THE THOMAS REPORT

ENDORSEMENT OF SEN. JIM INHOFE

MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON HUCKABEE: A GREAT VISIONARY AND COMMUNICATOR

MY (ALMOST) FINAL THOUGHTS ON HUCKABEE

A HUGE LIE: VOTE FOR HUCKABEE, A VOTE FOR MCCAIN??

ROMNEY'S FLIP-FLIP ON MCCAIN-KENNEDY AMNESTY BILL

ROMNEY VIOLATING FEC RULES: FRAUDULENT CALLS IN COLORADO

MITT ROMNEY IS NOT ELECTABLE: WHY ROMNEY MUST DROP OUT

HUCKABEE COMES IN 3RD IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

HUCKABEE WINS IOWA CAUCUS BY 9 PERCENT!

HUCKABEE CONTRIBUTION MAP

DEC. 27TH: FREEDOM LIVES DAY

GOV. HUCKABEE ON LATE EDITION: TOPICS COVERED - FOREIGN POLICY, MITT ROMNEY, GOP HORSE RACE

MUST WATCH: GOV. HUCKABEE ON NEIL CAVUTO ABOUT FISCAL POLICY

GOV. HUCKABEE'S FOREIGN POLICY PAPER ON THE WAR ON TERROR

WE'RE SORRY TOO FREDDY BOY

ROMNEYS ATTACK AD ON HUCKABEE

MITT ROMNEY FLIP-FLOPPER IN CHIEF LIKE JOHN KERRY

HUCKABEE'S MORMONISM COMMENT "DON'T THEY BELIEVE JESUS AND SATAN ARE BROTHERS?"

NATIONAL REVIEW'S DISHONEST ATTEMPT AT SMEARING HUCKABEE'S FOREIGN POLICY

HUGE IMMIGRATION ENDORSEMENT: JIM GILCHRIST FOUNDER OF THE MINUTEMEN ENDORSES MIKE HUCKABEE

ROMNEY IN 2005: HUCKABEE WOULD MAKE A FINE PRESIDENT

NATIONAL REVIEW BENDS DOWN FOR ROMNEY, DRUDGE HEART ROMNEY

A THIRD RESPONSE TO A NEGATIVE PIECE BY NEWBUSTERS.ORG

GOV. HUCKABEE ON IMMIGRATION: IMPROVED RATINGS FROM IMMIGRATION GROUP

The Secure America Plan

ROMNEY CAMPAIGN'S DIRTY TRICKS ON HUCKABEE (not working)

PREMIERE: MIKE HUCKABEE FOR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

TAXES AND IMMIGRATION: RESPONSE TO ROMNEY'S ATTACK ON HUCKABEE ON THE SITUATION ROOM (11/26/07)

RESPONSE TO ANOTHER NEWSBUSTERS.ORG ARTICLE ON HUCKABEE - AND OTHER COMMENTS UNDER IT

RESPONSE TO NEWSBUSTERS.ORG ARTICLE ON HUCKABEE - AND OTHER COMMENTS UNDER IT

Nov 20th unofficial grassroots fundraising drive for Gov. Huckabee

Mike Huckabee Ad: Chuckhuckfacts or HuckChuckFacts

Huckabee up to 21% in IOWA!

Justin Thoughts Growing up - Change of Name.

Huckabee a fiscal liberal, tax hiker from Arkansas? Rebuttal by Joe Carter

VISIT EVANGELICALSFORMIKE.COM!

Mitt Romney waffles and flip flops - Romney Deception (updated)

Huckabee surging: Genuine grassroots online website - Hucksarmy.com

Answering the criticisms of Gov. Huckabee - A rebuttal

Gov. Huckabee too soft on illegal immigration? The truth about his stance on immigration

Rebuttal to the Huckabee's hard drive destruction in Arkansas

Gov. Huckabee's Media Schedule this week - O'Reilly, Hannity and Colmes, GMA, and more!

More Chuck Norris - Gov Huckabee committed to fighting the War on Terror

Gov. Huckabee and Sen. McCain at AARP forum on healthcare and social security

Mike Huckabee in the words of US Presidents - Part 2

Mike Huckabee in the words of US Presidents - Part 1

Mike Huckabee responds to John Fund's Article on WSJ

Huckabee Campaign responds to the vicious Spectator.org article

Importance of a Grassroots campaign for Huckabee

CHUCK NORRIS SUPPORTS HUCKABEE

Foxnews Republican Debate 10/21

Congrats Govenor-Elect Bobby Jindal!

Surprise: Romney campaign spins the results

MIKE HUCKABEE 51.2% vs ROMNEY 10.4%

Liveblogging the Values Voters Summit

My Letter to Gary Bauer

Mike Huckabee on Glenn Beck - About his faith

Huck-a-Mania Running Wild..

Brownback may drop out of race tomorrow

Huckabee pulls a Giuliani

Huckabee Strategy Session

'Ridiculous' Richard

Interesting facts on Gov. Huckabee

TODAY IS VERTICAL DAY!!! VISIT MIKEHUCKABEE.COM

HUCKABEE ON GOVERNANCE

CO-SIGN THIS LETTER TO SAM BROWNBACK TO DROP THE CANDIDACY

GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE'S 'VERTICAL' DAY

MORE BIZZARE GIULIANI MOMENTS

GIULIANI'S BIZZARE CELL PHONE CALL

'YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG BRO'

HUCKABEE'S CLOSING REMARKS - VALUE VOTERS DEBATE

THE TRUE LOSER OF THE VALUES VOTER DEBATE IS...

THE TRUE WINNER OF THE VALUES VOTER DEBATE IS..

HUCKABEE WINS THE VALUES VOTER STRAW POLL

LIVE BLOGGING: VALUES VOTER REPUBLICAN DEBATE

WAS OSAMA'S VIDEO A FAKE?

NO ALAN KEYES, NO!

SUPPORT MIKE HUCKABEE!

7 CO-SIGNERS SO FAR

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO THE NATION

THOMPSON: THE FIRST LOBBYIST CANDIDATE

4 CO-SIGNS SO FAR

Surprise: Fred Thompson chickens out

Co-sign this letter to Sen. Sam Brownback (request to drop candidacy)

Transcript - Mike Huckabee on Late Edition

Significance of 'Evangelical' Leaders

Osama, Islam and America - Part 1

Huckabee inviting Thompson for debate

Zzzzzzzzzzz...

Live Blogging - Republican Debate 09/05

Brownback's Explanation

Gov. Huckabee - Hope for America

Gov. Huckabee on Colbert Report

A Biography of Gov. Huckabee

Why Christians should support Gov Huckabee as President - 2

Why Christians should support Gov. Huckabee for President - 1

Bishop: Call God 'Allah' to ease relations

Links of the Day - August 14, 2007

Decade of Duty - 6 Parts

Huckabee for President!!

First Blog Post!

Truth Squad: Immigration Facts

November 02, 2007

A 9-Point Strategy for Immigration Enforcement and Border Security

2008-03-18T22:29:00.003-05:00

I'm proud to announce my support for the reelection of Sen. Jim Inhofe. He has been my senator for a long time and is the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works committee and the Armed Services committee.
He is one of the few politicians who hasn't changed his convictions upon entering Washington. Human events magazine and the American Conservative union called him one of the most conservative members in the senate. He has an impeccable record of achievement. In the coming days, I will try to blog about his candidacy, his opponent(s), and local oklahoma political news.

Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out these links:

About Sen. Inhofe
Inhofe Blog
Sen. Inhofe's Youtube Channel

2008-03-04T22:15:00.003-06:00

Even though it was widely expected, Gov. Huckabee has officially dropped out of the race. Gov. Huckabee has pledged to help out McCain in whatever way possible to win the general election.

This is a man who has been very much misunderstood and mischaracterized by a lot of the chatter class.

I became a republican in 2001 following the Sept. 11th attacks. Pres. Bush's strong stance on terrorism and pro-life issues really struck a chord with me who was an apathetic voter at the time.

Gov. Huckabee's candidacy actually forced me to step out into politics. For the first time I went to a precinct meeting, went to a GOP county convention, and taken time to get to know some of the leaders in my state.

I definitely will not give up and let the establishment silence my voice. I will fight hard with Gov. Huckabee to ensure that Sen. McCain becomes the next President of the United States.

2008-02-28T16:56:00.007-06:00

Well loyal readers of this blog (which have dwindled to a handful due to my laziness and lack of motivation to do the hard thing), I apologize for my prolonged absence. With a 8 to 5 Monday through Friday work week and then after taking care of a load of other small responsibilities, time becomes a rare quantity.

As a longtime Huckabee supporter, I think I can say with good confidence that Gov. Huckabee won't become the nominee. I still support him 100%, but losing is part of the process, it doesn't mean the sky is going come crashing down. God is still there, He is still in control. I trust in Him more than the chariots. So, that gives me a sense of calm and confidence.

[UPDATE: I would still love to see Gov. Huckabee be the nominee, but unless McCain messes up somewhere along the line, I can't see Gov. Huckabee attaining it]

Some Reflections on what has happened so far

I think everyone agrees that South Carolina was the turning point on the GOP side when McCain beat Huckabee by a minuscule margin of 3%. Fred Thompson was nothing but the spoiler candidate in the race and he single-handedly made McCain the presumptive GOP nominee. He never attacked McCain while calling others liberal. He wanted avenge for his failures by taking down Gov. Huckabee with him.

Florida came along and having 4 candidates by that time became a nuisance. Giuliani had staked his future on that one state so the media had to pay attention to him. Romney had the money so he couldn't be ignored. McCain just won South Carolina thanks to Thompson and so he had to be considered. Gov. Huckabee who narrowly lost South Carolina also lost a bit of momentum and it hurt his fundraising capabilities. He couldn't play hardball like the other boys and spend his money on a winner take all state like Florida. Some radio commentators started to spread the rumor that Huckabee isn't competing in Florida which exacerbated the situation. Huckabee at the end stole some votes from Romney which essentially stalled Romney's campaign.

Then came super Tuesday and I had the honor of voting for Gov. Huckabee in the Oklahoma primaries. I was a bit disappointed with the overall outcome in my state. On the positive side, Gov. Huckabee did well in states that many least expected him to do well in. Even I was shocked. In many of the southern states that Huckabee lost to McCain, Romney was the spoiler candidate. Huckabee gained more momentum as a result and the media became contrite over its ignorance of Huckabee and started to pay more attention. That was temporary, of course.

Then Romney dropped out, and things looked a bit better at that point. I figured that the media would look at McCain and Huckabee equally, but by that time the media already named McCain the de-facto nominee. The establishment looked at the number of delegates McCain and Huckabee had and decided to back McCain instead of letting him dwindle out there. It's understandable.

Huckabee didn't win any primaries since then and as of today, his most faithful group of supporters are the only ones still beside him - the evangelicals. He had support among other demographics early on, but the media narrative was that Huckabee only got the white evangelicals and nobody else. Regardless of the outcome, he is legitimately making the case that the nomination process has not ended and issues must be debated. I sincerely hope he can pull off a victory in Texas. That will give him more clout, but still he will be short of delegates. I believe McCain will get very close to the magic number of 1191 by March 4th. Gov. Huckabee won't stick around to fight for 20 - 40 delegates. I can see him pulling out on March 5th gracefully.

Where Huck failed

Obviously hindsight is 20/20. I noticed a lot of weaknesses early on with the campaign and noted it here in a blog post back in October. I wish many of those things were corrected but the campaign was so busy that it had no time to look back and learn from the mistakes.

Failure to expand his constituency: It is clear that Gov. Huckabee only had the evangelicals and unfortunately thats not enough to win a presidency. The Christian Leader Ad, and the comment about changing to constitution to align with God's word made things worse. On the latter, he did try to restate the point he was trying make but that nevertheless caused a lot of damage in expanding his base of support.
Failure to communicate fiscal conservatism and national security: Gov. Huckabee is an excellent communicator but he never did explain with credibility why he is a fiscal conservative and why he believes in a strong national defense. He chose not to speak the fiscal conservative language, but instead used a populist tone to reach out to the Reagan democrats. Unfortunately the Reagan democrats were most likely turned off by his Christian views and didn't turn out the way that the campaign expected. Conservatives dislike emotional and empty rhetoric, thats should be a major lesson for any candidate in the future.
Failure to organize his campaign: Yes, Gov. Huckabee probably has run the most efficient campaign in recent U.S. History. He has virtually no debt and is running under a very frugal budget. However, those same positives turn into negatives in the eyes of the public and the media. That's the reality, building an organization is not just imperative when it comes to running a strong campaign, but it also gives you credibility and clout in the eyes of the media. The more media coverage you get, the better your chances will be.
Failure to provide substance (the meat): Gov. Huckabee has been always reluctant in explaining his policy proposal in detail. He hasn't taken the time to explain his immigration proposal in detail and in all honesty, I don't think he knows all of the provisions in his 9 point immigration plan. He constantly refers people to visit his website and check it out for themselves. He has a tendency to explain complex policy details in very lofty and vague terms. People want to hear substance, they get tired of the milk after a while.

Where Huck succeeded

He brought a new generation of young evangelicals into the political process: One great example of this is HucksArmy.com. Most of the members of the group are under 30. There is a certain amount of frustration among young evangelicals that the government has failed to deliver and failed to understand the importance of social conservatism. Gov. Huckabee's idea of vertical politics inspired many to join alongside him. His ability to communicate very eloquently, and his ability to reach out to liberals inspired many as well. It's very rare to see a staunch social conservative like Gov. Huckabee go on a show like the Daily Show or the Colbert Report and get a lot of laughs. I can promise you one thing: as a result of his campaign, many young evangelicals will step up and follow his lead in getting more involved in the political process.
Communicating social conservatism with a smile: There are countless occasions where I see him talk to a liberal media host and defend his views on marriage and abortion with ease. It is very hard to argue against him because he makes so much sense. He uses analogies and other logical conclusions to explain his strong convictions. He's able to make a quick witty remark and at the same time explain the truth behind his convictions.
Making the Fair Tax proposal popular: I would've never heard of the fair tax if it weren't for Gov. Huckabee. He explained why he supported this proposal very well and convinced many people to back him because of it . Regardless of Gov. Huckabee's future, I will still remain to be a supporter of the fair tax. It is THE most fiscally conservative proposal out there in the marketplace of ideas.
Disproving the notion that you need to raise a lot of money to stay in the race: Gov. Huckabee did show the elite how one can remain in contention without the huge resources and organization. People are much more powerful than what the media or the establishment would like to admit. I got tired of the media pundits who would come on and essentially decide for the people. Each American is smart enough to make an educated choice for themselves. I think the outcome would've been different if Huckabee was treated as someone had a shot at winning. Perceptions matter, and it definitely matters in a presidential contest.

Where am I headed after this?

Good question. Most likely I will become more involved with the local GOP party and get to know the establishment figures. Thankfully OK GOP is very open to newcomers and young republicans like myself. In the long run, I would love a chance to serve the people of Oklahoma in some capacity in the future if that is where I am needed.

As far as other short term goals are concerned, I will be blogging at a different website. I registered the domain LearntoReason.org and I intend to blog about Christianity and current events. I'm still in the process of setting up the logistics and I hope the readers of my blog will continue to follow my progress over there.

2008-02-01T17:02:00.000-06:00

I'm steaming mad at the MSM, Conservative media and Romney kool-ade drinkers who are repeating this mantra and making this stick on the minds of Huckabee and undecided voters.

However the facts say another thing. This is the truth: A vote for Romney is a vote for McCain.

http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/020 ... se_web.pdf

7. If John McCain and Mitt Romney were the only choices in the Republican
primary, how would you vote?
30-31 Jan 08
Republicans: McCain 62%/ Romney 29%/ (Don’t know) 6%/ (Would not vote) 3%

With Huckabee out of the picture, you see that a huge majority of voters jump to McCain. I can bet you if there was a poll with McCain out of the picture, Huckabee would be in the lead. Unfortunately the MSM and fox news won't run a poll of Huckabee vs. Romney. You would see who would beat whom.

Both McCain and Huckabee supporters overwhelmingly don't like Romney. This is mostly Romney's fault because he early on ran very negative and misleading ads against both men while flip-flopping on almost every issue.

Why is Huckabee being kind to McCain? Because 1) He hasn't attacking Huckabee so far and 2) He doesn't want the McCain supporters to have a bad impression of him. He wants the get the McCain supporters once Romney is out of the way. That is why Huckabee has his eyes on Romney.

From my campaign sources, they have clearly told me that they are in it for the long haul (yes that means till the convention if necessary). They are not going to give up. They deserve to be in the race. Any objective person should admit that there hasn't been a campaign in recent history that has been as efficiently run as the Huckabee campaign.

Here's what Gov. Huckabee said today about this very topic. He took a dig at Romney's MBA degree.

“Under anybody’s business model, that’s not a very efficient or effective operation,” he said. “If you have an MBA from Harvard, and you believe in trying to figure out the best way to build market share and you spend an enormous amount of money and you have a competitor spends a very small amount of money, but he’s able to reach the same market share, it may say that that person has a more sellable product than you do. So maybe it would be appropriate to go out of business and merge your business with the one that has the more efficient model."

I love how Huckabee comes up with very shrewd ways to make a point. He is right on the money on this.

2008-02-01T11:14:00.000-06:00

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/16/romneys_words_grow_hard_on_immigration/

There is an audio clip on the website that shows that Mitt wasn't all that against McCains bill. He said it wasn't amnesty, now he strongly says that it is amnesty. I just want the electorate to know that Romney is just as weak on immigration as the other two. There's no need to lie about Romney's so called consistent record on immigration.

