Huckabee under attack
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, surging in the polls for the Republican presidential nomination, faced criticism by two rivals today.
Fred Thompson, a former Tennessee senator, attacked Huckabee on his record in Arkansas. "Liberal is the only word that comes to mind, when he was governor," Thompson said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Thompson criticized Huckabee for his positions on illegal immigration, tax policy, position toward Cuba and belief that the Guantanamo detention center should be shut down.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney criticized Huckabee for a recent Foreign Affairs article in which he calls the Bush administration's foreign policy "arrogant."
"Huckabee owes the president an apology," Romney said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"I think he needs to read the article. It would really help if he would do that. Because if he did, he would see that there's no apology necessary to the president," Huckabee responded on CNN's "Late Edition."
"I'm the one who actually supported the president's surge," Huckabee said, adding a range of issues -- tax cuts, gun control, abortion rights -- where he claimed he was with the president while Romney wasn't.
Huckabee responded cordially to the Des Moines Register's endorsement of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). Iowa's leading newspaper backed the Arizona senator.
"I would love to have had that endorsement. It would have been disingenuous for me to sit here and say it, oh, doesn't mean anything," Huckabee said. "I've said publicly and privately I have nothing but utmost respect for John McCain, I think he's one of the most honorable individuals in this nation."
Edwards faces questions
John Edwards faced questions about the Des Moines Register's endorsement of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) in the 2008 Democratic presidential race, four years after the influential newspaper endorsed Edwards' campaign when he was running for president.
"Edwards was our pick for the 2004 nomination. But this is a different race, with different candidates. We too seldom saw the 'positive, optimistic' campaign we found appealing in 2004," the editorial read. "His harsh anti-corporate rhetoric would make it difficult to work with the business community to forge change."
"I just think they're wrong," Edwards retorted on CBS' "Face the Nation." "I think you work with the business community to forge change. If that were effective, we'd already have changed."
He blamed a litany of issues -- the lack universal health care, inaction on global warming, unfair trade and tax policy, among others -- on the failure to reign in big corporations.
Edwards was asked, appearing on ABC's "This Week," whether that combative position would make it difficult to achieve compromise in a closely divided Washington. He appeared unconcerned.
"If I'm the Democratic nominee, we are going to have more than 60 Democratic senators and we'll have a much bigger majority in the House because based, on all the polling data, I can strengthen our candidates in swing districts," Edwards said.
On CBS, Edwards said he did not agree with comments former president Bill Clinton made recently suggesting that Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) was not ready to be president.
"I think that kind of criticism just based on a paper resume record is not legitimate," Edwards said. "I think what you need to know is whether he's got the toughness, whether he's got the resilience, whether he's actually prepared."
CIA gathers more criticism
The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee said his committee intended to defy a Justice Department request to stand aside during an investigation into the destruction of CIA tapes documenting the use of severe interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) added that the committee is likely to issue subpoenas in the matter.
"I think what we're going to do is we want to hold the community accountable for what's happened with these tapes," Hoekstra said on "Fox News Sunday."
Rep. Jane Harman (Calif.), formerly the ranking Democrat on the committee, said, "the House Intelligence Committee wants to get to the bottom of this and isn't going to back off for the attorney general here, who I think, as I said, may be doing something that won't give the public confidence that it was a full and fair investigation."
Harman, however, wasn't willing to endorse the idea of a special counsel investigation yet.
Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, went that far and further, calling for an independent investigation.
"There are criminal charges that are likely to flow, and it means -- and no one knows how high up this goes," he said on CNN. "I don't have confidence in the president. I don't have confidence in the vice president. And I don't have confidence in the Justice Department. That's as simple as I can put it."
Hoekstra said the incident is just another black mark against the CIA.
"The Valerie Plame thing. It was handled terribly," he said, referring to the disclosure of the identity of the former CIA officer. "And now the tapes. So you've got a community that's incompetent. They are arrogant. And they are political. And they don't believe that they are accountable to anybody. They don't believe that they're accountable to the president."
