world government quotes". Wow that was hard! My god, you people are not real journalists. You are sycophants. Fawning, drooling, sycophants. But your day has come and gone.

He's not part of the Washington scene. Oh thats comforting...So Hass can help bring him in then. How sweet. Only Conspiracy Theorists talk about the CFR and world government Savage? Why don't you do your job and look it up in their own documents. Try typing into Google "CFR Foreign Affairs world government quotes". Wow that was hard! My god, you people are not real journalists. You are sycophants. Fawning, drooling, sycophants. But your day has come and gone.

If you like Huckelberry or not, you will want to see this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VQcpmfT0f4&feature=RecentlyWatched&page=1&t=t&f=b

As a not disinterested observer, I note that the Huckabee supporters who have posted here have been polite and kind in their opinions, whereas those who have criticized him have been angry, insulting, egotistical and bigoted. Makes one think.

As a not disinterested observer, I note that the Huckabee supporters who have posted here have been polite and kind in their opinions, whereas those who have criticized him have been angry, insulting, egotistical and bigoted. Makes one think.

What's fascinating is how many comments this nobody hick from Arkansas has generated. Hmmmmmmmmmmm...................................................

Nice deflection. And Hickabee never even had to deal with the question of the criminal nature of the Council of Foreign Relations.

And turned the audience to his favor too! This guy has some dangerous talent.

Just what we need, a bass player for pres. of US. Oh Hey, Sid and Nancy!

On Mike Huckabee and the attribution by Paul C. that he believes the world is 6000 years old, calling into question his judgement as a trustworthy leader, I would like to share a recent article, which critiques the National Academy of Sciences and their religion, namely evolution.

LONG ON ASSERTION, SHORT ON EVIDENCE
By: Discovery Staff
Discovery Institute
January 3, 2008

Washington, DC -- The National Academy of Sciences has published yet another report on evolution, titled “Science, Evolution, and Creationism.” In the ample space of 89 pages, the NAS manages to celebrate evolution as an unassailable truth, completely misrepresent intelligent design, and rehash the same standard Darwinist arguments which have been refuted by critical scientists time and again.

The NAS exaggerates the success of evolution, hyping it as “the foundation for modern biology.” This outrageous claim continues to meet a growing skepticism from scientists around the world. Over 700 doctoral scientists have publicly declared their disagreement by signing a list dissenting from Darwinism, including National Academy of Sciences member Phillip Skell.

In 2005, Dr. Skell wrote in an article published in The Scientist that “the claim that [Darwinian evolution] is the cornerstone of modern experimental biology will be met with quiet skepticism from a growing number of scientists in fields where theories actually do serve as cornerstones for tangible breakthroughs.”

Instead of treating evolutionary theory as an area open to further scientific inquiry, the NAS report canonizes evolution as perfect and immutable, “so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter it.”

“Under their definition, a theory is not a testable area of science but rather an unquestionable dogma,” said CSC program officer Casey Luskin.

Of course, this should come as no surprise, given the NAS’s bias against intelligent design, which challenges Darwinian evolution on scientific grounds. Rather than addressing the science of ID, the report misrepresents the theory as an untestable religious belief. While the report ignores what design theorists actually claim, it chooses to cite the Kitzmiller ruling instead, apparently trusting a judge who copied the ACLU and disregarding the academic freedom of the scientists who stake their reputations and careers on the scientific merit of intelligent design.

At bottom, this report does little more than reveal a tired and weary voice of an establishment unwilling to actually address the scientific claims or the thoughtful skepticism of a growing number of scientists who disagree.

On Mike Huckabee and the attribution by Paul C. that he believes the world is 6000 years old, calling into question his judgement as a trustworthy leader, I would like to share a recent article, which critiques the National Academy of Sciences and their religion, namely evolution. Should we trust any evolutionist - leader who ignores the scientific evidence against their cherished belief system? I think not!

LONG ON ASSERTION, SHORT ON EVIDENCE
By: Discovery Staff
Discovery Institute
January 3, 2008

Washington, DC -- The National Academy of Sciences has published yet another report on evolution, titled “Science, Evolution, and Creationism.” In the ample space of 89 pages, the NAS manages to celebrate evolution as an unassailable truth, completely misrepresent intelligent design, and rehash the same standard Darwinist arguments which have been refuted by critical scientists time and again.