PHOENIX -- When Mitt Romney swooped into the heart of John McCain country this week, he brought a pointed message on illegal immigration: McCain's approach is the wrong one.
Proudly touting the endorsement of Joe Arpaio, a sheriff in the state who is known nationally for rounding up immigrants in desert tents, Romney boasted of cracking down on illegal immigrants as governor and denounced an immigration bill that the Arizona senator introduced with Senator Edward M. Kennedy in 2005.
It is a theme Romney has hit hard in recent weeks in his appeals to conservatives, many of whom attack McCain's immigration bill for proposing an eventual path to citizenship for immigrants living illegally in the United States and a guest-worker program to help fill American jobs.
"McCain-Kennedy isn't the answer," Romney said in a well-received speech to conservatives in Washington this month, describing it as an amnesty plan that would reward people for breaking the law and cost taxpayers millions to provide them benefits.
But that is markedly different from how Romney once characterized McCain's bill, elements of which are receiving new attention in Congress and from President Bush. Indeed, Romney's past comments on illegal immigration suggest his views have hardened as he has ramped up his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

2008-02-01T11:09:00.000-06:00

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0208/Huck_who_.html

Huckabee supporter Susan Brooks of Colorado Springs, CO, sends over a robocall she got last night from Mitt that wipes Huck out of the picture:

Hello, This is Governor Mitt Romney. The race for the Republican nomination for president is now a two person race. Our party, I believe, is at a critical crossroads, and the future of conservatism is very much at stake. I believe the choice before us is quite clear: Do we support the liberal policies of the Washington D.C. crowd, or do we want to fight for the conservative principles that have defined our party for more than a century? I believe that our policies have to remain rooted in conservative thought. Together, you and I can begin to change Washington. That's why I need your vote on Tuesday.

And my call today is being paid for by Romney for President, Inc., 857-XXX-XXXX

FEC RULES

§ 1001. Statements of entries generally
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, whoever, in any
matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch
of the Government of the United States knowingly and willfully—
(1) falsifi es, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or
device a material fact;
(2) makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement
or representation; or
(3) makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the
same to contain any materially false, fi ctitious, or fraudulent statement
or entry;
shall be fi ned under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or if the
offense involves international or domestic terrorism (as defi ned in section
233i [of 18 U.S.C.]), imprisoned not more than 8 years, or both.1

http://www.fec.gov/law/feca/feca.pdf#page=133

2008-01-31T17:39:00.000-06:00

Romney is stealing the votes from Huckabee. Romney must drop out of the race and give the conservative votes to Huckabee.

Why do I say that? Because Huckabee is more electable and he is a conservative. He is electable for these reasons:

-Gov. Huckabee received the endorsement of Black conservatives and independents in Alabama. In Arkansas, Gov. Huckabee received 48% of the African American vote in his gubernatorial election - which is unprecedented.

-Gov. Huckabee can get the independent vote and will inspire a new generation of voters to enter into politics like Obama has.

-Gov. Huckabee has won 4 elections in the heavily democratic state of Arkansas. Mitt Romney has only won 1 election and there is no doubt that he would've miserably failed his second term. Just look at the failed campaign of his lieu. Governor after he left.

-Even democrats will crossover and vote for Huckabee based on his sincerity and compassion. I have read countless comments from democrats on various websites that proves that fact.

-Huckabee has faced the Clinton machine in all of his elections. Bill and Hillary personally came and campaigned against him in the gubernatorial elections and miserably failed.

-Huckabee is the best communicator in this election season. He is widely stereotyped but when people hear from him directly, they will come to find out his integrity, eloquence, and intelligence.

-He will not shift to the left like McCain, and he will govern with conservative principles. He will be a strong proponent of Federalism and will streamline the government like he did in Arkansas by instituting the Murphy commission. Huckabee started the Tax me more fund which got praises from Newsmax, and even Rush Limbaugh.

2008-01-09T04:54:00.000-06:00

A huge showing for Huckabee considering the great odds of him not coming even 3rd place just two weeks ago. Its a huge blow to Giuliani, Fred, and Paul.

96% Reporting

	Actual Votes	Percentage	Delegates
McCain	86,802	37%	7
Romney	73,806	32%	4
Huckabee	26,035	11%	1
Giuliani	20,054	9%	0
Paul	17,831	8%	0
Thompson	2,808	1%	0
Hunter	1,195	0%	0

2008-01-05T07:36:00.000-06:00

THE PEOPLE OF IOWA HAVE SPOKEN: HUCKABEE DECLARED WINNER OF THE REPUBLICAN IOWA CAUCUS!

Here are the results (Source: IowaGOP.org):

1781 of 1781 precincts reporting:

Huckabee - 40,841 (34.4%)
Romney - 29,949 (25.2%)
Thompson - 15,904
McCain - 15,559
Paul - 11,817
Giuliani - 4,097
Hunter - 524
Tancredo - 5

2007-12-20T19:49:00.000-06:00

GOAL FOR OCT 31st - $1,034,487 (MET)
GOAL FOR NOV 30th - $2,067,521 (MET)
GOAL FOR DEC 15th - $1,150,000 (MET)

2007-12-17T19:39:00.000-06:00

Please pledge whatever you can to donate to Gov. Huckabee's campaign on Dec. 27th. Here is the link.

GOAL: 10,000 Pledges
AMOUNT: $100
TOTAL GOAL: $1,000,000

Note: You can pledge more or less than $100..

2007-12-16T19:06:00.000-06:00

This one is another great interview of Gov. Huckabee. He came out swinging against Mitt Romney. I like this side of Gov. Huckabee.

2007-12-15T11:20:00.000-06:00

I watched this video and was immensely impressed by how articulate Gov. Huckabee is in the area of fiscal policy. This should really dispel any notion that he is a liberal in the area of fiscal policy. He wants to lift up the poor, but in a free-market and fiscally conservative way. Many fiscal cons listen to him speak about the poor and think he's another John Edwards. Just listen to what kind of policies he is advocating. You will come off impressed as well.

2007-12-15T08:05:00.001-06:00

Google News and Fox News has articles about this paper but they have just pulled out one sentence where Gov. Huckabee said this:

American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out. The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad. My administration will recognize that the United States' main fight today does not pit us against the world but pits the world against the terrorists.

This is certainly not a hit piece on Bush as the news people suggest. I've pulled out some highlights of this 5 page paper that in on the Foreign affairs website. The article will be printed on their January/February 2008 Magazine.

Here are the highlights:

ISLAMOFASCISM

A more successful U.S. foreign policy needs to better explain Islamic jihadism to the American people. Given how Americans have thrived on diversity -- religious, ethnic, racial -- it takes an enormous leap of imagination to understand what Islamic terrorists are about, that they really do want to kill every last one of us and destroy civilization as we know it. If they are willing to kill their own children by letting them detonate suicide bombs, then they will also be willing to kill our children for their misguided cause. The Bush administration has never adequately explained the theology and ideology behind Islamic terrorism or convinced us of its ruthless fanaticism. The first rule of war is "know your enemy," and most Americans do not know theirs. To grasp the magnitude of the threat, we first have to understand what makes Islamic terrorists tick. Very few Americans are familiar with the writings of Sayyid Qutb, the Egyptian radical executed in 1966, or the Muslim Brotherhood, whose call to active jihad influenced Osama bin Laden and the rise of al Qaeda. Qutb raged against the decadence and sin he saw around him and sought to restore the "pure" Islam of the seventh century through a theocratic caliphate without national borders. He saw nothing decadent or sinful in murdering in order to achieve that end. America's culture of life stands in stark contrast to the jihadists' culture of death.

IRAQ

As president, I will not withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq any faster than General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander there, recommends. I will bring our troops home based on the conditions on the ground, not the calendar on the wall. It is still too soon to reduce the U.S. counterterrorism mission and pass the torch of security to the Iraqis. If we do not preserve and expand population security, by maintaining the significant number of forces required, we risk losing all our hard-won gains. These are significant but tenuous..............

Withdrawing from Iraq before the country is stable and secure would have serious strategic consequences for us and horrific humanitarian consequences for the Iraqis. Iraq's neighbors on all sides would be drawn into the war and face refugee crises as a result of fleeing Iraqis. Iraq is the crossroads where Arabs meet Persians and Kurds, and Sunnis meet Shiites. When we deposed Saddam Hussein, we emphasized the potentially dramatic upside of Iraq's centrality in the region: the country could be a prime place to establish democracy and have it spread from. Today, we face the dramatic downside: Iraq's centrality makes the country the perfect place for terrorists to create anarchy and have it spread. Those who say that we do not owe the Iraqis anything more are ignoring what we owe our own children and grandchildren in terms of security..........

IRAN

The Bush administration has properly said that it will not take the military option for dealing with Iran off the table. Neither will I. But if we do not put other options on the table, eventually a military strike will become the only viable one. And nothing would make bin Laden happier than this outcome; he would welcome war between the United States and Iran.......

And I will not waver in standing by our ally Israel. The main difference between these two enemies is that al Qaeda is a movement that must be destroyed, whereas Iran is a nation that just has to be contained.

In order to contain Iran, it is essential to win in Iraq. When we overthrew Saddam, whose regime was a bulwark against Iran, we upset the regional balance of power. Now, we must stabilize and strengthen Iraq not just for its own security but for the security of its neighbors, the region, and ourselves. We cannot allow Iran to push its theocracy into Iraq and then expand it further west....

Another way to contain Iran is through diplomacy. We must be as aggressive diplomatically as we have been militarily since 9/11. We must intensify our diplomatic efforts with China, India, Russia, South Korea, and European states and persuade them to put more economic pressure on Iran.

We cannot live with al Qaeda, but we might be able to live with a contained Iran. Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons on my watch. But before I look parents in the eye to explain why I put their son's or daughter's life at risk, I want to do everything possible to avoid conflict. We have substantive issues to discuss with Tehran.

PAKISTAN

Musharraf's top priority is not the United States' survival but his own, physical and political. Musharraf has done his best to convince the Bush administration that the United States' destiny and his are inextricably interwoven -- after him, the deluge. But this is not true. He has not kept extremists from seizing power in Pakistan; they have not seized it simply because they have not had the strength or the support to do so. He claims that he declared the state of emergency because of the threat of extremism to Pakistan. In fact, he was responding to a threat not to the country but to himself and not from extremists but from Pakistan's Supreme Court, which was about to invalidate his recent reelection.

Whatever happens in Pakistan next, the country's policy toward the United States is unlikely to change significantly. General Ashfaq Kiyani, the deputy chief of staff of the army and Musharraf's most likely successor, is a moderate who wants the military less involved in politics. As prime minister, Sharif would sound more anti-American, and Bhutto more pro-American. But in any event, our problems with al Qaeda and the Taliban will not be magically solved for us. They are our problems, and we must face up to them.

I will assure the Pakistanis that we are with them for the long haul. When the Russians left Afghanistan in the late 1980s, we quickly lost interest in Pakistan. Many Pakistanis fear the same will happen when al Qaeda and the Taliban are no longer around to keep us engaged. They should not. Pakistan, like Iraq, is a regional problem rather than an isolated one. We must use our friendly ties with India to encourage and help it improve its relationship with Pakistan and to push for increased trade and cooperation between the two countries, all to bring greater stability to the South Asian region.

CONCLUSION

"The process will not be quick," Ambassador Crocker told Congress of the progress in Iraq last fall. "It will be uneven, punctuated by setbacks as well as achievements, and it will require substantial U.S. resolve and commitment." Does this sound familiar? To me, the statement could also have applied to the American Revolution, the American Civil War, World War I, or World War II. We paid a heavy price in each of those conflicts, but we prevailed. And we will prevail now. Our history, from the snows of Valley Forge to the flames of 9/11, has been one of perseverance. I understand the threats we face today. When I am president, America will look this evil in the eye, confront it, defeat it, and emerge stronger than ever. It is easy to be a peace lover; the challenging part is being a peacemaker.

2007-12-13T22:29:00.000-06:00

'Nuke Gingrich' has written an excellent counter-piece to the Thompson campaign's despicable press release making fun of Gov. Huckabee's apology to Gov. Romney. This is nothing but a desperate plea by the Thompson campaign to gain some attention and get some piece of the pie in Iowa. I think this has probably ruined any chance Thompson would've had with any Huckabee supporters.

I think it is clear if someone like Fred Thompson were to get the nomination then the election results would be Hillary Clinton - 60% , Fred Thompson - 35%. No one wants to vote for old clown over a woman.

Here's Nuke's response:

Mea culpa, mea culpa

In the spirit of political apologies, I want to apologize for saying that Fred Thompson “just might be as dumb as a box of rocks.”

It isn’t fair for me to blame Fred’s forgetfulness on stupidity.

He couldn’t help it. He just plain forgot. I accept that. It can’t be comfortable for the Thompson crowd to have his lapses of memory to be pointed out and held up for public ridicule. (....Read the rest)

2007-12-13T20:37:00.000-06:00

LINK TO THE ARTICLE

The most noteworthy part:

But Romney's illegal immigrant bashing is of fairly recent vintage.

In 2004, the Boston Globe reported that Romney was reluctant to veto the tuition proposal – and not at all the certain, sure-footed decision maker portrayed in the ad. At the time, Romney said:

Romney (June 2004): I hate the idea of in any way making it more difficult for kids, even those who are illegal aliens, to afford college in our state. But equally, perhaps a little more than equally, I do not want to create an incentive to do something which is illegal.

Romney wasn't a hardliner on immigration until late in his tenure as governor. As we have written, he took no action to punish the "sanctuary cities" that he now rails against. And while he boasts that he authorized state troopers to enforce federal immigration law, that order came at the end of his term, never went into effect and was overturned by his successor.

None of the specifics presented here are false, but the ad presents a black-and-white contrast that doesn't exist in reality.

Also I wanted to add that Gov. Romney said that he signed a bill that prevented illegals from getting drivers licenses. For the record, Gov. Huckabee did too, but would Romney mention that similarity in the ad? Nope.

Here's the ad I'm referring to:

By the way, he said that he has a pro-life record in Massachusetts. Apparently in his health care plan, $50 dollar abortions were covered. I'm surprised that many media folk are not truly stepping him and fact-checking him. Also I have posted before about how Gov. Romney ran on a pro-choice platform. He promised that he will preserve the woman's right to choose. If he says he had a pro-life record in Massachusetts, does that mean he denigrated his own promise to the people of Massachusetts? Was he pandering to just get elected? Is he doing the same now?
More info:
By the end of his first term in office, Gov. Romney had a whopping disapproval ratings of 59% and approval ratings of 39% (According to Survey USA). Does anyone in their right mind think that he would've won reelection if he had chose to run again? I don't think so.

Here's a news story that talks about his tanking numbers in 2006

New Poll: Romney's Approval Ratings Tanking

BOSTON (CBS4) ― Massachusetts residents are losing the love for Governor Mitt Romney.

A new poll finds that 70% of Massachusetts residents -- and 64% of Republicans -- say Governor Mitt Romney has been doing a fair-to-poor job. The public opinion survey, to be released Thursday, shows that voters are losing faith in elected officials while nearly half of those polled believe the state is "on the wrong track."

While just 43% of Massachusetts residents view Mitt Romney favorably, President Bush fared even worse. Only 28% of those polled said they have a favorable opinion of the President, and an overwhelming 69% of residents have an unfavorable view.

The picture below is the chart of Gov. Romney's approval ratings. Click pic to enlarge.
The picture below is the chart of Gov. Huckabee's approval ratings. Click pic to enlarge.
What's impressive with Gov. Huckabee's approval ratings is that after 11 long years of being Governor (elected twice) and three years before that as Lieu Governor he still registered numbers like 55% approval and 42% disapproval. Usually there is voter fatigue, but it seems like a good number of people in Arkansas still liked him.

2007-12-13T20:13:00.000-06:00

It wouldn't be so bad that Romney change positions if wasn't so Holier-than-thou. He's apparently attacking Gov. Huckabee for not have Reagan principles. This is the same guy who distanced himself as much as he can from Reagan all of his political life till the time he decided to run for President. There was some major remaking and marketing ploy behind the scenes trying to create a new Mitt Romney. A Mitt Romney who is enamored by Reagan, who is strong on life, and is the true republican. Watch these videos below and see whether you agree.

ANTI-REPUBLICAN RHETORIC

ANTI-REAGAN RHETORIC

ANTI-PROLIFE RHETORIC

PLAYING DOWN AND IGNORING ENDORSEMENT FROM MASS. RIGHT TO LIFE

MORE PRO-CHOICE RHETORIC

ANTI-SECOND AMENDMENT

P.S. - GOP attacked John Kerry time and time again for being a flip-flopper. Do they really think they can defend Gov. Romney's flip-flopping efforts? Good luck with that.

2007-12-12T06:24:00.000-06:00

Zev Chafets of NY Times has written up an 8000+ word article on Huckabee and this part got most of the media attention. The article as a whole is positive.

Chapter 3 also contains the admonition to ‘‘keep sound wisdom and discretion.’’ Huckabee is, indeed, a discreet fellow, but he has no trouble making his feelings known. He mentioned how much he respected his fellow candidates John McCain and Rudolph W. Giuliani. The name of his principal rival in Iowa, Mitt Romney, went unmentioned. Romney, a Mormon, had promised that he would be addressing the subject of his religion a few days later. I asked Huckabee, who describes himself as the only Republican candidate with a degree in theology, if he considered Mormonism a cult or a religion. ‘‘I think it’s a religion,’’ he said. ‘‘I really don’t know much about it.’’