By Zachary Goldfarb |
December 16, 2007; 3:40 PM ET
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Posted by: Tony | December 16, 2007 5:02 PM
Now that Huckabee is in the popular spotlight he is getting hit from many sides. I expected him to take it all in stride as was his character usually during the campaign. However, for some reason his statements have seemed to change i.e. the Bush attack and the attack on Mitt's religion today. I am not a Mormon but I find the attack wholly unbecoming of a presidential candidate and downright unchristian. I was also suprised at Huckabees statements about Bush. He seemed to be pandering in that he was taking some ques from Ron Paul and still trying to sound war hawkish.
It looks like the only honest, sincere candidate left is Ron Paul. Depsite all the criticism he and his supporters have weathered he seems to be the only unowned, truly statesman like candidate. I don't support all his views, and some seem extreme, but maybe we need an extreme makeover. I just read an article about the tightrope the banking industry is walking right now. This on top of all the other negative economic news, record lows in dollar, credit crisis, record foreclosures, 3 trillion dollars on Iraq (that is right trillion with a T!), makes me believe we need some serious change. I don't think tax credits or a balanced budget or two will fix this mess.
Posted by: bgodley | December 16, 2007 5:03 PM
Huckabee is surging. Edwards surge is next.
Edwards sounds like he would have Obama as his running mate. That would allow Obama to get eight years of experience before becoing president.
Posted by: Oscar | December 16, 2007 5:10 PM
Anyone interested in a funny (but it really happened) column about what Huckabee is really like face-to-face should try:
http://goupstate.us/index.php/lanefiller/2007/11/02/title_14
Posted by: lane filler | December 16, 2007 6:40 PM
"WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. Chuck Hagel, a leading Republican lawmaker who has come out against the Iraq war, had some harsh words for the Bush White House Wednesday, calling it "one of the most arrogant" administrations he's ever seen.
"I would rate this one the lowest in capacity, in capability, in policy, in consensus -- almost every area, I would give it the lowest grade," Hagel said during an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York."
You know -- Like Huckabee and Hagel, I am deeply sorry that this administration's foreign policy is characterized by jaw-dropping incompetence and arrogance.
There. I apologized. Let's move on.
Posted by: Ted | December 16, 2007 7:04 PM
www.TaxHikeMike.org
Posted by: www.TaxHikeMike.org | December 16, 2007 10:36 PM
Huckabee had to make clear he's not another Bush and Huckabee's character analysis of Bush as it regards his foreign policy was right on. It also needed to be said and as an Independent I was certainly impressed. Huckabee inspires me and gives me hope for a better America, like Bush never could.
Posted by: Chris Baker | December 17, 2007 12:47 AM
Huckabee is a pander and an idiot. He makws Bush look smart.
Posted by: Anonymous | December 17, 2007 3:17 AM
The Howard Dean is now coming out of Mitt Romney. His Yeee Ahhh type of speeches in Iowa proves that. I'll go to Iowa, win that then I'll go to New Hampshire and win that and I'll go to Wyoming and win that and so on......
sounds like another Yeee Ahhh speech from Howard Dean. Mitt Romney can't connect with the ordinary voters out there. With his $250 million bank account, he just doesnt get it. He is more worried about himself and the huge picture that he will have posted on the wall of the White House of him and his pose than the average American voter.
Mitt Romney was the first candidate to pay for a TV ad to slam Mike Huckabee. Instead of taking the money to talk about the things he did he uses it to take cheap shots at his own party. That's really disgusting to say the least.
The American voters really like Mike Huckabee's authenticity, humbleness and trustworthy character. He is so likeable and down to earth. It all starts with character.
Posted by: Giant Robot | December 17, 2007 6:03 AM
Hey Romney, the truth hurts. Arrogance is arrogance whether your a Democrat or Republican. You're not doing yourself and favors by pointing out Huckabee's.
Posted by: moses | December 17, 2007 12:49 PM
Huckabee can hardly be called authentic and trustworthy -- humble, maybe. He deliberately smeared Romney's religion and he has ethical questions scattered all over his administration as governor. I'm not big on presidential candidates who forgave over 1000 criminals that the justice system had locked away while he was governor.
No, sir, Mike Huckabee is not for me.
Posted by: childetx | December 17, 2007 1:35 PM
I find it very interesting that Thompson and Romney are attaching the Huckster.
Even GLEN BECK said that Huckabee would soon fall.
As of 3pm EST 12-17 -- If you go to http://www.alexa.com/ and check out the TR (traffic rating) for the official Ron Paul website --- he has a TR of 7,478.