The NAS exaggerates the success of evolution, hyping it as “the foundation for modern biology.” This outrageous claim continues to meet a growing skepticism from scientists around the world. Over 700 doctoral scientists have publicly declared their disagreement by signing a list dissenting from Darwinism, including National Academy of Sciences member Phillip Skell.

In 2005, Dr. Skell wrote in an article published in The Scientist that “the claim that [Darwinian evolution] is the cornerstone of modern experimental biology will be met with quiet skepticism from a growing number of scientists in fields where theories actually do serve as cornerstones for tangible breakthroughs.”

Instead of treating evolutionary theory as an area open to further scientific inquiry, the NAS report canonizes evolution as perfect and immutable, “so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter it.”

“Under their definition, a theory is not a testable area of science but rather an unquestionable dogma,” said CSC program officer Casey Luskin.

Of course, this should come as no surprise, given the NAS’s bias against intelligent design, which challenges Darwinian evolution on scientific grounds. Rather than addressing the science of ID, the report misrepresents the theory as an untestable religious belief. While the report ignores what design theorists actually claim, it chooses to cite the Kitzmiller ruling instead, apparently trusting a judge who copied the ACLU and disregarding the academic freedom of the scientists who stake their reputations and careers on the scientific merit of intelligent design.

At bottom, this report does little more than reveal a tired and weary voice of an establishment unwilling to actually address the scientific claims or the thoughtful skepticism of a growing number of scientists who disagree.

Fellow Traveler says "Basically the South is only good for barbecue and bigotry (of one sort or another) though the weather is lovely in early spring" . Thats about as valid as my saying Basically the north is only good for clam chowder and ice fishing, though the weather makes for lovely Christmas cards. Of course, I'd realize thr foolishness of such a comment, but it constantly amazes me at how many ignoramuses use the internet for constant spouting concerning their intellectual superiority based on their latitudinal location. "Lets see, if I move from my back yard to my front yard, I might understand what i wrote....uhh, barbecue, huh huh. Screw a bunch of white people." There, that should make you happy, fitting into your notion of how southern people think. As long as we exist purely for your amusement thats fine with me, yowsah!!

Fellow Traveler says "Basically the South is only good for barbecue and bigotry (of one sort or another) though the weather is lovely in early spring" . Thats about as valid as my saying Basically the north is only good for clam chowder and ice fishing, though the weather makes for lovely Christmas cards. Of course, I'd realize thr foolishness of such a comment, but it constantly amazes me at how many ignoramuses use the internet for constant spouting concerning their intellectual superiority based on their latitudinal location. "Lets see, if I move from my back yard to my front yard, I might understand what i wrote....uhh, barbecue, huh huh. Screw a bunch of white people." There, that should make you happy, fitting into your notion of how southern people think. As long as we exist purely for your amusement thats fine with me, yowsah!!

Why didn't he answer the hecklers question? There are extremely powerful and wealthy people, groups and families behind the scenes in world and national government. To call that conspiracy theory is just an easy way to shut people up.

What the hell is an "anti-global warming" sticker?

Is the wearer against global warming, or does not beleive in it?

sure, free speech live free or die, i support his right to speak out... it's a great free country... meanwhile the guy left because security agents were heading his way. he was gonna get thrown out anyway...

sure, free speech live free or die, i support his right to speak out... it's a great free country... meanwhile the guy left because security agents were heading his way. he was gonna get thrown out anyway...

For all the lauding about how well Huckabee handled himself against a shouty person in the back of the room, I'd like to point out that he never actually answered the man's question. So really, what he's saying is he's glad to live in a country where people can speak their minds, as long as he doesn't have to answer them.

Both Huckabee and Romney are members of wacko cults. That, in and of itself, is enough to call their judgement into question. Who wants another president who can't discern between fact and fiction?

Hey Steve Robbins, don't worry about the "failure of the US educational system" It's collapse is not far away....like the collapsed US healthcare system, the collapsed US dollar (I hear that they use our greenbacks in China as fuel to keep themselves warm) the collapsed US manufacturing system (it's all gone to China, remember?) One of these days, China will start offering advanced scientific (med/engg etc) education in English, at a fraction of the cost of US universities, and that will hammer the last nail into the US educational system. The best thing the US consumer can do to accelerate the demise of this once great economy is to concentrate on buying Chinese!!