I was about to jot down this piece of boilerplate when Huckabee surprised me with a question of his own: ‘‘Don’t Mormons,’’ he asked in an innocent voice, ‘‘believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?’’

The media has finally succeeded in trapping Gov. Huckabee in 'bigotry'. Maybe not.

Here are the developments of this story:

First, the Huckabee campaign came out with this response:

LITTLE ROCK, AR – A report released tonight cites an upcoming article in the Sunday edition of The New York Times Magazine which quotes former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee asking a question about the content of the Mormon faith. In fact, the full context of the exchange makes it clear that Governor Huckabee was illustrating his unwillingness to answer questions about Mormonism and to avoid addressing theological questions during this campaign.

“Governor Huckabee has said consistently that he believes this campaign should center on a discussion of the important issues confronting our nation,” said Senior Advisor, Dr. Charmaine Yoest, “and not focus on questions of religious belief. He wants to assure persons of all faith traditions of his firm commitment to religious tolerance and freedom of worship. Governor Huckabee believes that one of the great strengths of our nation lies in its diversity of thought, opinion and faith.”

After the debate, Gov. Huckabee personally apologized to Gov. Romney about this situation. He reinstated the fact that there should be no religious test. Period.

Here is Gov. Huckabee on CNN explaining the whole ordeal.

You might be asking, hmm.. Gov. Huckabee has a theology degree and doesn't know what Mormonism is all about? Well, his degree was in biblical studies and no it isn't true that you suddenly become an expert in comparative religions when you major in a different field of study. Usually people take outside time in learning about other religions, Gov. Huckabee hasn't spent time investigating other religions.

Second, you might be asking - A NY TIMES reporter knows what Mormonism is all about? How is that possible? Well, Zev Chafets is very unique in this regard. He wrote this article defending Romney and Mormonism in the LA Times in Feb 2007. Read the article for yourself.

Who is Zev Chafets? Well here is a short bio: ZEV CHAFETS is the author of "A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists and One Man's Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance." Clearly, Mr. Chafets specializes in religion and is no typical reporter.

I hope this clears up any outstanding doubts about this issue. Gov. Romney accepted the apology and Gov. Huckabee has said that he would absolutely not talk about Mormonism and he said that no one should/should not vote for any candidate because of their religion.
--------------------------------
UPDATE:
Apparently Mr. Chafets is not willing to corroborate the story. He's not willing to admit it, but he's still hasn't rejected the story.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7357.html

Reached Wednesday in Cooperstown, N.Y., where he’s writing a book on the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Chafets told Politico: “I asked him the question about Mormonism and whether he thought it was a religion or a cult.

“He said it was a religion, and didn’t know much about it. There was a pause. Then he asked his question,” Chafets continued.

“He can spin it any way he wants. It was on the wires and picked up by candidates, and I can’t be accountable for that,” Chafets said, adding, “I hope that the article, as I wrote it, was entirely in context.”

Lieberman [Chafets' editor] said she also understood that Huckabee’s question “was an unbidden response.”

Chafets wasn't clear in his answer on whether he explained what Mormons believe to Gov. Huckabee. I'm guessing the context is this: Just as the article suggests, Gov. Huckabee asked that question and then Chafets answered his question. Then the Governor asked more questions and they had a mini-conversation about Mormonism.

This is how the article presents the story:

I was about to jot down this piece of boilerplate when Huckabee surprised me with a question of his own: ‘‘Don’t Mormons,’’ he asked in an innocent voice, ‘‘believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?’’

So my question is, what happened after that? Did Chafets say anything back? It obviously wasn't a rhetorical question. Did Chafets just smile back and say nothing? Or did he actually go in depth about the Mormon faith which led Gov. Huckabee to ask more questions. Remember that this interview was a 4 to 5 hour conversation over a period of a couple days, so it was not a typical 10 minute interview.

Chafets doesn't want to really get in the middle of this and defend Huckabee because they want this article to get more play in the media for business purposes. It's pretty sad, but thats how the media works. The editors look at the columnists notes and also the person's article and try to make additions/deletions as they see it. This one sentence that Chafets used in the article was basically the trigger point for people buy the entire magazine on Sunday. Very unfortunate.

2007-12-11T21:12:00.001-06:00

I came across this article by Joshua Trevino. He is one of the co-founders of RedState.com and also has served as a speech writer for President Bush.

He defends Gov. Huckabee's foreign policy and debunks the rhetoric spewed by NRO that Huckabee is similar to Jimmy Carter.

Here is the link to the article: THE ARKANSAN AND WAR.

A quote:

The following list of quotes is a bit long, but it’s important to understand where Mike Huckabee actually stands — as opposed to where the NR Editors tell us he stands:
# “We have to help other governments mount an active counterinsurgency wherever the terrorists are to be found.”
# “We can achieve tremendous bang for the buck with swift, surgical air strikes and commando raids by our elite units, as we’ve recently done with the Ethiopians in Somalia.”
# “The administration has quite properly said that it will not take the military option for Iran off the table. Neither would I.”
# “[T]o contain Iran, it’s essential that we actually win in Iraq.”
# “Another way to contain Iran is through diplomacy, while never taking the military option off the table.”
# “I’ve supported and continue to support the surge in Iraq.”
# “War is about will. Whoever gives up loses. We can’t afford to lose. How we handle this will determine the kind of world that our grandchildren will live in or, for that matter, die in.”

# “The administration plans to increase the Army and Marines by about 92,000 over five years, but we must accelerate that to more like two or three years …. We spend currently just around 3.9 percent of our GDP on defense. Under Ronald Reagan, we spent 6 percent in 1986. We need to return closer to that 6 percent figure if we’re really serious about our options in the world.”

Also, can you imagine Jimmy Carter ever saying this? The NRO folks really need to find some new brains.

2007-12-11T18:12:00.001-06:00

On the heels of the first attack ad of the primary by Romney on Huckabee's illegal immigration record, Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minutemen has come out and endorsed Gov. Huckabee.

LINK

LITTLE ROCK, AR – In Iowa today, former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee received a major endorsement from Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project.

Huckabee said he was honored to receive the endorsement. “No one can question Jim's commitment to this country and the immigration problem. He has mobilized a group of volunteers to go to the border and draw attention to the issue of immigration. All of us want a policy where people come to this country through the front door, not the back door,” said Huckabee during a morning news conference.

Gilchrist added, "Governor Huckabee actually wrote a plan that I can embrace. I found his ‘Secure America’ plan would open the dialogue and help begin the process of solving the illegal immigration problem.”

Gilchrist, who founded the Minuteman Project in 2004, said he appreciated Huckabee’s plan to secure America ’s borders.

Last week, Huckabee unveiled “The Secure America Plan: A Nine-Point Strategy for Immigration Enforcement and Border Security.” Huckabee said he believes in adopting the best policy ideas to provide a “tough, equitable and comprehensive approach” to dealing with the current immigration crisis.

Huckabee said his goal is to implement a broad-based strategy that commits the resources of the federal government to the enforcement of our immigration laws and results in the attrition of the illegal immigrant population.

A 30-second television ad, called "Secure Borders," began airing in Iowa Monday to educate voters about Huckabee's call for a new immigration strategy, which begins with securing America 's borders.

A copy of the Secure America Plan and his new Iowa ad is available here.

2007-12-11T18:03:00.000-06:00

Yet another flip-flop eh?

SW TIMES ARTICLE

WASHINGTON — It’s interesting to see what two years and a suddenly heated presidential race can do to one man’s opinion of another.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is certainly not as strong a supporter of rival Mike Huckabee as he was in 2005, when the two men were governors of Massachusetts and Arkansas, respectively.

Romney and Huckabee are engaged in a tight battle for the GOP nomination in Iowa. Caucuses there are less than a month away.

The two have battled over Huckabee’s positions on immigration and taxes, as well as Romney’s alleged flip-flopping on social issues.
And with a 2005 assessment of Huckabee in which he said the man would “make a fine president,” it appears Romney opened himself to more flip-flop accusations.

The Arkansas News Bureau reported in August 2005 that Romney said Huckabee would have the support of many Massachusetts Republicans if the Arkansan were to run for president in 2008.

While at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion for a meeting about health care, Romney demurred when asked whether a presidential race was in his future but had nice things to say about his host.

“Who knows what the future will hold?” Romney said in 2005. “Most likely, we’ll all stay as governors or find other offices, but we need to make sure that we have a strong person who can take the baton from President Bush, and Gov. Huckabee is certainly one of those individuals. He’d make a fine president.”

2007-12-11T13:29:00.000-06:00

National Review, a former reputable conservative news magazine has come in support of Gov. Romney. It wasn't very surprising, however. There is a good reason why they decided to announce the endorsement now rather than later. Romney's poll numbers have been dropping in early states and he hasn't garnered much support in the national polls. What's mind-boggling is that they don't give any excuses to Gov. Huckabee but embraces all of the flip-flops and previous anti-reagan and anti-republican statements of Romney.

I found an article that showcased the connections between the Romney campaign and NRO.

LINK

Mitt Romney today garnered the support of the right-wing magazine National Review. Romney has donated thousands of dollars in order to support various right-wing causes. In March the NY Times reported that Romney and allied organizations had paid thousands of dollars to The National Review and various Republican causes.

“Mr. Romney gave $5,000 to help sponsor the anniversary dinner celebrating National Review's Web site last October at a Washington steakhouse. Another group called Evangelicals for Mitt also gave $5,000…The magazine and its Web site have written favorably of Mr. Romney.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now on to Mr. Matt Drudge. There is a lot of speculation between the connections between the Romney campaign and Drudge himself. I very wary of individuals who have too much power in their hands and the drudgereport website is a prime example of that.

Here's an article in the NY Observers that explains how Romney and Drudge are connected:
LINK

Something to keep in mind as Matt Drudge continues his effort to take down Mike Huckabee: Huckabee poses the most immediate and serious threat to Mitt Romney.

As John Harris of the Washington Post first reported in October 2006, Drudge has an unusually close relationship with a senior Romney strategist, Matt Rhodes:

Last year, a delegation of RNC officials flew to Miami Beach, where Drudge lives, for a dinner at the Forge steakhouse to introduce the Internet maven to Matt Rhodes, the party's new opposition research director.

During his time at the RNC, Harris suggests, Rhodes was the G.O.P.'s main conduit for funneling potentially damaging research on Democrats to Drudge.

A year ago, Rhodes signed on to Romney's campaign. Since then, Drudge-watchers have noted Drudge's consistent refusal to hype--and in many cases to even mention--negative stories about Romney. But now Huckabee threatens to blow Romney's nomination strategy. Since last week, Drudge has unleashed a torrent of screaming, anti-Huckabee headlines, culminating in today's "exclusive" (which cites one unnamed Democrat) about the Democrats' supposed hope that Huckabee will emerge as the G.O.P. nominee.

Today's exclusive on Drudge was the following "DEMS HOLD FIRE ON HUCKABEE; SEE 'EASY KILL' IN GENERAL ELECTION". It wasn't linked to any particular article, but it was one of those special articles written by Drudge himself.

Jonathan Martin at Politico called the DNC for a comment:

DNC denies Drudge item came from them
I asked officials at the DNC about the item screaming at the top of Drudge today.

Responded Communications Director Karen Finney:

"We always appreciate having our hard work noticed, and we know Mitt Romney likes to feel special, but the truth is we've been tracking Huckabee for over a year. The Romney campaign should take heart in the fact that the Drudge Report is buying their spin hook, line and sinker because nothing in that story came from us."

Romney's camp keeps a close watch on who the Dems are hitting and have boasted in the past about how they are the most popular target.

I have a theory about this. I'm pretty sure the Romney campaign wanted to point out the fact that Huckabee hasn't been attacked so far by the DNC. So Drudge probably got some random DNC official to say something to back up his presupposition.

Now if the so-called exclusive is true, then that means that the DNC is actually scared of the eventual nomination of Gov. Huckabee. They were trying to do some reverse psychology to make the perception that electing Huckabee would be a mistake because they some how have the silver bullet to derail Huckabee's candidacy. That's nonsense of course, because everyone knows which area they are going to attack Huckabee on.

I hate this side of politics..

2007-12-10T22:45:00.000-06:00

They forced my hand again.. here's the article.

Just because a liberal reporter likes a republican candidate doesn't mean its the end of the world. I think more than anything it shows the cross-over appeal he has.

Chris Matthews loves Giuliani and no one is crying about that.. why the double standard on Huckabee? Anyways, here is my response:

I'm a supporter of Gov. Huckabee. I'm not going to start attacking the rival candidates, but I wanted to clear up the SCHIP issue that Hugh Hewitt, a radical supporter of Romney try to pin Huckabee on. The next day, Gov. Huckabee was invited to an interview with Michael Reagan. Reagan was concerned about Gov. Huckabee's interview with Hugh Hewitt and asked him the same question.

If you all have the curiosity to listen, please listen to this mp3 clip of that day's Michael Reagan Radio Show.

http://hosts.radioam...

He explained he would have vetoed the bill in it’s present form, but he
would not have allowed the bill to come before him in that form because
he would have framed the debate in a way that would have shown what the
bill was all about. The two then got into a discussion about the way
the Republicans have fallen down on the job and let the Democrats frame
the debate about the issues.

I believe Gov. Huckabee explained his reasoning really well. He was against the SCHIP bill that the democrats put up, but he said he wouldn't have let them come out and start attacking republicans as child haters and those who love to fund the Iraq war. He basically said that we can't let the democrats frame the debate.

Hugh Hewitt has zero credibility. He came out with a book on Romney and he has no choice but to support him at any cost.

Let's not get focused on these "Gotcha" moments.

2007-12-10T22:01:00.000-06:00

NumbersUSA has just released an assessment of all the presidential candidates on immigration.
http://www.betterimmigration.com/candid ... _gop1.html

Gov. Huckabee recently came out with a 9-point Secure America plan.

Overview: Implement a broad-based strategy that commits the resources of the federal government to the enforcement of our immigration laws and results in the attrition of the illegal immigrant population.

1. Build the Fence

Ensure that an interlocking surveillance camera system is installed along the border by July 1, 2010.
Ensure that the border fence construction is completed by July 1, 2010.

2. Increase Border Patrol

Increase the number of border patrol agents.
Fully support all law enforcement personnel tasked with enforcing immigration law.

3. Prevent Amnesty

Policies that promote or tolerate amnesty will be rejected.
Propose to provide all illegal immigrants a 120-day window to register with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and leave the country. Those who register and return to their home country will face no penalty if they later apply to immigrate or visit; those who do not return home will be, when caught, barred from future reentry for a period of 10 years.

4. Enforce the Law on Employers

Employment is the chief draw for most illegal immigrants and denying them jobs is the centerpiece of an attrition strategy.
Impose steep fines and penalties on employers that violate the law.
Institute a universal, mandatory citizenship verification system as part of the normal hiring process.
Prevent the IRS and the Social Security Administration from accepting fraudulent Social Security numbers or numbers that don't match the employees' names.*

5. Establish an Economic Border

Move toward passage of the FairTax.
The FairTax provides an extra layer of security by creating an economic disincentive to immigrate to the U.S. illegally.

6. Empower Local Authorities

Promote better cooperation on enforcement by supporting legislative measures such as the CLEAR Act, which aims to systematize the relationship between local law and federal immigration officials.
Encourage immigration-law training for police. Local authorities must be provided the tools, training, and funding they need so local police can turn illegal immigrants over to the federal authorities.

7. Ensure Document Security

End exemptions for Mexicans and Canadians to the US-VISIT program, which tracks the arrival and departure of foreign visitors. Since these countries account for the vast majority of foreigners coming here (85 percent), such a policy clearly violates Congress' intent in mandating this check-in/check-out system.
Reject Mexico's "matricula consular" card, which functions as an illegal-immigrant identification card.

8. Discourage Dual Citizenship

Inform foreign governments when their former citizens become naturalized U.S. citizens.
Impose civil and/or criminal penalties on American citizens who illegitimately use their dual status (e.g., using a foreign passport, voting in elections in both a foreign country and the U.S.).

9. Modernize the Process of Legal Immigration

Eliminate the visa lottery system and the admission category for adult brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens.
Increase visas for highly-skilled and highly-educated applicants.
Expedite processing for those who serve honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Improve our immigration process so that those patiently and responsibly seeking to come here legally will not have to wait decades to share in the American dream. Governor Huckabee has always been grateful to live in a country that people are trying to break into, rather than break out of.

*This policy will be drafted to comply with the final federal court decisions on this issue.

Note: This plan is partially modeled on a proposal by Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. ("Re: Immigration: Ten Points for a Successful Presidential Candidate," National Review, May 23, 2005.)

2007-12-10T19:38:00.000-06:00

Matt Lewis of Townhall has come out with a new article about the Romney campaign coalition of bloggers and columnists to spew out anti-Huckabee news.

These kind of tricks and Romney's fake optimism and conversion is what is causing the recent downturn of support. He has spent tens of millions on ads and related events, all in vain. Gov. Huckabee has spent 1/20th of what Romney has. I think that speaks for itself.