Mike Huckabee has a TR of 52,977
John McCain -- TR 112,541
Hillary Clinton -- TR 33,338
According to Huckabee's website he has collected $1,229,712 to date for his forth quarter donations.
At this moment Dr. Paul has $18,247,850 and still coming in.
There is no mention on McCain's site of how much money he currently has raised this quarter.
So you have to ask yourself how can Huckabee be #1 in most of the polls and Dr. Paul is not even listed in the top five. I smell a rat here. These numbers above tell me something different and I am getting the word out to all of my friends and associates.
Also go to blogs about Huckabee or McCain and there are 15 to 20 comments not like the 100's of comments on blogs or news about Ron Paul. Paul is a constant dialog for Americans and that is a good thing.
I have stopped listening and watching the MSM --- they are the old media and are missing the point.
Posted by: collin28 | December 17, 2007 3:12 PM
Posted by: mare | December 23, 2007 5:38 PM
I think the Right needs a new slogan since "Kill a Commie for Christ" (Putin is Puti's soulmate) appears to be out of vogue.
How about "Get a Gun for God and Glen" (Beck)" or "Gun an Illegal for God and Glen...." Hmmmm!
Posted by: rtreff | December 26, 2007 3:23 PM
On June 4, 1963, a little known attempt was made to strip the Federal Reserve Bank of its power to loan money to the government at interest.
On that day President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order No.11110 that returned to the U.S. government the power to issue currency, without going through the Federal Reserve.
Executive Order No.11110
AMENDMENT OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 10289 AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN FUNCTIONS AFFECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY.
MR. Kennedy's order gave the treasury the power "to issue silver certificates against any silver bullion, silver, or standard silver dollars in the treasury."
This meant that for every ounce of silver in the U.S Treasury's vault, the government could introduce new money into circulation.
In all, kennedy brought nearly $4.3 billion in U.S. notes into circulation.
With the stroke of a pen, Mr. Kennedy was on his was to putting the Federal Reserve Bank of New York out of business.
If enough of these silver certificates were to come into circulation they would have eliminated the demand for the Federal Reserve Notes.
Tis is because the silver certificates are backed by silver and the Federal Reserve notes are backed by anything but debt and the citizens ability on pay income taxes for interest payments.
Executive Order No.11110 gave the U.S the ability to create its own money backed by silver.
President Kennedy was assassinated just five months later.
No more silver certificates were issued.
Executive Order No.11110 was never repealed by any U.S. President and is still valid.
No President since has utilized it.
Posted by: Who | December 31, 2007 5:38 PM
This is what Mike Huckabee wrote about himself - From 1996-2007, Huckabee served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas. When he left office on January 9, 2007, he set out on a nationwide tour to promote his fifth book, "From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to Restoring America's Greatness." Huckabee became governor in July 1996 when his predecessor resigned.
Huckabee under attack - NEVER
Seems to me Hilary has just what she wanted and I even read tongiht Bill thinks Huckabee will be the one to beat. Yes Huckabee and Romney are 1st & 2nd in the polls per the "Media" have you not read or heard this yet? It would be a tough race for Hilary if Thompson or McCain were 1st or 2nd.
I think the "Media" need to understand that they can't get to everything we read or hear remember the "Internet"? People go to the websites of these canidates and make the "Best Choice" I will be doing that for you.
As Ben Franklin said - An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
Posted by: Louise | January 2, 2008 9:43 PM
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Read all about it!!
The fastest baseball pitcher in the world, Hall of Famer pitcher Bob Feller endorses Mike Huckabee as US President.
Bob's lighting speed fast ball clocked at 100mph is just about as fast as Mike Huckabee's skyrocketing poll numbers.
Mike Huckabee brings another amazing person on his flying HUCKABUS. The HUCKABUS has been clocked at HUCKABOOM speed, but just this week it has been clocked at HUCKBAMBOOM speed!
Mike Huckabee is on a roll, and everybody feels the energy. Today NBC headline news reports Mike Huckabee as the next Ronald Reagan. News reports are flashing all around the world reporting Mike Huckabee dubbed Ronald Reagan's heir.
Come on let's jump on the HUCKABUS this is going to be an historic ride! America is now back in the running!