I do wish that he would have also answered the question" "Why is Richard Haass, the president of the Council of Foreign Relations, your political adviser?"
And the question behind the question. Is the agenda of the CFR something you would support in regards to foreign policy and Iraq? AND NAFTA and the WTO?

It really was just a simply foreign policy question asked in a rude way. I think many folks would like to know just what Huckabee's foreign policy is this week. From several of his speeches, including the one to the CFR, it is clear that he has not even thought through several issues. And it is bothersome when he literally quotes Michael Corleone from Mario Puzo's book the Godfather for policy advice!! Now that is something I would expect from Giuliani not an Arkansas governor!

How could we ever trust such a man with education policy?

How could we ever trust such a man with education policy?

Maybe I missed it, but did Mike Huckabee ever actually SAY that he believes the earth is 6000 years old? You can be a Christian and believe that the Bible doesn't intend to tell us the age of the earth. I don't. I believe in a God who isn't bound by space and time.

Again, maybe he did say he believes that somewhere. If he did, please give a reference. If he didn't, please be honest in your comments.

Here's what gets me....

Did everyone read the article where Huckabee pardoned the convicted rapist murderer who went on to do the same thing on the day of his release. Why don't any of the Huckabee supporters talk about this issue? And it IS an issue. This displays poor judgment of character and that is something we can ill afford.

When picking the president of the United States, we are not simply looking for someone who reflects our belief systems and values. As an atheist, I have not one single candidate who can truly speak for me, yet I still believe Barack Obama is the best choice. He has faith, which Huckabee supporters must love and see apparent, he's flawed but honest and forthcoming about his flaws, and he doesn't seem to brush aside potentially dangerous issues like Global Warming, which despite casual dismissals, is a very real thing created by a sharp increase in carbon emissions over the past century and a half (it might not be the end of the world but why can't we accept once and for all that the exhaust from our cars and planes are not good things?)

Look, I'm glad you guys are liking Huckabee because of the Republican nominees this year, he seems the most honest about who he is and what he believes. But there needs to come a time when the ship is going down that you say enough is enough or sink down with it.

It's very interesting how people believe certain things are millions of years old but do not know the theory behind it. The only thing they stand behind is that "other people believe it too." This takes more faith than believing in the Bible.

Let's state facts. No one knows for sure how old the Earth is, in fact, all of the data that we have can only accurately measure 30,000 years. Whether you take radiation, gases, or other methods of calculation, we cannot accurately measure the age of the earth but rather 'guess' what it is based on formations or decays.

The 'guess' science we have assumes the Flood event in the Bible never happened. Certain formations would take millions of years if Flood isn't true.

So, "handling the heckler" consisted of ignoring, drowning out, joking about sending "Chuck back there," allowing the police to move in on the man, allowing him to leave, presumably under threat of more forcible ejection, and finally suggesting that this was a great country because the guy wouldn't be SHOT for questioning a political candidate!

Wait, isn't the purpose of campaigning, ostensibly, to meet the voters, talk to them, answer their questions? Granted, the guy was apparently rude and possibly a little nutty, but so what? He was (presumably) a citizen, a voter, and Huckabee should have answered his question, not pressured him to leave, and not congratulated himself for it.

As an aside, I don't see the relevance of the "Southern" comments here. Yes, Huckabee is from Arkansas. So was Bill Clinton. John Edwards is from North Carolina. What was the point again?

Mike Huckabee comes across as a genuine person that speaks to the middle class. Whoever heard of a republican that cares about the poor? This is why he won't get his party's nomination. The republican party is more concerned with finding ways to elininate taxing dividends and capital gains; and Huckabee is appealing to those who do not receive dividends. And he is correct that if the republican party doesn't include those who earn under $75K a year, they are in for a hard time.
But as I watch Huckabee with his gifted communication skills, I wonder why he didn't run his "Christian Leader" ad in New Hampshire that he ran in Iowa? I think I know the answer, he is a smart politician first and a Christian Leader second.
When the end of February arrives, we'll all be saying Mike who? What was his last name?