The Romney campaign is also behind the recent rumors that Huckabee is somehow trying to promote anti-Mormon bigotry. Foxnews and others like Hannity, Krauthammer, are coming in defense of Romney and strongly against Huckabee. Matt Drudge who has connections within the Romney campaign constantly post anti-Huckabee articles, which is truly sickening. HotAir.com has come up with constant anti-Huckabee pieces and has unfairly engaged in 'gotcha' politics. Remember, these are the same people who riled against the Liberal Media when they did the same kind of dirty tricks on Pres. Bush.

Fred Thompson's campaign is not overlooked either, it is well known that they are into similar things. If I have learned one thing, I have realized how shady most of these 'dependable' conservatives are.

Here is Matt Lewis' article:

As a senior aide to Sam Brownback, Rob Wasinger knows first-hand what it's like to challenge Mitt Romney from the Right.

Though Brownback's campaign never caught fire, his credentials as a social conservative leader from the Mid West meant he was an early Romney rival. Operatives on both sides have admitted to me that the two campaigns simply didn't get along, and that they often traded barbs on the trail. (In the past, I've written about the contentious rivalry between Brownback and Romney.)

In a phone interview with me today, Wasinger echoed what I've heard other operatives say to me off the record -- that he believes Romney's campaign is behind many of the recent attacks on Mike Huckabee:

"They've got a scorched-earth strategy, and it's not surprising they are now going after Huckabee," Wasinger told me.

According to Wasinger, the Romney campaign is a disciplined and efficient operation that effectively uses blogs and opinion leaders to disseminate negative information regarding Romney's opponents:

"They roll out these surrogates to attack other candidates ... They are particularly sensitive to anyone who questions Mitt's conversion," he tells me.
Unlike ever before, candidates on both sides are utilizing bloggers and surrogates to spread their message. During a typical GOP debate, my blackberry is deluged with press releases, attacks, and up-to-the-minute rebuttals from the candidates. But while campaigns use the new media to spread their positive message, the medium is perhaps even better at advancing a negative narrative.

I can personally attest to the fact that all the major Republican campaigns, from time to time, leak negative stories to bloggers. I suspect this is true of the other side, too. Why do bloggers often bite? Sometimes because they already like the candidate, but often it's because it's a win/win: The campaign gets an attack without their finger prints on it, and the blogger gets some juicy information that (hopefully) nobody else in the world has ...

And Romney's team has clearly been at the top of their game, cultivating some of the best bloggers in the nation to help advance their message. On a large scale, Romney communications strategist Matt Roades is famously close to Matt Drudge -- that's obviously the nuclear option. But Romney has other blog allies, including MyManMitt, and these bloggers have obviously ratcheted up attacks on Huckabee in recent days.

Romney Communications Director Kevin Madden says the Romney campaign has focused on a positive message, but acknowledges the Romney campaign isn't afraid to show a sharp distinction between the candidates: "We won't hesitate to draw contrasts with other campaigns. Where there are big differences on big issues, it is important to inform the voter on those differences," he tells me.

2007-12-08T13:37:00.001-06:00

Created by my brother - http://www.joelpro.com

UPDATE: The Huckabee campaign posted this Ad on their blog. Many thanks :)

Rett Hatcher of Race2008 also posted this Ad on their website.

2007-11-26T19:27:00.000-06:00

Mitt Romney is at it again. This time he's attacking Huckabee, saying that Huckabee is no Reagan. Obviously Romney was always a great admirer of Reagan (NOT) and he was a supporter of Reagan-Bush policies in the '80's (NOT). I will allow Romney to tell you that himself, watch the video below.

MORE RESPONSE:

FISCAL:
Joe Carter wrote an article on Reagan and attacks by club for growth. This is pretty relevant to this blog post as well.

http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004053.html

Quote:
After being elected Governor of California in 1967, Ronald Reagan reneged on a campaign promise and signed into law the single biggest tax increase in the state's history: $1 billion. (At the time, the total state budget was only about $5 billion. Adjusted for inflation and population growth, the increase in today's dollars would be $10 billion.)

If the Club for Growth had been around in 1980, Reagan might not have become President. The influential fiscal conservative group would surely have done everything in their power to prevent the Gipper from gaining the nomination. They would have attempted to derail Reagan's campaign just as they are now doing to Gov. Huckabee.

More Articles on this topic:
An Endorsement of Mike Huckabee: http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004044.html
The CFG's Hypocrisy on Earmarks: http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004079.html
Rebutting NRO's Editorial: http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004093.html
Hucks Army collection of data: http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=755 (Membership required)
Huckabee vs Romney (Tax Burden): http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=746 (Membership required)
Huckabee's response on WSJ: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010794
Campaign's response to the Nursing Tax: http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=563
Hucks Army research on Tax Hike Video: http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=1667

ON IMMIGRATION: Don't forget Reagan's Amnesty plan of 1986. The border wasn't built under Reagan, nor the illegal immigration situation was solved. I'm not saying that it was a good thing, nor am I saying that Huckabee is going to do the same. I'm just laying out the Reagan record.

There has been a lot of talk about Gov. Huckabee's proposal on allowing children of illegal immigrants who have attended an Arkansas school for at least 3 years and met all academic requirements for graduates to receive an in-state tuition rate for attending any college in Arkansas.

Here is the text of the bill, that didn't pass:
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2005/public/HB1525.pdf

WHEREAS, there are children of undocumented immigrants who have lived in Arkansas most of their lives; and
WHEREAS, most of these children have spent their formative years in Arkansas elementary and secondary schools; and
WHEREAS, many of these children have proven their academic ability by graduating from an Arkansas high school; and
WHEREAS, many of these children are precluded from accessing an affordable college education because they do not qualify for in-state tuition rates or state-supported scholarships; and

WHEREAS, educational opportunities should be offered to all children so they may contribute to the future economic viability of Arkansas,

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
As Engrossed: S3/31/05 S4/11/05 HB1525
04-11-2005 19:35 KAC234
SECTION 1 1. (a) This act shall be known as the “Access to Postsecondary Education Act of 2005”.
(b) Any tuition rate that is granted to residents of Arkansas shall be granted on the same terms to all persons, regardless of immigration status,who have attended a secondary educational institution in Arkansas for at least three (3) years and who have either graduated from an Arkansas high school or received a general education diploma in the state.
(c) In addition to the requirements under subdivision (b) of this section, a student without documented status shall file an affidavit with the state-supported institution of higher education stating that the student has an intent to legalize his or her immigration status.
(d) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall promulgate the rules necessary for implementation of this act.

Obviously, this might be a turn off to those who thinks this is amnesty. I beg to differ, because there is a lot of qualifiers for this bill. Gov. Huckabee has not flip-flopped on this issue, nor has rephrased his support in anyway and I admire him for it. Gov. Huckabee has explained the logic behind why he supported this proposal: It is better to encourage people to become tax payers than tax 'takers'.
On the other hand, Act 2210 of 2005 was signed into law by Governor Huckabee. The legislation made it illegal for a driver’s license to be issued to anyone who could not prove legal residency in Arkansas. http://roebuckreport...

Gov. Huckabee is strongly for building the border, also he's against blind amnesty. Here is a very detailed article about Gov. Huckabee's position on immigration on MikeHuckabee.com. I would encourage you look at the other top-tier candidates and you would see that a bunch of these candidates are clearly pandering to far right for votes. I can bet you none of these guys wouldn't do anything different than Huckabee.

UPDATE: Gov. Huckabee has come out with a 9-point Secure America plan. Very strong plan.

I wrote this on another post but I decided to place a copy of it on this post since we are on the topic of immigration:

SIDE NOTE:

How come these conservatives aren't attacking Romney nor Rudy on immigration? Why just Huckabee? I think it's very clear that Rudy was for sanctuary cities in NYC and Thompson has no real record to judge from (so he can pretty much claim anything he wants). Here is Romney's past statements and his record in Massachusetts when it comes to illegal immigration and how he has flip-flopped on this issue (like many others).

Romney Supports McCain-Bush Immigration Bill, Saying They Are "Quite Different" From Amnesty. According to the Boston Globe, in November 2005 Romney spoke "approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation's immigration crisis, calling them 'reasonable proposals.[Boston Globe, 3/16/07]

Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support yesterday for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship… 'I don't believe in rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country,' Romney said. '[T]hose that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship, as they would from their home country.[Lowell Sun, 3/30/06]

I really think the conservative media is not doing their job in revealing the past positions of the candidates they like. They know it will hurt their favorite candidate. Recently, Huckabee has become a real threat to the republican establishment and so all of them are all out on him. I hope the American people will see through the usual convoluted politics and get to know Gov. Huckabee for who he truly is.

On a personal note, It takes a lot of our time and energy as volunteer bloggers for Huckabee to respond to all of these unfair charges. I only wish most of these conservative columnists would spend the time in doing proper and fair research.

2007-11-26T19:21:00.001-06:00

Yes, the second day of the row, the exposer of Liberal Media Bias has come against Gov. Huckabee again! This time criticizing his empathy towards those who aren't doing so well financially. Some call it being a 'populist'. Also, some rival campaign supporters attacked Gov. Huckabee on his theological degree and tried to make the point that he is not qualified enough to be President. Some said he should run for a Baptist pastor.

Again, I humbly took on the task again of setting the record straight.

MY RESPONSE
I don't know how an attack piece on Huckabee comes under "Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias."

If one would look at this in an intellectual and strategic point of view, what Gov. Huckabee is doing is very shrewd and effective. There is nothing wrong with having a populist rhetoric. Huckabee is offering free-market, conservative solutions to these real issues.

Let's use that classic story of giving someone fishes vs. teaching them how to fish. There is nothing wrong for a person to say, hey I understand what you are going through, but the best way for you to get fishes regularly without depending on anyone is by learning how to fish.

The democrats say, hey I understand what you are going through, let me constantly provide you fishes for the rest of your life.

We as conservatives lack empathy, and we can use that to our advantage to get the common folk to understand why we are very adamant on individual responsibility. There must be a combination with the head and the heart in how we communicate.

If one thinks Gov Huckabee is no different than the democrats, you haven't done your homework. I suggest you all listen to the debate between Gov. Huckabee and Sen. McCain on healthcare. If Gov. Huckabee was a liberal he would've said let the government fully fund healthcare. Go check it out for yourself.

http://www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefai ... bcast.html

Also on taxes, Gov Huckabee is for the Fair Tax (http://www.fairtax.org). Anyone with an decent IQ score knows that the fair tax is not a liberal tax policy. He has also signed the no new taxes pledge by Norquist, unlike some other candidates.

Finally on his educational background. If Gov. Huckabee was currently a pastor of a church without any kind of executive experience, you have a point. He has proven how he can lead an entire state and do it effectively. No one accuses him of being incompetant. He has been the Lieu. Govenor of Arkansas for 3 years, then Govenor for close to 11 years. While being Governor he served as the Chairman of the Southern Governors Association and also the Chairman of the National Governors Association.

Also he served in other leadership positions including president of the Council of State Governments, state co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, and chairman of the Southern Governors Association, the Southern Regional Education Board, the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Technology Council, the Southern International Trade Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

As former chairman of the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, Huckabee worked with the 37-state coalition to develop energy policy and lobby Congress on energy matters, such as the regulation of oil and gas production.

Now what did Romney do as a one-term Governor of Massachusetts?

Note to NewsBusters: Please stick with your motto and focus on the liberal media and democrats.

2007-11-26T19:02:00.000-06:00

LINK TO ARTICLE

NewsBusters.org is a respectable website whose motto is "Exposing and Combating the Liberal Media Bias". I decided to set them straight. Some people were complaining about candidates of not being Reagan-like. I thought I should also set them straight too about Reagan's record. Don't get me wrong, I admire Reagan a lot, I just don't deify him as the God of Conservatives.

MY RESPONSE:

The real media bias here is that ABC turned this interview into propping the center-right positions of a republican candidate and making him look like a liberal.
I am a supporter of Gov. Huckabee and what is being missed in the media, both in the MSM and especially in conservative websites like newsbusters.org is his conservative positions. I really don't believe that an unfair attack on a fellow republican should be the purpose of this website.
Let me go into detail about illegal immigration: If anyone honestly want to learn Gov. Huckabee's positions on Illegal immigration you can go here. He is very strongly against illegal immigration. http://www.mikehucka...

Do you want more assurance? Act 2210 of 2005 was signed into law by Governor Huckabee. The legislation made it illegal for a driver’s license to be issued to anyone who could not prove legal residency in Arkansas. http://roebuckreport...
On the tuition breaks, the governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship. The measure didn't pass. Governor Huckabee stressed that any student would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas High School, and not given any special consideration.

UPDATE: Gov. Huckabee has come out with a 9-point Secure America plan. Very strong plan.

I really want to challenge my fellow friends who commented here about candidates not being Reagan-like. Reagan was a human being and he too wasn't perfect on conservative issues. For example, Reagan had no choice but to raise taxes in California, and Reagan approved blind amnesty to everyone and he didn't do anything to build the border. Let's not forget that. We claim to be conservatives and under the Reagan and Bush 43 administrations the national debt went up big time. What Reagan was known for was his sunny optimism and his ability to connect with all Americans, hence the term Reagan democrats came into existence.

Gov. Huckabee is not for blind amnesty and he has said time after time that the border must be built and that is the first solution to the problem of illegal immigration. He is correct in stating that the problem of illegal immigration is due to the failure of the federal government in building the border. Someone above commented about someone breaking in a house = to illegals crossing the border. You know what, there is no door, its an open field that anyone can cross through easily. Let's build the border and then discuss what happens to those who came here illegally.

Democrats are set to win congress next year and most republicans are just twittling their thumbs. It's almost like we are letting them win. Very unfortunate.

SIDE NOTE:

How come these conservatives aren't attacking Romney nor Rudy on immigration? Why just Huckabee? I think it's very clear that Rudy was for sanctuary cities in NYC. Here is Romney's past statements and his record in Massachusetts when it comes to illegal immigration and how he has flip-flopped on this issue (like many others).

Romney Supports McCain-Bush Immigration Bill, Saying They Are "Quite Different" From Amnesty. According to the Boston Globe, in November 2005 Romney spoke "approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation's immigration crisis, calling them 'reasonable proposals.[Boston Globe, 3/16/07]

Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support yesterday for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship… 'I don't believe in rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country,' Romney said. '[T]hose that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship, as they would from their home country.[Lowell Sun, 3/30/06]

2007-11-18T15:30:00.000-06:00

Message from HucksArmy.com

There has been a great deal of discussion on the Huck's Army Forums regarding the November 20th Fundraising goal. Some positive, some negative. Huck's Army would like to go on the record in saying that we admire and respect those who have made it happen.

Though some of us remain personally opposed to "donate later" fundraising goals in general, we all encourage you to donate what you can on November 20th. There are a number of unaffiliated organizations that have picked up this story, and as such, failure now would be a disservice to the Mike Huckabee campaign.

We won't pretend to be able to raise as much in one day as another candidate, but this is an opportunity to show that our grassroots army has gained enough momentum to help push the campaign past its November fundraising goal.

We are all striving to support Mike Huckabee. We may have different tactics for accomplishing that goal, but it is imperative that we ultimately work together to do what is necessary to help Mike win. In our opinion supporting the November 20th effort would serve Mike well.

Even if you don't register on the site, making a donation on Tuesday, November 20th via MikeHuckabee.com would help the effort immensely. Be sure to use Donor Code 160. Let's repeat that: Be sure to use Donor Code 160.

Please continue to encourage your friends and family to make ongoing donations to Mike Huckabee, and encourage them to make their best donation on Tuesday, November 20th.

So, head over to November 20th - For The Children today and register your support. Even if you can't quite afford $100 we encourage you to sign up to give what you can. Every dollar counts.

Together we can "Take a Stand for the Future" and turn Governor Huckabee into President Huckabee. Faith. Family. Freedom. [Grassroots].

Let's Roll,
Huck's Army

2007-11-18T15:25:00.000-06:00

Hands down, the funniest Ad ever run. Gov. Huckabee isn't going away, he's in it to fight: with Chuck Norris.

Possibly the best Chuck Norris fact I've seen:
Little known medical fact: Chuck Norris invented the Cesarean section when he roundhouse-kicked his way out of his mothers womb.

Please donate to Gov. Huckabee's campaign here (click on Contribute)

2007-11-13T18:09:00.001-06:00

(click on pictures to see an enlarged version - CREDIT to Drudgereport.com)

CBS POLL

2007-11-13T17:18:00.000-06:00

I have been struggling to find a good name for my blog and I was only able to come up with Justin's Thoughts. Egh..

Well, now my blog has a new name: THE THOMAS REPORT. It sounds pretty serious, as it should. Time to grow up, yes even for me.

2007-11-12T12:17:00.000-06:00

Joe Carter from evangelical outpost makes a very good defense of Gov. Huckabee's economic record in Arkansas. It's a must read!

http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/004053.html

Updated:
Here's another great post explaining every tax increase in its fuller context by Right Smart Blog

2007-11-12T11:48:00.001-06:00

There is a new blog in town: http://www.evangelicalsformike.com/

Here you can find the latest news in endorsements, and other articles that emphasize the importance of why those evangelicals of all colors and stripes can find the qualities of an ideal candidate in Gov. Huckabee.

Visit the blog frequently!

2007-11-07T19:46:00.000-06:00

I would let the video speak for itself.

