Case Closed: The Mike Huckabee Verdict

When former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee chose to run for President earlier this year, I said to many, including on my radio show (which was mutually taken off the air in April of this year for personal reasons) that Huckabee was a Dark Horse candidate to be the Republican Nominee for President. Now months later, Huckabee leads the polls in Iowa and in some polls is second behind Rudy Giuliani. And a lot of good and bad has come out about him and now the more "face time" he gets, the more we learn about him.

I personally wanted to give the former governor a chance to prove himself to me, just like I have concerning other candidates such as Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson (Republicans), along with Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, and Joe Biden.

Well, here is what I have found out:

*Huckabee wanted to allow Illegal Immigrants to get be able to receive Scholarships and be allowed to pay in-state tuition in Arkansas when he was Governor.

*Huckabee's "new" immigration plan has an admitted "revolving door" clause where the illegals can come back and be citizens. Huckabee said in an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace that: "You know, right now there are a lot of people who really are here because they're trying to feed their families. I don't begrudge them that."

*Huckabee also said about the Illegal Immigration issue:

"Be mad at the government, be mad about immigration," he said. "I'm mad about it, too. But let's punish the right people for breaking the law. A 6-year-old crossing the border doesn't know he's breaking the law."
(http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2007/11/30/WashingtonDCBureau/344194.html)

*His clemency of Glen Green, who after being released from prison found a new victim who he raped and murdered is something that didn’t just happen once. Huckabee gave clemency and pardons to more than Bill Clinton did as Governor. Glen Green was referred to upon release as "a humble Christian man".

*Huckabee said he changed his position on Cuba because he is running for President. Huckabee asked President Bush to lift the embargo against Cuba because the embargo "has not helped the people of Cuba."

*According to The Drudge Report, Democratic insiders consider Huckabee an "easy kill in the general election" if he is nominated. Here is the breakdown of Democratic National Committee (DNC) Press Attacks against the Republican candidates:

[DNC Press Release Attack Summary:

Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) – 37% (99 press releases)
Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) – 28% (74)
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) – 24% (64)
Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) – 8% (20)
Governor Mike Huckabee – 2% (4)]

*In Stephen Bainbridge’s blog, he breaks down why Huckabee is:
- "wowser" concerning Huckabee's position to institute a National Smoking Ban
- a "religious bigot"
- "sounds homophobic" when he is so "anti-gay" while Huckabee seems to have a
great deal of compassion for straight illegal immigrants
- takes issue with Huckabee's pardon for convicted Child Rapist Wayne Dumond
- Calls Huckabee a tax hiker
- Calls him "clueless" on foreign policy
- And says Huckabee is not a Fiscal Conservative, but a "Big Government Conservative"


Verdict: While a Huckabee Presidency is much more appealing and tolerable than a McCain, Hillary Clinton, Edwards, or Richardson Presidency, Huckabee is not the best choice to be the Republican nominee. What sticks out to me most are the pardons and clemcies Huckabee has issued and the fact that the Democrats seem to not attack him wanting him to win.

The Democrats know who is "dangerous". Just look at the DNC breakdown of attacks again:

[DNC Press Release Attack Summary:

Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) – 37% (99 press releases)
Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) – 28% (74)
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) – 24% (64)
Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) – 8% (20)
Governor Mike Huckabee – 2% (4)]

When the DNC attacks, that means you are "most dangerous" to them while the RNC (Republican National Committee) just takes no prisoners. If the Democrats are that "scared" of Romney and Giuliani, compared to Huckabee, I want one of them because those are the people the DNC doesn’t want to face in a general election.

Concerning the pardons, I do not care if Green or Dumond were swell guys who tithed at church and knew the Bible from front to back, they committed horrific crimes before going to prison, and then after they got out. This is inexcusable, especially since Dumond was a convicted Child Rapist. Mr. Huckabee, where is your compassion and concern for the destruction of Child's innocent by a sick man? Do you care more that the man may have "changed" and deserves a second chance over the life, innocence, and pain of an abused child? Mr. Huckabee, Jesus said in Matthew 18:5-6:

5And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

6But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

And Mark 10:13-14:

13And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.

14But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Governor Huckabee, you were asked in the CNN/You Tube Debate "What Would Jesus Do?" and your response was that Jesus was too "smart" to ever run for public office. The correct answer is that Jesus wouldn't let a Child Rapist and a murderer go unpunished or change his positions because He is running for President. Mr. Huckabee, the charade is over, I see you for who you really are now.