From this article, it looks like Huckabee handled himself well as a politician. However, it is important to note that he didn't refute or even address anything the heckler said. He only said that he liked that there could be hecklers. Surely, there must have been a reason to appoint the president of the council of foreign relations as his political adviser. Why couldn't he just give a straight answer? This is exactly the kind of rhetoric that we desperately need to rid Washington of!

Actually, Huckabee has said repeatedly that in his opinion many parts of the bible are allegorical. I've never seen any evidence he believes the Earth is 6000 years old. Sounds like it's just a smoke screen from the anti-Christian contingent. For the record, I'm not a Christian. I'm a Deist and don't adhere to any organized religion.

I like Mike and plan to vote for him. Maybe he'll make Chuck Norris the Secretary of Defense ;)

I dont mind Huckabee being wrong about the age of the earth. I mind that he's wrong about why we should be in a mideast quagmire for the next 50 years or however long this country lasts. Who cares about the age of the earth? Most people are wrong about many basic aspects of the earth... this is part of what makes politics so frustrating... there is so much that people dont know, stuff they need to know in order to elect someone who isnt a total sham. We arent much smarter than we were 8 years ago, indeed we may even be dumber... and look who we got 8 years ago! U want a repeat of that? So get smart! Paste this into google:

Jc9EwHFiX80

and click "I'm feeling lucky"

I dont mind Huckabee being wrong about the age of the earth. I mind that he's wrong about why we should be in a mideast quagmire for the next 50 years or however long this country lasts. Who cares about the age of the earth? Most people are wrong about many basic aspects of the earth... this is part of what makes politics so frustrating... there is so much that people dont know, stuff they need to know in order to elect someone who isnt a total sham. We arent much smarter than we were 8 years ago, indeed we may even be dumber... and look who we got 8 years ago! U want a repeat of that? So get smart! Paste this into google:

Jc9EwHFiX80

and click "I'm feeling lucky"

It is important to see a person who will be leading this great nation with the calmness needed when facing an unexpected and unpleasant event. GW Bush wouldn't have the same posture in handling an event like this. I remember that Bush had to has plain-clothes security guards mixed inside the crowd to "usher" some "disrupter" out of a meeting.

About the comment concerning creationism and global warming, I suggest you to checkout Mike Huckabee's response when asked about evolution. When asked if any one do not believe in evolution, he raised his hand. He actually has a video in You Tube explaining it in more depth. If you are looking for a guy who doesn’t believe in God, there are many other choices and he is not one of them. He believes in God. Whether the earth was created in 6 24-hour days or in 6 unknown time periods, he said he doesn’t know because he wasn’t there. I know there are Christians who think that the 6 days in genesis can’t be reliably interpreted to 6 24-hour days. Mind you that Jews, Muslims, Mormons, and many others believe in genesis also.

As far as global warming or environmental problems in general, this is where separate Mike Huckabee from other crowds. He believes in good stewardship towards environment. Believing in creation actually motivates him more to keep the earth in a good shape because it was a gift given by God.

Well Stan, it is true that Boston had near record snowfall and two cold snaps in December. But I can also offer a first hand account of today's warmth (54 degrees) and the upcoming forcast for Tuesday: 61 degrees which will be a record high. And we should remember that last year here in New England we did not even have our first snowfall until late January. In central Mass we did not have a single significant snow storm last season. So before you make silly, God-inspired claims about the "farce" of global warming, you should at least check your facts. I shudder to think that there are many people in our country who are so blinded by fundamentalist Christianity that they would reject scientific data simply because it isn't in the scriptures. After attending a Baptist church for several years, I realized the close-minded "values" that people like Huckabee and Bush try to force on others. (Luckily I got out of the church, and out of the South, for that matter.) Should we adhere to fundamentalist beliefs such as sexism and racism, simply because they are alluded to in the Christian bible?

Religion and politics should remain separate, period. And "the terrorists" are low on the list when it comes to what we should be worrying about. Why don't we try to fix ourselves internally instead of trying to create a global imperial empire? American freedom is the real farce here; civil liberties have been eroded and the familes/friends of the 9/11 victims have been exploited to secure oil and profits for rich Americans (i.e. our current leaders in the White House).

Wake up people! Put down the bible, open your eyes, and learn how to think for yourselves!