In the meanwhile, read this well written article about the Romney Deception.
Also this article from Gregg Jackson
National Review's critique on Romney Healthcare plan
MSNBC's coverage of Romney's 'change' on positions

2007-11-05T17:44:00.000-06:00

The number of Huckabee supporters is growing and is getting stronger by the day. One thing you find in common in supporters like me is the undying support of our candidate Gov. Huckabee. Recently, a few awesome supporters decided to come together and start a genuine grassroots campaign for Gov. Huckabee from scratch.

The website is www.hucksarmy.com

There you can join a community of 500 supporters (and growing) and discuss the latest news on Gov. Huckabee, read about the truth against each false accusation leveled at him, and finally watch archived videos of the Governor on the campaign trail and also in national news.

I had my doubts in the beginning, but now I'm the biggest fan of Hucksarmy.com. I post articles on there on a daily basis and sometimes I forget the fact that I have to update my own blog.

Take a look at the website, read the articles on the forum and decide for yourself if you want to join!

2007-11-03T18:47:00.000-05:00

Steve Deace, the evening drive-time guy on WHO radio in Des Moines is a strong supporter of Gov. Huckabee. He like many others took a step back when he heard the criticisms against Gov. Huckabee and looked at the entire evidence. He is still a strong supporter.

I ask those who are interested in Gov. Huckabee but have reservations to listen to this.

http://www.whoradio.com/cc-common/podcast.html

2007-11-03T07:18:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Gov. Huckabee has come out with a 9-point Secure America plan. Very strong plan.

There is a lot of false criticism leveled at Gov. Huckabee for his stance on illegal immigration. These articles below should be able to clear up any suspicion that he's soft on that issue.

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Newsroom.Article&ID=82

Immigration Facts

- The Governor opposes and will never allow amnesty.

- Governor Huckabee believes that securing our borders must be our top priority and has reached the level of a national emergency.

- The Governor supports the $3 billion the Senate has voted for border security. This money will train and deploy 23,000 more agents, add four drone planes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and put up 105 radar and camera towers.

- In this age of terror, illegal immigration is not only an economic issue, but also a national security issue.

- Governor Huckabee opposed the amnesty bill that was attempted to be rushed through Congress this summer, and opposed the misnamed DREAM Act, which would have put us on the slippery slope to amnesty for all.

- Governor Huckabee opposes and will not tolerate sanctuaries for illegals.

- Governor Huckabee opposes giving driver's licenses to those who are illegally in our country and supports legislation to prevent states from doing so.

- Governor Huckabee believes illegal aliens who try to vote or try to apply for welfare benefits should be arrested.

- Governor Huckabee will stop punishing cities which try to enforce our laws and protect the economic well-being, physical safety, and quality of life of our citizens.

- Governor Huckabee opposes and will not tolerate employers who hire illegals. They must be punished with fines and penalties so large that they will see it is not worth the risk or profitable.

- Governor Huckabee opposes the economic integration of North America that would create open borders among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

- Governor Huckabee will never yield one inch of American sovereignty.

- Governor Huckabee will take our country back for those who belong here. No open borders, no amnesty, no sanctuary, no false Social Security numbers, no driver's licenses for illegals.

It has been reported that Mike Huckabee supported benefits for illegals immigrants while he was Governor of Arkansas.

Governor Huckabee never supported benefits for illegal immigrants. In Arkansas, illegal immigrants do not receive welfare benefits or food stamps. Governor Huckabee has always, and will always be supportive of the laws and regulations of the country.

It has also been said that Mike Huckabee was in favor of providing college scholarships for illegal immigrants while he was Governor.

The governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship. The measure didn't pass. Governor Huckabee stressed that any student would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas High School, and not given any special consideration.

Critics say that Governor Huckabee's motives behind opening a Mexican consulate office in Little Rock was to court illegals to come work in Arkansas.

The Mexican consulate provided Arkansas businesses with access to Mexico and opportunities to expand their markets, and would help further ensure that immigrants from Mexico are legal and better able to secure legal documentation. At the same time, the office would open up opportunities for Mexican investors to invest money with Arkansas partners, which would help create more jobs in the state.

Second, Doug Matayo, a former Arkansas State Legislator defends Gov Huckabee's policies on immigration.

http://roebuckreport.blogspot.com/2007/11/exclusive-former-ark-state-legislator.html

Mike Huckabee: Protecting the integrity of state documents
By Doug Matayo

Act 2210 of 2005 was signed into law by Governor Huckabee. The legislation made it illegal for a driver’s license to be issued to anyone who could not prove legal residency in Arkansas.

Over two years before the controversy swirling over New York Governor Spitzer’s desire to allow illegal aliens to receive state documentation in the form of a state issued driver’s license, as Mike Huckabee’s floor leader, I sponsored and we passed legislation to stop illegals from getting licenses. Huckabee signed it into law.

Huckabee recognized this issue is about INTEGRITY. The integrity of the state to issue documents that are authentic and to avoid fraudulent attempts for people to receive state benefits they are not entitled too. Also this will cut down on voter fraud since a license cannot be issued to a non-resident (and state issued ID is typically produced at the polls to verify identity). But some of Huckabee’s detractors are still not happy with Huckabee’s immigration stances.

In a Wall Street Journal article, a former Republican legislator – Randy Minton – stated Huckabee was for amnesty, sanctuary cities and open borders. Apparently, Mr. Minton wasn’t paying attention when Matayo and Huckabee moved Act 2210 forward to keep all non-legal residents of Arkansas from getting state issued identification. Apparently, Mr. Minton didn’t read the papers when Huckabee signed into law legislation which allowed state troopers to partner with the Department of Homeland Security to arrest illegal immigrants and enforce federal immigration law. Obviously, Mr. Minton isn’t letting these facts get in the way of his continual personal and vitriolic attacks on Mr. Huckabee.

2007-10-30T05:40:00.000-05:00

Tennessee for Huckabee has written an excellent rebuttal to the overly blown up controversy over Gov. Huckabee's administration destroying the hard drives of over 90 computers before leaving office.

Check it out!
http://tnhuck.blogspot.com/2007/10/fact-check-huckabee-hard-drive-scandal.html

2007-10-29T20:53:00.000-05:00

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

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

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, November 1, 2007

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

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

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

2007-10-29T05:10:00.000-05:00

(h/t Onemom)

Our man Chuck Norris or Charles as I like to call him has come out with another article stating Gov. Huckabee's positions on the Iraq War and the War on Terror in general. It is a must read for those who don't know much about Gov. Huckabee and those who think he is 'soft on terror'.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58383

In the meantime, watch this video of Gov. Huckabee speaking at CPAC about the War on Terror.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kcBTJWFrBCo

Also if you want to know what is Gov. Mike Huckabee's view on foreign policy, I recommend that you watch this video as well.
http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_events/task,view/id,1388/

2007-10-27T09:14:00.000-05:00

Context of that picture: Gov. Huckabee was addressed as "Senator" and the Governor said jokingly "please don't demote me like that, I'm a Governor". Sen. McCain threw his hands up in the air. :)

Folks, I don't know whether you were able to personally see the civil discussion between Gov. Huckabee and Sen. McCain about Social Security, Health care (or "Health) crisis, and unifying this country.

It's absolutely a 'MUST WATCH'. I personally thought (and many agree) that Gov. Huckabee won the discussion hands-down. Even McCain staffers would agree about that.

Gov. Huckabee has the God-given ability to communicate better than anyone I know. He is clear in his answers, he lays out the problem and then tells you want he will do to solve it. His actions in Arkansas clearly shows his passion about this issue. He worked with a lopsided democrat party controlled legislature and got a lot of issues solved in the area of health care.

Please watch this video and then comment about what you thought about it.

Thanks

2007-10-26T21:23:00.000-05:00

Continuation of Part 1

Pres. Clinton has always had good words to say about Gov. Huckabee. After all, they both come from Hope, Arkansas, both play instruments, and believe it or not Dick Morris advised them both. Also, both of them worked together on the Childhood Obesity Initiative. Here are some news stories, quotes, and video links you can see.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/04/health/04obese.html
Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, who is serving as co-chairman of the effort with Mr. Clinton, said he "got frightened to death" after developing Type 2 diabetes. Mr. Huckabee, a Republican, told the students that he had lost 110 pounds in the past two years.

Mr. Huckabee weighed 280 pounds two years ago, Jim Harris, a spokesman, said.

Looking at Mr. Huckabee, Mr. Clinton said, jokingly: "He is about half the size when I first met him. While I am always trying to shrink the ranks of Republicans, I never really thought this was the way to do it."

-------------- ------------------ ----------------------

Press Release: Clinton Foundation and American Heart Association Form Alliance to Create a Healthier Generation

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/050305-nr-cf-hs-hk-usa-pr-wjc-and-american-heart-association-healthier-generation-initiative.htm
Clinton Foundation and American Heart Association Form Alliance to Create a Healthier Generation

May 3, 2005
New York, NY

The American Heart Association and former President Bill Clinton announced plans today to join forces to create a new generation of healthy Americans by addressing one of the nation’s leading public health threats –- childhood obesity. They will be joined in their efforts by Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark). The initiative will focus on preventing childhood obesity and creating healthier lifestyles for children overall....
The Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association are striving to achieve the same goals for American children, and have many complementary assets and abilities that will serve us well as we work together over the next decade,” said American Heart Association President Alice Jacobs, M.D. “President Clinton and Governor Huckabee are natural advocates for this issue. President Clinton’s passion was evident during his administration when he worked on many levels to advance the battle against heart disease and stroke. And his personal experience with heart disease drives him even further to ensure that our nation’s children make wise lifestyle choices that prevent them from developing chronic diseases such as heart disease. Gov. Huckabee has been instrumental in creating policies in his state that promote healthy lifestyles and he has been an excellent personal example of what can be accomplished when one takes steps to adopt heart-healthy habits. We are honored to be working with such distinguished partners.”

"The best way to prevent heart disease in adults is to cultivate healthy lifestyle habits in children,” said Governor Huckabee. “I hope that this effort will help American families, and especially children, to eat better, be more active, and live longer lives."

---------- ------------------------- -----------------

Interview with Good Morning America - Gov. Mike Huckabee, Pres. Clinton

Video of Childhood Obesity Event featuring speeches from Pres. Clinton and Gov. Huckabee

2007-10-26T20:22:00.001-05:00

I did a whole bunch of 'googling' and research and found a bunch of quotes by President Bush and President Clinton. My intention here is to show that Gov. Huckabee has always been there, we just didn't know about him. I didn't know much about him till a few months ago.

I know Pres. Bush is very unpopular right now. It doesn't matter, just look at the context of the quotes. He's not just mildly praising him, him and Bush worked together when they were both Governors in the 1990's. Enjoy reading these 'historical' quotes!

All the quotes below are from Whitehouse.gov.

April 25, 2001

Budget and Tax Statement by the President
Little Rock National Airport
Little Rock, Arkansas

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. It's my honor to be back in Arkansas. It's great to be with my friend, the Governor. We got to know each other when I was the Governor of a neighboring state. I respected him then; I continue to hold him in high regard. Governor Huckabee is one of the more popular governors in the country because he's done in office what he said he would do.
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April 30, 2002

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Arkansas Early Childhood Cognitive Summit
As Delivered
Little Rock, Arkansas

Thank you very much. Governor and Mrs. Huckabee, thank you for hosting this summit. Mrs. Siegelman, Mrs. Keating, thank you for being here as well.

Today we explore subjects that are important to all of us: America's children and their future.
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June 3, 2002

President Says Strong Work Requirement Needed in Welfare Reform
Statehouse Convention Center
Little Rock, Arkansas
By the way, it's a nice way to travel I want you to know. I've known you're Governor for a long time. I'm proud to call him friend. I'm really -- I know you're grateful for the job he's doing as the Governor of this important state, and I want to thank him -- (applause.)

Mike's invited me to his church today; I'm going out there to talk about the need to be compassionate for people who hurt. And I can't wait to go. Mike, I want to thank you for the invitation for -- to give me a chance to herald the great faith that exists throughout our country and the importance of faith in the lives of our citizens, and the importance of faith to make sure our nation is as strong and as decent and as hopeful in every neighborhood as conceivably possible. (Applause.) ................

And you can join that army of compassion, too, by mentoring a child. I told you, we're going to Huckabee's church excuse me, Governor Huckabee's church I call him Huckabee. (Laughter.) This is a church which is helping welfare recipients learn a skill so they can work. There's nothing more there's no more there's no better way to earn dignity than to work. And this church understands that. (Applause.)

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November 4, 2002

Remarks by the President at Arkansas Welcome
Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport
Bentonville, Arkansas

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, we're working our way back to Texas because tomorrow is voting day........

And I know something about being a government. And you've got a good one. (Applause.) You not only have a good one, you've got a great one. (Applause.) The best thing for Arkansas, the best thing for the taxpayers of Arkansas, the best thing for the schoolchildren of Arkansas is to reelect Mike Huckabee. (Applause.) ..............

I'm here in Arkansas asking all the good citizens of this state, Republicans and Democrats, independents, people who don't give a hoot about politics, to do your duty as Americans. You have an obligation. But when you get in that voting booth I do have some suggestions. (Laughter.) Hutchinson and Huckabee. (Applause.)

No, I'm proud to call Mike Huckabee friend. I knew him -- known him for a long while. We were both governors together, and I've watched his passion when it comes to education. See, education is to a state what national defense is to the federal government. It's the most important responsibility of the state government, I think. And Mike shares that point of view.

I was here a while ago to talk about advance reading programs, states which have changed their curriculum to make sure that every child could learn to read. One of the first states that I came to was one of the first states that responded -- this state of Arkansas, led by your Governor, stepped up to the plate to make sure that every child can learn how to read. (Applause.)

No, he's got a heart. He cares deeply about everybody in this state. See, the thing I like about Mike, he's not one of the fellows that travels around the state saying, well, I'll try to help these folks only because they agree with me politically. Mike Huckabee cares for everybody in Arkansas. And that's why, coming Tuesday, this good state is going to send this good man, with overwhelming numbers, back to the statehouse. (Applause.)

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For Immediate Release
February 25, 2006

President's Radio Address
......I'll also discuss with governors our progress in the war on terror. The states are playing a vital role in the war effort through the contributions of their National Guard units. During the past two years, many governors have traveled to Iraq or Afghanistan to visit with the men and women from their states who are serving in freedom's cause. These governors have seen firsthand the courage of our troops and their dedication to the mission. Last month, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee visited Iraq and Afghanistan with three of his fellow governors. He said: "People back home need to realize just how proud they should be of our men and women here. It is obvious these troops remain upbeat and focused on ridding the world of terrorists.

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2007-10-26T18:31:00.000-05:00

Little Rock, AR – Presidential Candidate and Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wrote the following letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal in response to Friday’s column by John Fund:

To the Editor:

John Fund’s view of my ten-and-a-half-year record as governor of Arkansas and my vision for America’s future (“Another Man from Hope, Who is Mike Huckabee?”) calls for me to set the record straight.

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

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

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

One of my proudest achievements as governor was signing legislation creating ARKids First – creating health insurance coverage for more than 70,000 Arkansas children who otherwise might have gone without. I am firmly committed to finding a way to provide health care and a better education for America’s children, who hold the key to our nation’s future. Unfortunately, there seems to be a serious misunderstanding about my SCHIP comment at a recent presidential debate.

I was not criticizing President Bush’s veto as a matter of policy, but as a matter of politics. I fully believe that Bush should have negotiated a compromise and not let it get to the point of a veto. Bush indicated he was willing to spend more than the $5 billion he originally proposed, but less than the $35 billion the Democrats pushed through, so there was clearly room to negotiate. In no way do I support spending an additional $35 billion, or moving two million children from private insurance to government insurance, or letting SCHIP be a step on the path to socialized medicine.

I believe that we must be good stewards of our environment and support many paths to reducing our emission of greenhouse gases, such as more nuclear power and alternative sources of clean energy. As part of our overall effort, I also support a cap and trade system, which has worked well for reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions. However, I do not agree with those who want all allowances to be auctioned off because I believe that will create too great a burden on businesses. The alternative to cap and trade is a carbon tax, which I don’t support.

It is difficult to fully understand the institutional challenges of a Republican running for office in Arkansas. In 1993, when I was elected lieutenant governor, I was the fourth Republican to be elected to statewide office since Reconstruction. Students of Arkansas politics should talk to former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson, U.S. Rep. John Boozman or former Rep. Jay Dickey, all of whom support my candidacy for president, but none of whom is cited in Fund’s column, about these challenges.

Nevertheless, running for election and re-election, and more importantly, governing in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, prepared me to climb that next mountain: running for president and leading America with an optimistic vision and solid plans to successfully confront the complex challenges we face today.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Mike Huckabee
Presidential Candidate
Former Governor of Arkansas (1996-2007)

2007-10-25T05:26:00.001-05:00

THE HUCKABEE RECORD
Re: Quin Hillyer's A Tale of Two Candidates:

The October 24, 2007 article by Quin Hillyer, "A Tale of Two Candidates," is a biased and complete distortion of the record of Governor Mike Huckabee that needs to be addressed.

It is indeed disappointing -- but perhaps telling -- that Mr. Hillyer contacted neither the Governor nor the Huckabee for President Campaign for this article. The resurfacing of these old allegations, which have previously been addressed, and the Governor's surge in recent polling, is also suspect.

Clearly, the facts show that Mr. Hillyer needs to do his homework. The overwhelming majority of ethics complaints filed against Governor Huckabee in the state of Arkansas were regularly dismissed and / or proven to be frivolous.

It is also important to note that many of these complaints were filed by a member of the Arkansas "media." There was no mention in Mr. Hillyer's work that these complaints were later dismissed by that same news outlet.