It would be like the dawn of Dark the Ages with this Christian Mullah.

It would be like the dawn of Dark the Ages with this Christian Mullah.

To: Matt, Evoloution has already been tested, observed and proven. For example, since insects have such a short life span (doys or weeks) they can mutate and adapt to changes in the environment and the survival of the fitter will prove out a positive mutation before our very eyes. That is science. Whether or not a supreme being had a hand in that "design" can never be proven. That is faith. You can believe what you like, and so can Huckabery, but when you have a record of ruling by your faith, you are dangerous to a country who wants to be better than the other religious fundamentalist-run countries who execute rape victims, circumcise women against thier will and teach their young to become suicide bombers. We need to be a nation of reason. Let Iran be the nation of faith.

he didn't address his questions, either.

I think it was in the first debate when the moderator asked by show of hands who believed that the Bible's story of creation in 6 days was true, one of the pundits said that was the "intelligence test". I agree. Huckabee failed the intelligence test ... Although I think McCain lost his maveric-ness and has cow-towed to the religious right too much, he would be the least offensive republican choice. Ron Paul is actually the most like what the founding fathers envisioned for this country, but ironically he's considered too radical!

I'm so sick of people dealing with this silly faith issue. Who cares? Seriously, if he was a Christian or Mormon or something else, will that help prevent a terrorist attack? Will ti bring someone back to life? No. I'm a Democrat but this guy's record is amazing. He really is the real thing, very impressive leader.

To Todd: "Silly faith issue"? I bet you are white, male, heterosexual, and (at least somewhat) wealthy. Someone who doesn't realize how mixing religion and politics affects things like: a woman's basic right to have control over her own body, the right to love and marry whomever you choose, equal educational and employment opportunities for all despite race, gender, or religious preference (or lack thereof), and so many more. And we have much more pressing issues that have nothing to do with the hyped-up "terrorist" threat. I don't want another leader who refuses to help me because I do not adhere to his or her religious and cultural views- and that is what we will have if Huckabee is elected president.

Could global warming not be God's way of destroying the earth? What is wrong with being religious?

HEY YOU BUNCH OF LOST SHEEP..... HE NEVER ANSWERED THE SCREAMING GUYS QUESTION..... DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU AS FUNNY... YOU MORONS SHOULD GO BACK TO SCHOOL.... IT IS YOU DUTY not your right TO QUESTION THESE LIARS...

CFR = GLOBAL DOMINATION.....

Conspiracy?? Can you read moron. Richard Haas has a book out called 'The Opportunity'. He spells out how Democracy will have to be sacrificed in the name of order and security. The plan he outlines is being carried out to a 't' right now. It involves entangling the US in so many longterm international agreements that elected leaders will have no power to change the system they elites are putting in place. Regional police forces will be formed to keep "disruptive" forces at bay. Decisions about what countries will be able to do will be made by the leaders of the entangling alliances. When a country does something within it's borders that causes economic problems for other states, it will be overthrown by the regional forces when the leaders of organizations like the IMF, World Bank, etc. say so.

With the President/Chairman of The Council on Foreign Relations (C.F.R.); that infamous Globalist, Internationalist/Multinationalist, One-World, Universalist/"Catholic"-'New-World-[Dis]Order Organization & Future Regime of The "Anti-Christ" (RICHARD HAASS) being a foreign-affairs advisor to Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee: one can be relieved that he stepped-down/dropped-out of The Presidential Race !

As John McCain is a WORSE Globalist, Internationalist/Multinationalist, One-World, Universalist/"Catholic"-'New-World-[Dis]Orderer than Mike Huckabee could ever THINK of Being !

The Lesser of These Two "EVIL" Presidential Candidates Just Stepped-Out/Dropped-Out !

Now on to The General Presidential Election This November 2008; to Choose The Lesser of The Two U.S. Political/Presidential "EVILS":

#1. John McCain
or
#2. Hillary Clinton

The Lesser of These Two U.S. Political/Presidential EVILS being:

#2. HILLARY CLINTON !

I believe most of us are not conspiracy theorists, nor do we believe people who are religious are "morons".

Huckabee is quite smart, having graduated from a highly rated college with top honors, in the space of 2.5 years.

He has a refreshing view of the issues which, BTW, not many critics have tkan the time to read.