The REAL story is that, despite the many attempts, there has never been a finding that Governor Huckabee ever received an illegal gift. Period.

To attack Governor Huckabee's wife, Janet, is the worst kind of journalism. As First Lady of Arkansas, Mrs. Huckabee served with dignity for many years. She was a leader behind the scenes during natural disasters within the state -- and her support of education and children is second to none.

With regards to attacking his fiscal record as Governor, what "think-tanks" such as CATO or Club for Growth consistently fail to recognize is that, regardless of party or politics, governors are responsible for delivering better government and balanced budgets to the people they represent. What mattered most to the people of Arkansas is results -- not rhetoric -- which is why Mike Huckabee was elected and re-elected as Governor.

A fair appraisal of Governor Huckabee's record reveals that he is an authentic, consistent conservative whose goal is to reduce both taxes and spending when he is President. Here are the facts.

* Regarding his record, Arkansas voters overwhelmingly approved of Mike Huckabee's performance in office. He was elected to a four-year term as governor in 1998, after succeeding to office in 1996, attracting the largest percentage of the vote ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas. In 2002, he was re-elected to another four-year term. When he left office earlier this year, his job approval rating was in the high 60s.

* Without doubt, Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative who cut taxes almost 100 times in the state of Arkansas and returned almost $400 million to Arkansas taxpayers, including the first broad-based tax cut in the history of the state.

* He also doubled the standard deduction and the child care tax credit and eliminated the marriage penalty and the capital gains tax on the sale of a home. He reduced the capital gains tax for businesses and individuals. He indexed the income tax to protect people from paying higher taxes because of "bracket creep."

* Governor Huckabee left the state with almost $1 billion in surplus, setting the stage for further tax reductions. He cut welfare rolls by almost 50 percent, while balancing the state budget every year of his terms.

* With respect to the tax and spending that he had under his control, spending rose about six-tenths of one percent a year during his ten-and-a-half year tenure. In Arkansas, over 90% of the state general revenue budget is spent on three things: education, Medicaid, and prisons. If the state entirely eliminated everything else but those three, it would save less than 10% of the budget. Despite those limitations, Huckabee managed to enact budget cuts.

Regarding Wayne DuMond, here are the facts:

* Governor Jim Guy Tucker gave executive clemency to Wayne DuMond, and commuted his sentence to 39.5 years. This action made it possible for Wayne DuMond to receive parole.

* The parole board was made up entirely of Governor Bill Clinton and Governor Jim Guy Tucker appointees. Governor Huckabee didn't have one member on the board that he had appointed.

* Governor Huckabee never took action in the DuMond case that made him parole eligible.

* Governor Huckabee either denied the commutation and pardon request, or took no action (which is the same as a denial) on 4 separate occasions.

* This wasn't Governor Huckabee's decision to parole Wayne Dumond. Governor Huckabee had no authority to do that, as governors don't have that authority in the parole process.

* The fact remains that Governor Huckabee didn't commutate, pardon, parole or grant any form of clemency to Wayne DuMond.

* Governor Huckabee denied 2/3 of all pardon requests while Governor of Arkansas from July 15, 1996-December 31, 2006.

* Governor Huckabee denied 86% of all commutation requests during the same period.

* Governor Huckabee signed off on, and carried out 16 executions while he was governor, which were more than 20 other states that currently had the death penalty in place.

It's interesting that this wasn't an issue for 6 years (1996-2002) until the election year of 2002, when Governor Huckabee's Democratic opponent, in the midst of a heated general election, made a political issue out of the case.

Finally, one more note: Calling him "The Huckster" in a hatchet job like this shows disrespect, not only to the Governor himself, but to the office he held for 10 1/2 years.

Governor Mike Huckabee has shown leadership, compassion and strength in tough times. In this important presidential election cycle, the facts are what matter to the American people.

Sincerely,
-- John "Chip" Saltsman
National Campaign Manager
Huckabee for President

2007-10-24T18:49:00.000-05:00

Gov. Huckabee said this recently about his campaign:
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, then they show up for your inauguration."

This is a paraphrased version of what Gandhi said once and it really does exemplify the step-by-step progress the Huckabee campaign is making.

We can remember the days when Gov. Huckabee was ignored and placed along with all the other unknown candidates. A few but very vocal and energetic supporters saw his genuineness and his eloquence in communicating very divisive topics and we put our support behind him.

I remember reading the blog comments on mikehuckabee.com back in May and June and many were contributing to a candidate for the first time. I personally always thought donating to a political campaign was a waste of money. However, when I saw Gov. Huckabee speak during the debates, I felt a very huge burden to do whatever it takes to help this man win the nomination for President. I was convinced that the money that I will donate to Gov. Huckabee would never be wasted. I know the outcome, and it will be victory.

As time went by Governor Huckabee started winning straw polls, doing well in more and more debates, and the media started giving him free-time because they love an underdog. Many at that point made fun of his last name. Many mocked the fact that he was a pastor before entering politics.

Now we have just entered the period of attacks on Gov. Huckabee now that he is in the first-tier. Several news websites with little credibility have started coming out with vicious articles. The unfortunate part is that many mainstream conservative websites are linking to those articles and are joining in their attacks against Gov. Huckabee.

From now till the end of the republican primary will be an attack season on Gov. Huckabee.

Folks, I can't think of a time when significant grassroots efforts are needed for our candidate. The evangelical leaders don't listen to our opinions anymore, and the conservative media websites think they can muzzle anyone into electing who they want. IT IS TIME WE TELL THEM WHO WE CHOOSE AND NOT TAKE THE BACKSEAT.

Many of us have no experience in being in a political campaign, haven't spoken in front of people nor have organized fundraising events. Nevertheless, one has to start somewhere and here are some things you can do if you are a supporter of Mike Huckabee:
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(credit to 'mommahawk' from Oklahoma)

1. Register for Huck's Army Forum to connect and get involved!

2. Join Huck's Army (enlist at www.hucksarmy.com)

3. Connect with local Huckabee efforts or start a group in your area at http://mikehuckabee.meetup.com/about

4. Volunteer! Sign up for Team Huckabee at www.mikehuckabee.com

5. Contact friends and family. Open up that address book and send out emails to let everyone know why YOU LIKE MIKE!

6. DONATE!! Go to www.mikehuckabee.com and click on "Contribute."

7. Make Mike a friend. Add Mike Huckabee to your Facebook or Myspace account.

8. Contact influential religious and political leaders and encourage them to back Mike! See this thread for more information: http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?t=76

9. Write your local newspaper and let them know why you like Mike!

10. Get your Huckabee Gear and show off your support for Mike. Visit the campaign store or www.mikehuckabeestuff.com

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forum.hucksarmy.com is a very very valuable forum for grassroots activists who support Gov. Huckabee. You can find forums on Gov. Huckabee's record, ideas on how to raise funds, how to spread the word, etc. Please register yourself and join in the discussion!!!

2007-10-21T21:25:00.001-05:00

This is just a light-hearted post. It is great to get Chuck Norris' endorsement and whether it has any impact I don't know. However, I would tell you that he is very detailed on why he supports him.

Its a nice read! Read it here..

2007-10-21T18:36:00.000-05:00

UPDATE:::::I loved the response from the Fox News Focus Group. At least 3 of them said that Huckabee wasn't given a chance to speak and they liked his responses from the 4 questions that were asked of him. I was extremely surprised to hear that response and I literally jumped out of my seat!! The whole video of the Luntz experiment is below. The conversation about Huckabee is towards the end.

huckabee.tommybrents.com created this graph of the amount of time given per candidate. After watching the clip above, I would say Huckabee made use of his very limited minutes. This man is truly an underdog, I believe with all my heart that God will raise this "David". Just watch.

UPDATE: Why is Gov. Huckabee's website down? Ktracy.com said that it possibly might be a SPAM attack/ DOS.

THOUGHTS BEFORE DEBATE
I'm not putting expectations high for Gov. Huckabee just because I know the questioners are not going to ask him any substantive questions.

These are the two key criteria that Gov. Huckabee has to meet in this debate:
- Gov. Huckabee has to stand out, which means he needs to clearly differentiate himself against all the other candidates. He knows actually how and when to speak, so I have all the confidence in him.
- Gov. Huckabee has to appear presidential. He needs to come strong against terrorism and explain the War on Terror in a way no one in that audience has heard before.

Lets pray for the Governor and see what happens!

THOUGHTS AFTER THE DEBATE:
Like I predicted Gov. Huckabee got very few questions. No surprise there.

Gov. Huckabee tried to break out of the group and told the fellow candidates to fight it out amongst themselves and he will be standing alone after it all. Whether it worked or not I don't know.
What I know is Gov. Huckabee answered every single questions clearly and concise. If Republicans want to win they better get this man nominated. I can't wait to see a debate between Gov. Huckabee and Hillary.

2007-10-21T18:20:00.000-05:00

Bobby Jindal won the Louisiana Gubernatorial Election yesterday by over 50% and by the way, there was 3 candidates running!!

Gov. Elect Jindal is the youngest Governor ever elected in the US at 36 years old. He is also the first nonwhite governor elected in Louisiana since the Reconstruction. Obviously, he is also the first Indian-American to become a governor ever!

As an Indian-American myself, I am extremely proud of this moment. I'm also encouraged by the fact that even an Indian-American can rise up and serve the people. It inspires me to even run for something. (I might've went too far on that)

Actually Jindal was the most formidable and smart candidate running in the election. No one doubted that.

2007-10-20T17:16:00.000-05:00

Byron York on NationalReview.com posts the latest spin coming from the Romney Campaign. It seems like there is a close relationship between the Romney campaign and NationalReview.com columnists because they seem to stick up for Romney every time something negative comes against him.

A representative of the Romney campaign just called to point out that some people who attended the Values Voters conference in person might still have voted online. "You could vote in person or you could vote online," he said. "That might be a reason why there is a bigger gap." He didn't claim that Romney actually won the on-site contest, only that it might not have been quite the Huckabee blowout that it appears. And indeed, that might help explain why the on-site vote total was just 952, when more than 2,500 people registered for the conference.

My Thoughts: Frankly what difference does it make. Gov. Romney won by 30 votes overall. There were 5775 total votes and like Byron York says 2500 people registered for the conference. That leaves us with 3275 extra online voters. Couldn't the 30 extra voters come from them?

I still believe there was a definite blow out in support of Mike Huckabee among the on-site voters. It might not have been as high as the stats say but I think Gov. Huckabee got at least 40 percent with Mitt Romney at 25%. Romney's support might be even lower if we factor in Fred Thompson's supporters as well.

Let me put a spin the results as well. If most of the voters placed their vote before even hearing Giuliani and Huckabee then that means they didn't give a fair chance to hear all candidates. Can't we assume that if those delegates who voted early had heard Gov. Huckabee a day earlier they would've changed their vote? There was a report about a voter who switched his support from Thompson to Huckabee after hearing Huckabee's speech.

We can spin this thing however we want. The main point is that Gov. Huckabee needs to be placed in the first-tier. Romney spent millions and millions (including 10+ million of his own) and Huckabee spent virtually less than 1/10th. He's closely competing with Romney in Iowa and in every straw poll Huckabee seems to steal the thunder away from Romney. I hope many in the mainstream notice this and stop belittling Gov. Huckabee.

2007-10-20T14:45:00.000-05:00

Good news for Gov. Huckabee!!!!!
Here's the link

This is the onsite poll results - those who were at the summit- which I think is more significant. The onsite voters includes prominent Christian conservatives and their support should weigh more than regular people who paid $1 to vote online (like myself).

Overall Mitt Romney and Gov. Huckabee were almost tied at 27% with Romney leading thinly (this includes online voters). I frankly thought Ron Paul was going to get either 1st or 2nd knowing his fanatic supporters.

ON SITE VOTE: MIKE HUCKABEE 51.2% vs ROMNEY 10.4%

Mike Huckabee	488	51.26%
Mitt Romney	99	10.40%
Fred Thompson	77	8.09%
Tom Tancredo	65	6.83%%
Rudy Giuliani	60	6.30%
Duncan Hunter	54	5.67%
John McCain	30	3.15%
Sam Brownback	26	2.73%
Ron Paul	25	2.63%
Undecided	11	1.16%
Not Voting	7	0.74%
Barack Obama	5	0.53%
Christopher Dodd	2	0.21%
Dennis Kucinich	2	0.11%
Joe Biden	1	0.11%
Hillary Clinton	0	0.00%
John Edwards	0	0.00%
Mike Gravel	0	0.00%
Bill Richardson	0	0.00%
Total	952	100%

2007-10-20T10:08:00.001-05:00

UPDATE: VIDEO OF SPEECH

Transcript of Speech - Click Here

Quotes from Gov. Huckabee:

“We do not have the right to move the standards of God to meet cultural norms, we need to move cultural norms to meet God’s standards.’’

“There were times… when things amongst us were negotiable. But some things are not negotiable, the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage… Let us never sacrifice our principles for anybody’s politics – not now, not ever.’’

“I do not spell G-O-D G-O-P, our party may be important, but our principles are even more important…. It is time for those of us who call ourselves values voters to pledge our lives, our families, our fortunes and our sacred honor to that which is right and which is eternal."

Part of the video(a few mins) of Gov. Huckabee speaking at the event

Jon at huckabee08.blogspot.com is at the Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C and is liveblogging from the event arena itself.

Check out his blog post!

Thanks Jon for being our eyes and ears!

Update: I'm not sure whether he is going to liveblog his speech, but he will definitely give his insights of how the audience reacted and how the speech was in general.

Update: Byron York at NationalReview.com says this: But if ovations at the Value Voters Summit determined who would be the Republican candidate, Mike Huckabee would win.

Update: Erick at Redstate.com says this:
Mike Huckabee is coming. The Arkansas folks in the crowd go nuts. They won't stop cheering.

It's abundantly apparent from the corridors to the reception he gets when he comes in that Huckabee is among his own, more so than Romney or Fred.

He starts with an Al Gore joke. Then he talks about baby boomers now entering the system and what's going to happen when the hippies realize they can now get free drugs.

"I come as one not who comes to you, but as one who comes from you. You are my roots," he says as he sinks in to his speech. He points out that he started out as a Baptist minister. He tells a joke about a lady asking if he was one of those Baptists who was so narrow minded he thought only the Baptists would go to heaven. He says, "Lady, I'm more narrow minded than that. I don't think even all the Baptists are going to heaven."

Now he transcends into "non-negotiable values." Freedom. Family. Faith.

He says we cannot "negotiate, accommodate, or placate Islamic terrorists. We must eliminate." The crowd likes that. "We cannot have the naive idea that if we leave them alone they will leave us alone. That will get us killed," he says as the crowd roars.

Then he goes into immigration and the broken border. He says he thanks God that we live in a place where people want to break into than break out of, but how terrible it is that it is more difficult for us to get on an airplane in our hometown than it is for an illegal to get over the border. Biggest Applause of Any Speech Yet That I've Seen.

He says he doesn't blame those who want to come here. He blames the government that has sat around doing nothing for over 20 years. Again, the crowd goes nuts.

He moves to energy and how bad it is that we are so dependent on energy from others. People in the crowd verbally agree with him. Then he bashes China and the crowd goes wild. Romney should be nervous. So should Fred.

"Our freedom is threatened by a tax system that is out of control." "As we say in the south, not even duct tape and WD-40 can fix it." He goes into Fair Tax. He points out how it would stop the IRS from muzzling ministers in the pulpits from speaking out. The crowd goes wild again.

He brings up the Law of the Sea Treaty. The people clap. He says any judge that thinks he can legislate from the bench "ought to be impeached." My ears are ringing the crowd is so loud.

Thompson and Romney should be worried. We have reached the crowd favorite.

Now he goes into marriage. The crowd goes wild and these, by the way, are not his people. His small group is up front, but the rest of the crowd is not his, but they are now.

"Why are we importing so many to do our work? Because we've aborted over a million Americans." He calls it a holocaust. The crowd gets loud, but not as loud as at other points.

"We don't need to move God to meet the cultural norms. We need to move the cultural norms to meet God." Massive applause. Standing ovation.

Now he's moved on to how faith is threatened in this country. He says there was once a time when some things were negotiable, but the sanctity of life and marriage and our freedom was not and never should be negotiable. "Let us never sacrifice our principles for anybody's politics," he says. The crowd likes that line.

"You know the prophets of old spoke the truth boldly," he says. "They spoke the truth to power. All of you in this room have the power to go back to your states and counties and be true to your faith and convictions."

Now he transitions into sermon. He talks about Jesus (I don't remember Romney talking about the J man). He talks about believing in a God who could light a fire on wood soaked in water. He talks about Jesus raising Lazarus. "I don't ever want anyone to let us replace expediency as new values for our long held values." Someone shouts "Come on Mike!" He crowd starts yelling. They stand. They clap. They cheer. They whistle.

"I do not spell G-O-D, G-O-P. Our party may be important. But our principles are more important." He says we cannot compromise our core beliefs. He says "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for those of us who call ourselves value voters to pledge our lifes, our fortunes, our sacred honor to that which is right, and true, and eternal."

And then he's gone.

Update: Onemom says this: "WOW!!!! Standing in front of my computer cheering, praising God and tears running down my face! The little I have written here today does not begin to capture the passion, the power and the conviction of Gov. Huckabee’s address this morning."

Update: 'Swamp Politics' covers the event as well.

Update: I'm waiting for Melinda at Stand to Reason blog to comment on Gov. Huckabee's speech as well. Hopefully it will be up soon! I love Greg Koukl and the Stand to Reason ministry.

Update: H/t to Onemom
Mere Orthodoxy covers the Summit.
Active Christian Media says Gov. Huckabee brought down the house.

Update: My thoughts.
As a evangelical Christian, I loved everything he said. The Governor didn't make a political speech. It sounded much like a sermon. Many anti-religious people were able to gather bunch of sound clips for future use in case he gets the nomination. I think we should look at the context and the location where he made the speech. Remember, he was speaking to values voters at a Values Voter Summit.
Most who follow the Governor knows that he knows when to speak, what, and how. He was merely revealing his core values. This is who he is, and why he entered politics after being a pastor for a number of years. I'm sure he is more than willing to accept the consequences for communicating what he believes even if it means losing the nomination.
To those who don't follow the Governor that much, this speech might have been overwhelming. I can tell you that almost 75% of the time the Governor talks about public policy in a secular way. His record as the Governor of Arkansas shows that he's not a radical right-wing Christian, he is a Christian with common sense. He has great communication skills and he is able to articulate ideas in a way that unites both left and right. He always reiterates the fact that he believes in vertical politics and policies that lifts us up, not bring us down.
This man needs our support. I really believe that the resurgence of Mike Huckabee is an act of Providence.

Update: CBN's David Brody titles his blog post : Huckabee's Grand Slam. Very nice post!

Rich Lowry on National Review says the following:
Wow. Let me repeat: Wow. What an incredible communicator. His message has gotten stronger with the accent on Buchanesque nationalist/protectionist notes, and he speaks the language of these kind of voters better than anyone. I found myself getting goose-bumps near the end of his speech when he invoked a long series of Biblical underdogs, beginning with David and his five smooth stones. He made as strong a case as possible for putting all pragmatic considerations aside and going with him. And no one could mistake the shots at Romney, including a reference to candidates who have as many positions as Elvis had sizes to his waist-band. Watch out in Iowa.

MY THOUGHTS: Rich, I don't think Gov. Huckabee can be compared to Buchanan. He is only seeking a balance in how we outsource our resources and basically depend on China for most of our needs. That is a very common-sense view, and let's not put any labels on it. He's merely speaking his mind. He did make a very excellent argument about why the Christian conservative movement shouldn't take the pragmatic approach and blindly support the "most winnable" candidate according conventional wisdom in the media.
I really believe many will compare Huckabee to a Buchanan, or Pat Robertson, or Gary Bauer. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Gov. Huckabee led an entire state for 11 years, won by huge margins and ended his term as a popular governor. Time Magazine named him one of the Best Governors in 2005. He is very formidable and viable.

2007-10-20T09:38:00.000-05:00

For those who don't know Gary Bauer, here is his website.

Gary Bauer's endorsement really wouldn't help Gov. Huckabee, but Mr. Bauer's recent comments belittling him will. All I ask of him is to not saying negative things about a fellow Evangelical candidate, but just say "Gov. Huckabee is a formidable candidate". He might personally think Giuliani has a better chance, but thats just his view.

Here's what Richard Land said recently, and maybe this is a good format for Gary Bauer to use:
"When asked who among the other candidates he liked Land said he had no problem with John McCain or Fred Thompson but added "I know Mike Huckabee. I think he would make a fine president."

I just wonder why in the world Bauer ran for president in 1999 against George W. Bush. He was in the race for a while as a 3rd Tier candidate. He was wrong then, and he's wrong now.

Anyways, here's the letter I emailed him:
-----------------------------
Mr. Bauer,
As I type this email I'm watching your speech at the Family Research Council convention. You mentioned that we need a war president and that prompted me to write to you.

Previously, you also made some comments about Gov. Huckabee being weak on Terror and I wanted to address that.

Here is the link to the speech Gov. Huckabee made at CSIS in Washington D.C. about foreign policy. I am a pro-war on terror, born-again Christian and I absolutely agree with what he had to say. He eloquently stated what's at stake 1000 times better than what Bush has ever articulated.
Video: http://media.csis.org/csistv/?070928_huckabee
Transcript: http://www.csis.org/media/csis/events/070928_huckabee.pdf
Audio: http://www.csis.org/media/csis/events/070928_huckabee.m3u

Please take a look at his foreign policy views. He is well informed and he did visit Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay as the Governor of Arkansas. What foreign experience does Mitt Romney, Thompson, Giuliani have? Giuliani has spoken a lot about foreign policy, but thats it.

I know you know Gov. Huckabee is a strong pro-life candidate. He is authentic, conservative, God-fearing, appealing to both democrats and republicans.

I ask you reconsider your views and give him a second look. Please look into your conscience and support the man who most closely aligns with your views. If you as a leader of the Christian conservative movement put aside your convictions, then we the Christian conservatives won't be a viable constituency anymore. It matters what God thinks, not the latest pew poll.

Thanks and God Bless you!

Justin
------------------------------------------

2007-10-20T09:33:00.000-05:00

Gov. Huckabee shines as most authentic when he talks about his faith in Christ. This is an area that is extremely hard to fake. As a Christian, it is very easy to spot a phony and Gov. Huckabee ain't a phony.

2007-10-18T16:53:00.000-05:00

Dean Barnett has written an article on WeeklyStandard.com about the rising stock of Gov. Huckabee. The picture above was designed by Weekly Standard as well. I thought it was amusing.

2007-10-18T09:36:00.001-05:00

I have been calling for this for a long time. I’m glad the Senator is gracefully pulling out. All the best to him and his family.

From AP

WASHINGTON - Republican Sam Brownback will drop out of the 2008 presidential campaign on Friday, people close to the Kansas senator said Thursday. Brownback, a longshot conservative contender, had trouble raising money to compete in the race. He is expected announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan.

He raised a little more than $800,000 in the third quarter of this year, his lowest quarterly amount since entering race. He has brought in more than $4 million overall and is eligible for $2 million in federal matching funds.

"I know Senator Brownback enjoyed campaigning and meeting new people in talking about ideas for the future of America, but I think it came down to money," said one person close to Brownback, who requested anonymity because the candidate had not yet announced his plans.

2007-10-14T18:11:00.000-05:00

Too funny..

2007-10-13T06:35:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted a blog post in a while and I'm trying to get back on track. I wanted to make some observations on the status of the Huckabee campaign and where it's headed.

AS OF NOW:

In the past month or so, there has been an uptick in Gov. Huckabee's support in key primary states and also nationally.
Since the 3rd quarter, the Huckabee campaign's fundraising efforts have stepped up and they are raising relatively more money. The campaign is looking to hire a fundraising chief.
The campaign started an online store and also have begun meetup groups.
Mikehuckabee.com is one of the most visited campaign websites on the GOP side.
The debates are still helping the Governor very much and more media personalities are including him in the top-tier.

ISSUES ARISING:

The non-social conservatives are defining Mike Huckabee as a 'populist' and socialist tax-hiker- The campaign needs to address this group and not let them define the Governor. This is a serious issue and can hurt the Governor in the long run as more people hear about the Governor from these economic conservative columnists and commentators on Fox News, National Review, Weekly Standard, Townhall.com, NewsMax, Hot Air, etc. Rather than just keep saying the Governor cut taxes 90 times or whatever, the Governor should talk about the benefits of having low taxes and how it helps the economy. The fact that he signed the no new taxes pledge should be stressed.
The misconception about the national smoking-ban - Many including Ann Coulter are accusing of the Governor of supporting an all-nation smoking ban in every public place. That is just not true. The campaign needs to address this and not let others define the Governor.
Accusing the Governor of being 'soft on terror' - Many who follow the Governor's campaign know that the Governor can't be any more pro- 'war on terror'. Again the problem is that there are many folks out there who do not follow politics. They listen to the soundbites on the news and just one clip of someone like Gary Bauer saying "Huckabee is soft on terror" is enough for them to say "NEXT". The campaign should take notice of this.
'The Governor can't raise money which means he can't manage a campaign well" - I've noticed that the Governor has been dealing effectively against this rhetoric but this still remains as an issue. Keep going at it!

There are so many other issues but these are the top four. I'm encouraged to see that no one is really writing off the Governor but they are some pro-Giuliani and pro-Thompson commentators that are attacking Gov. Huckabee and defining him through their articles and media publicity. If the campaign can't start defining their candidate much more effectively, then you will see an increasing number of republicans rejecting Gov. Huckabee as a viable candidate.

2007-09-25T19:33:00.000-05:00

Dr. Richard Land, a well-known Southern Baptist official has put his support behind Actor Fred Thompson.
I read this quote on Brody File and everything in it can be applied to Gov. Huckabee (except for the last part). Here's what he said:

Land explained to me why Thompson appeals to some voters.
“Fred Thompson grew up in a very modest means in a small town in America just like Ronald Reagan grew up in very modest means in a small town in Illinois. You acquire not only an understanding of but a respect for everyday folk when you come from the background that you don’t get otherwise and people sense it. That this is a guy who respects me, a guy who understands that we are the backbone of this country, we are the salt of the Earth and he not only understands us, he’s one of us. He’s a successful one of us but he’s one of us and they trust a guy like that. They give a guy like that a larger margin of error. Nobody gets everything right but its core values. My assessment is that this guy is a whole much like Reagan including his Teflon quality. The press has been beating up with him for these types of gaffes and he continues to climb in the polls.”

I placed some emphasis on the key points of his long, drawn out, quote. If one reads them they would think he is talking about Mike Huckabee.

I HONESTLY don't know why there is this big republican nostalgia over Reagan. The truth is there will never be another 'Reagan.' He has also made a few gaffes and mistakes, but as time goes by, we tend to forget those shortcomings. I can bet you Pres. Bush will be looked at in a kinder light about 10 years after he leaves office.

Fred Thompson is a media-made character. People are buying a lot of stock on him without even knowing what he has done and who he even is. Do you think he can beat Hillary?? Hillary is going to even more confidently stress her experience, and Fred Thompson won't be able to hit back because he doesn't have any.

The fact that he is not comfortable talking about his faith tells one how much he considers God as a priority in his life. Gov Huckabee said that his faith makes who he is. Have you heard any other candidate make a similar statement? All others have said "My faith is important to me, but I don't wear it on my sleeve" (or something like that).
It's unthinkable for a church leader like Richard Land to snub a fellow Southern Baptist like Gov. Mike Huckabee who has 14 years of executive experience in Arkansas as Liet. Gov and as Governor (for 11 years). Mike Huckabee isn't a Gary Bauer, or a Pat Robertson, or a Pat Buchanan. This is a man who has lead an entire state successfully with integrity and honor. He is immensely qualified.

What kind of experience does Fred Thompson have? He is not faithful with the little things, such as his own campaign. People are quitting every other day.

I hope the republicans will have the courage to stand behind the man that has crossover appeal and conservative values i.e., Gov. Huckabee.

2007-09-25T19:12:00.000-05:00

29 Things You Don't Know About Mike Huckabee

1. He narrated the Doctor Suess book, Horton Hatches An Egg in a high school play.
2. He's a big fan of The Three Stooges.
3. He's a great cook.
4. He rides his bicycle to the grocery store.
5. He likes Yarnell's guilt free ice cream.
6. He likes to snorkle.
7. He likes the The Colbert Report.
8. His favorite actor is Robert De Niro.
9. His favorite actress is Meryl Streep.
10. He reads a chapter of Proverbs every single day when he wakes up.
11. He is not fond of heights.
12. He's like a kid at Christmas because he wants to open Christmas gifts early just so he can see what he got.
13. He organizes his socks, and everything else.
14. He prepares his own breakfast the night before to save time in the morning because getting up no later than 4:30 might not be enough time.
15. He talks to "the Boys" (his three dogs) and thinks they are listening.
16. He graduated from College magna cum laude with a 4 year degree in just over 2 years.
17. His Dad picked him up from school once in a car that had no body, just a frame and wooden boxes for seats.
18. He does great impressions of Billy Graham, Jimmy Stewart, Ronald Reagan, and Ross Perot.
19. He was left handed but was made to write with his right hand in elementary school.
20. He wanted to be an astronaut in first grade.
21. He was a pretty shy kid.
22. He can't sit still. If there is ever a free minute he feels the need to get up and immediately start on a new project, for instance the minute a meal is over he has to get up and start putting things away and doing dishes.
23. One of his favorite television shows is The Sopranos.
24. His favorite snack food is movie style popcorn. And he likes it so much his wife Janet bought him a popcorn machine for christmas.
25. He gave Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones a pardon when he was Governor.
26. He loves to play practical jokes.
27. His favorite movies are To Kill a Mockingbird and Casablanca.
28. His favorite church hymns are A Mighty Fortress is our God and In the Garden.
29. One of his dreams is to watch a game in every Major League baseball park.

2007-09-24T06:11:00.001-05:00

'Vertical'-Day is here!!

Little Rock, AR – Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee will host an historic 24-hour online "conversation" with voters called "Vertical Day, starting at 10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 24 and ending at 10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

2007-09-23T14:39:00.000-05:00

I have to say that Gov. Huckabee looks quite presidential in this video. I don't know who compiled this video but they did a horrible job.

To make Washington work, we need a president that is willing to listen to the other side and be humble. Fight when 'values' are at stake, but in other areas try to find positive ideas from the other side and give credit where it is due.

I ask those who haven't heard of Gov. Huckabee or do not support him for any particular reason to reevaluate him and give him a chance to succeed.

Justin

2007-09-22T19:38:00.000-05:00

If you believe like me that Sen. Brownback is nothing but a distraction to the social conservative movement, please co-sign with me. I will send a letter to his campaign by the end of this week.

Thanks!

2007-09-22T19:21:00.000-05:00

Below is a letter from Gov. Huckabee. I ask all Huckabee supporters to step up their efforts in these coming days, now till the end of this month.
September 30th is the last day of the third quarter, and Gov. Huckabee needs to come up with a decent amount in the area of fundraising to gain more crediblity with the money-focused media.
Help him as much as you can, it doesn't matter how much you give. The total number of donors is also a significant amount.
Gov. Huckabee needs our help and he has asked us already. Lets do what we can do!

Letter from Gov. Mike Huckabee
Everywhere I go on the campaign trail, I meet voters with a real thirst for a healthy discussion of the issues. Ultimately, people don't care whether an issue comes from the left or the right. What they want to talk about are ideas that lift America up and make us better. It's what I call "Vertical Politics."

On Monday, our campaign has set aside 24 hours, for what we are calling a "Vertical Day". The focus of Vertical Day will be a discussion of the most important issues facing America. The plan is to promote my positions on these issues through video and personal blogs, and to have an online conversation with voters about our ideas, the solutions we see possible, our hopes for America and the challenges we face.

I'd like you to be a part of Vertical Day. I encourage you to tell your friends, family members and co-workers about it and ask them to participate. Vertical Day will start on Monday, September 24 and end on Tuesday, Sept. 25. I'm excited about this opportunity. With your help, and the power of the Internet, we will be able to involve thousands of voters all across America and truly build excitement around this discussion of issues.

To encourage you to make the time to be a part of Vertical Day, my campaign team has put together an incentive package that I hope will be fun and also create buzz and excitement. First, we've created a special Vertical Day page on our website, where you can view the 24 hours of online content we have pulled together.

We also have created a very simple online tool that will give you the ability to promote Vertical Day to your friends, family members and co-workers. We've developed a package of rewards based upon the number of people you are able to get to visit the website. As a way to cap off Vertical Day, we'll enter the names of each of our top promoters into a raffle. On Tuesday, September 25 at 3 p.m., we will draw two names who will receive special invitations to be my personal guests to the YouTube Debate on November 28 in St. Petersburg, FL.

I will have more details for you soon. In the meantime, please mark Monday, Sept. 24 down on your calendars.

2007-09-22T10:12:00.000-05:00

After seeing these two videos, the persona I had in mind about Giuliani as 9/11 hero has gone out of the window. In the general election there's no doubt these videos will come out and greatly embarrass Mayor Giuliani.

2007-09-22T09:51:00.000-05:00

Ron Kessler with Newsmax reports about Giuliani's phone call with his wife in the middle of the NRA speech and many other instances where he showed similar bizzare behavior.
I've learned in my communications class that one of the first things a speaker should do is turn off the cell phone. Taking a cell phone call in the middle of a speech shows disinterest and disrespect towards the audience.
If the race comes down to Giuliani vs. Hillary, (which I think it won't) I will refrain from voting in 2008 because I'm not going to cast my vote to the less worst candidate. I hope and pray Gov. Huckabee will win the nomination.

Here's the article.

Rudy Giuliani shocked the National Rifle Association Friday when he took a cell phone call from his wife in the middle of his speech to the group.
While the presidential candidate was delivering a speech at a meeting in Washington of the National Rifle Association, whose members have been skeptical about his support for Second Amendment rights, Giuliani interrupted his own speech to say he had a cell phone call.
Rudy Giuliani has engaged in such strange behavior by taking cell phone calls from his wife Judith during important presentations.
Giuliani was talking from the podium about the importance of the right to bear arms when his cell phone apparently vibrated and then rang.
"Let's see now. This is my wife calling, I think," the former mayor said, reaching for the phone in his pocket, as an amazed audience looked on.
"Hello dear... I'm talking to the members of the NRA right now," he said into the phone as his incredulous audience listened.
"Would you like to say hello?," Giuliani said to his wife. "I love you, and I'll give you a call as soon as I'm finished, okay? Okay, have a safe trip, bye-bye. Talk to you later dear, I love you."
Looking a bit embarrassed, Giuliani said to the audience: "It's a lot better that way."
While there was scattered applause, the audience turned silent as Giuliani went on: "Well, this is one of the great blessings of the modern age, being always available. Or maybe it isn't, I'm not sure."
Last April 9, NewsMax reported that Giuliani was attending a roundtable discussion with heavy-hitter Republicans at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Two of the three co-hosts were CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
One participant started to ask a question about Iraq.
"In the middle of the question, Mayor Giuliani's personal cell phone rang, and he answered it," a participant said. "At first, I think people thought he was kidding. But then he just started talking, and without looking up or saying anything to us, he just got up, left the room, and never came back!
Everyone waited about 20 minutes, and then the room started to break up. It was bizarre behavior."

2007-09-19T06:27:00.000-05:00

..says the now gracious University of Florida student who created a raucous at a John Kerry forum and got tasered by the university police.

I guess the electric shock from the taser gun changed the chemical makeup in his brain. He's probably a republican now too, who knows.

"Don't tase me bro!"

2007-09-19T06:14:00.000-05:00

Eloquently stated. As always.

2007-09-18T19:18:00.000-05:00

Yes, Sen. Brownback.

How about those candidates that didn't show up? Yes they are mini-losers. The loss of support they had among the delegates are at least understandable.

Brownback, on the other hand, came in with 26 delegates supporting him and after the debates left with only 18 supporters. He spent 3 hours on that stage and didn't gain any supporters, instead lost them after they saw him talk.

Why can't he get the message? He is just not electable and not Presidential material. He is a good senator and almost everybody agrees with that.

Today his campaign came out with a news release mocking Gov. Huckabee for not knowing what the 'Mexico City Policy' was. During the debates, when Huckabee asked to clarify what the questioner meant, Brownback jumped in and try to answer his question. That was a turn-off to those in the audience and everybody else who was watching the debates in other mediums. Brownback came off as disdainful.

I hope some in the Brownback campaign will speak the truth to him and urge him to drop his candidacy for the good of the 'values voters' that he cares about so much.

Co-sign the letter here.

2007-09-18T06:32:00.000-05:00

John Cox. He was the only one to double his support by the end of the debate, from 1 supporter to 2. Congrats businessman Cox.

2007-09-17T22:04:00.000-05:00

Is this good news? I think so.

1. Huckabee - 219 votes
2. Ron Paul - 44
3. Alan Keyes - 29

The commentators on the Values Voter debate were praising Mike Huckabee for his poise, his willingness to not back away from his faith, and his electability. The Rabbi commentator said that Huckabee does not wear his past job as a pastor on his sleeve and he really came off as down to earth. Some people on the panel endorsed Gov. Huckabee as their candidate, the others chose to wait.

I was surprised that Brownback -The "Superman" of the values movement didn't get any where near the top three. Brownback was bragging too much about how he worked a lot with the values movement leaders. It was a turn-off. I think he should consider dropping out at least now. Click here to co-sign the letter I have addressed to him.

I wonder how the Brownback campaign will spin this one. Last time they said all the "Fairtax fanatics" helped the governor win in the Iowa straw poll.

2007-09-17T18:02:00.000-05:00

Please pardon all of my typo's :)

My thoughts after the debate:
Gov. Huckabee didn't speak much during the debate and he didn't make any outlandish statements like Tancredo and others. He tried to stay balanced throughout. I think the Yes/No questions could hurt him. He can spin it later by explaining why he voted the way he did.
His concluding statement defined him the most. He communicated well, and he won this debate.
( My opinion on the debate changed after I heard Gov. Huckabee's closing statements)

My Thoughts during the debate: Absolutely boring and was uneventful. As a supporter of Gov. Huckabee, I don't think this will help him very much. It could on the other hand hurt him more in the general election.
You can stand for all these values and communicate in a unifying way. That's what Gov. Huckabee is very good at. When you have Yes or No questions telling you to choose (without explanation) why you agree or disagree, then it will make it tough for the voters to understand your thought process.
AFA hurt all of the republican candidates more than help with this kind of questioning. I am saddened. I agree with the values of AFA but not with their tactics.

Closing Statements:

Huckabee: Gets four minutes to speak. He jokes about taking an offering. "I don't come to you, I come from you".He talks about his previous occupation as a baptist pastor, he holds it as a badge of honor. He talks about how he ran the state, which is the microcosm of the federal government.
People ask him can he win? If money is the factor then we are in a plutocracy. Values voters are important, and he asks the 'values voters' to stand with him.
Long applause. I think it was smart that he didn't use up his minutes earlier. He got a long 4 minutes to talk about himself. He probably won some values voters tonight. Good strategy. Whether it will hurt him in the general election is another thing.

Alan Keyes was absolutely horrible and he will be mocked big time for the way he spoke. John Cox says he will be the best candidate to counter Hillary Clinton. You gotta be kidding me.

End of Round 3

9:02 Question to Alan Keys about his support of the UN.

9:01 Ron Paul says if we regulate evil behavior, then that set's the stage to regulate positive behavior, religion etc.

8:59 Tancredo is walking along the line of being a racist and anti-immigrant.

8:57 OK, I didn't quit. A question was asked to Gov. Huckabee about increasing spending. He answered it pretty well and sold the fair tax idea.

8:41 Question to the empty podium
Abortion question to Giuliani. Silence. Why are they asking empty podiums?? This is dumb.
I quit live blogging this debate.

7:52 Round Two: Yes or No
There will be a Green light and Blue light. Can't choose both. ooo.. tough.
IM SURE YOU GUYS GET THE DRIFT AS FAR AS WHAT THE QUESTIONS WILL BE.

7:43 Gay Agenda
Keyes: Eh.
Hunter: Support the bedrock, the American family. He goes off on a tangent.
Paul: Its important to not legislate morality. Boo's and Applause.
Brownback: I fought for this in the Senate all the time. I stood up for General Pace when everybody else attacked him for making his anti-gay statements.
Cox: Agrees with everyone above. Supports school choice. We can't open up the floodgates to other kinds of sins.
Tancredo: It is constrained by the constitution. The president of the United States can't singlehandedly change the moral makeup of the nation.
Huckabee: The homosexual movement is strong because the traditional marriage structure is weak. If most of the marriages in the country end up in divorce how would the next generation know what marriage should be like.

7:34 North American Union
Huckabee: Thanked Phyllis Schafer for her book. He said that book inspired him to become a republican in a democratically controlled Arkansas state. We cannot give our sovereignty to any other nation.
Tancredo: Someone in mexico said, "where there is a mexican, there is mexico". He will never give up the sovereignty of this country.
Cox: Eh same thing.
Brownback: For free trade, for enforcing the laws and no to unions.
Paul: He wants us out of every international alliance. Not feasible and not smart. Lot of crazy fanatics in the audience.
Hunter: Same thing.
Keyes: Let's stop abortion. (Just kidding). He says the same thing like the other candidates. He said we are losing our sovereignty because we are not respecting God's sovereignty.

7:23 What is your personal faith
Keyes: God is why we do what we do. Politicians should have the guts to stand up to values.
Hunter: He doesn't belong to any organized denomination. He is a baptist (laughter).
Paul: I get to God through Jesus. Jesus is for peace, not for pre-emptive war. Nice faith.
Brownback: He looks constipated. Sorry, I had to say it.
The Lord grabbed him in a kansas farm while he was feeding the pigs. Think of the coincidence.
Cox: He was not raised with religion. Got saved on a commuter train.
Tancredo: We have a fallen side and another side that christ died for us. Is that biblical? Feed the spirit not the flesh. Lets feed the spirit everyday.
Huckabee: Christ changed his life around. Good answer.

7:15 War on Terror/ Radical Islam
Huckabee: The threat we face is not one that many Americans understand. It's a theological war. War is about will. Whoever chooses to leave, loses. Doesn't provide many policy details, but good explanation of the threat we face and what we should do (the big picture).
Tancredo: Agrees, talks about borders.
Cox: Spread prosperity. We have to replace evil with Good. The War on Iraq is about oil.
Brownback: He has a very cocky persona. The next president should have some foreign policy experience.
Paul: They kill us because we occupy their lands. The attack on Islam could backfire on us Christians.
Hunter: Ron Paul, the last two nations we have freed were muslim nations. Don't blame America first.
Keyes: What is he saying?? Prevent abortion.

7:06 ABORTION
Shows an ultrasound of a baby in the womb.
Keyes: Amendment to the constitution that defines life and says that all life should be respected.
Hunter: Pass the Hunter Bill that states that life begins at conception. Will use a litmus test.
Paul: Life begins at conception, and as a doctor he knows what he's talking about.
Brownback: He wants to appoint the justice who can overturn Roe v Wade. The constitution does not sanction abortion.
Cox: It's about taking responsibility.
Tancredo: Appoint judges that would repeal Roe v Wade. He will have a litmus test.
Huckabee: All of us are pro-life. Theres a good reason why there are 4 empty podiums. He got into politics because I am pro-life not the other way around. We should value every life at every stage.

Questioning Round

6:57: MARRIAGE.
Huckabee: Will do same things as he did in Arkansas. Define marriage in the constitution. Will support and lead for an amendment to define marriage.
Tancredo: Will support the amendment.
John Cox: Happily married. Marriage is about protecting children. Is it?
Brownback: He carried that amendment through congress. Bashes bush for not following through on marriage.
Paul: Set a great example. No need to define marriage, look it up in a dictionary. No need of state to define marriage, its a church issue.
Hunter: Tries to correct Paul, but didn't really do a good job of it. Says a long story.
Keyes: Attacking Mitt Romney for redefining what the court had decided in Massachusetts.

6:48: Opening statements by candidates.
Alan Keyes: Biggest problem of this nation is the eroding moral values. He was too dramatic.. what was that all about.
Duncan Hunter: Building borders, believes God still loves this nation.
Ron Paul: Promise to obey the constitution. Long winded answer but it made sense.
Brownback: Get back to the basics. Invoked Mother Teresa.
John Cox: Should I waste time on typing what he says?
Tancredo: Degredation of Society. Trashed Bill Clinton.
Huckabee: Praises the forum for starting with prayer. Makes a joke on Chris Matthews. We need vertical leadership not horizontal.

6:37: There is a choir singing a beautiful song. I feel like I'm in church. ( I like it, don't get me wrong). Imagine seeing this on CNN, man.. those liberals would have a fit.

6:34: Introduction of Candidates

6:29: I have a bad feeling that the AFA servers will shut down.

6:15: Singing of the national anthem.

It's 6:00 pm CT and I'm waiting.. Hopefully I will be able to watch through the entire debate.

2007-09-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

Maybe your mind might change after you watch this video..

Hmm.

2007-09-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

Yes, Alan Keyes is running for President. Obama wiped his slate clean during the senate elections and he wants to do what??

Do I need to come out with a letter asking Keyes to drop out as well?

2007-09-15T07:10:00.000-05:00

I came across a comment on Mike Huckabee's website which made a lot of sense. Here it is below:

"I took Jessica's advice and emailed Bill O'Reilly, requesting that he host Mike Huckabee on his show. I believe Huckabee is a great candidate and he may be the best choice for President. I am frustrated by everyone who keeps saying they really like him, but they don't think he has enough support to win the nomination. How can he have enough support, unless those of us who believe in him get behind him? You might say it's a Huckabee22. He can't win the race because he doesn't have the financial support, and he can't raise the financial support because he can't win the race. What kind of logic is that?!? Didn't somebody say something like all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing? We need to do something to get Mike elected!!!"

It is a 'Huckabee-22', my friend. I've heard people make the same comment about Gov. Huckabee as well.

However, FINALLY there is a candidate that can communicate eloquently, set the vision for this country clearly, lead with optimism, and has pro-life views not because of politics - but because he is a Christ-follower.

BUT WAIT.. I forgot. He's not raising much money like the rich cats Romney and Giuliani. Unlike one's personality and character, this is a mutable characteristic. We the people can change that for the better.

How can you change that? Contribute. It doesn't matter how much money you give. Just give something.

The number of donors is also a significant number, not just the amount of money raised. If the figures are that 50,000 people donated to the campaign since the straw polls, that is a significant number regardless of whether they donated 5 or 10 dollars. Donate what you think is appropriate. It doesn't have to be a one time donation. Make part of your monthly budget and give little-by-little.

Let's step up America, and show the nation how much we support Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the next President of the United States.

God Bless,
Justin

2007-09-14T21:34:00.001-05:00

I want to thank my follow Huckabee bloggers for posting this link on their respective pages.

Only six people have co-signed with me. I know for a fact that there are more potential co-signers out there. Help spread the word about this letter!

I'm only aiming for 50 co-signers, which should be well above the total number of hard-core supporters Sam Brownback has.

Co-sign the letter here!

2007-09-13T20:20:00.000-05:00

I watched the President's 17 minute speech to the Nation tonight.

You can see the conflict within himself. You just feel like he wants to say, "why don't you get it?", "why don't you show the resolve?" I was hoping that he would stop reading from the teleprompter at some point and speak from the heart.

I felt very sorry for him, and as a fellow citizen of this Great Nation, I feel sad for this country. Unfortunately, the administration has badly lost the communications war. Every kind of accusation against the administration is sticking on them. Even before he spoke, the media 'experts' prophesied that the nation who turned in to listen to him will not 'listen' to him.

I can't say its the media's fault. The Bush administration from the beginning has not emphasized on communicating to the public. I think the President isn't much of a policy talker and he likes looking at the big picture and making decisions based on principle. These days it is imperative that a leader knows how to communicate eloquently.

Lets look at the big picture here:
Osama Bin Laden does not like the fact that Iraq is becoming a democracy. He and Ayman Al Zawahiri has made clear that they want to see all Muslims unite in the Middle East and create an Islamic Empire (and later expand it). How would an Islamic Empire look like? Look at Afghanistan when Taliban was in control, look at Anbar province and Fallujah before our soldiers took them back. THAT IS THEIR IDEOLOGY.

WHAT IS OUR IDEOLOGY?

Have you ever heard of people actually countering an ideology with a bunch of cops? That's what some people in our country believe we should do.

The 'West' as a whole is inebriated in a morally relativistic society. We have become blind to truth and principle. Examples? The media equates Christian Evangelicals with Islamic extremists who blow up innocent civilians. Also recently, Brian Williams of NBC suggested that the insurgents and terrorists that blow up Iraqi women and children are similar to the revolutionary freedom fighters like George Washington.

If we continue not to truly understand our enemy, our nation will be in peril.

I know I'm blabbering here, but I also know I'm not the only one that believes in this mission. There are men and women in the military who wholeheartedly believe in this mission, and I salute them and pray for their safety.

2007-09-11T17:42:00.000-05:00

Interesting.

----
By: Dick Morris & Eileen McGann

There’s a new first in the 2008 presidential campaign.

We’ve already seen the first woman candidate, Hillary Clinton, and the first African-American with widespread support and a serious chance at winning the presidency.

But now there’s another groundbreaker: the first lobbyist candidate — Fred Thompson.

Thompson was a lobbyist for 20 years before he was elected to the Senate, representing the Tennessee Savings and Loan Association, the deposed Haitian President Aristed, and the National Planning & Reproductive Health Association...(cont)

2007-09-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

Here's the letter.

Let's get this moving, here's what the Brownback campaign is now saying:

"Just 400 more votes, said Brownback adviser David Kensinger, and “we’d be having a different conversation.”
.
.
...Or his bounce could be temporary, Kensinger said. “If you look at the fundamentals — fundraising, strength in organization in early states — Brownback still has the edge.”

Huckabee has flaws, he added, such as signing several tax increases as governor.

But Huckabee’s straw poll count was aided by Americans for Fair Taxation, which wants to replace the tax code with a sales tax. The group turned out big, giving him a base in a state where he did not have one before.

Brownback’s camp gripes that Huckabee was a latecomer to the concept. Not true, Huckabee’s people say."

2007-09-11T10:58:00.001-05:00

Chicken.

The Brody File has been told by Fred Thompson's campaign that he will NOT debate Mike Huckabee one on one. Huckabee had issued the debate challenge last week. Here's what Thompson's Communication Director Todd Harris just told me:

“We have the greatest respect for Gov. Huckabee and respect his desire to elevate the discourse in this campaign. But there are nine people running for the GOP nomination and an arbitrary pairing of just two of them does a disservice to the voters. We will push hard for Lincoln-Douglas style debates once we get into the General Election, when there are only two candidates running.”
The guy doesn’t mean what he says.

Update- Here's the comment I posted on Huckabee's website:

If Sen. Thompson is concerned about "disserving the voters" why can't he as Gov. Huckabee has suggested get the ball rolling and lead with the Governor with these debates.
Do you think the other candidates will just watch and stand on the sidelines.. No. They will also organize one on one debates and then eventually everyone will be able to debate each other one on one.

Sen. Thompson said he is looking forward to an one on one debate when it down to two candidates in the general election.. DUH! Isn't that how it would be anyways??

We need to narrow down the 9 or 10 candidates that are up there now. The path Gov. Huckabee suggested is the only way we can choose the best qualified nominee on the republican side.

Sen. Thompson should follow his own rhetoric. You can't say you didn't participate in the debates because you don't like the format and then not debate in a format you do like.

Update: Fred Flip-Flops on Lincoln-Douglas Debate - Great observation by Alex at IheartHuckabee.

2007-09-10T20:16:00.000-05:00

Hey all,
Below is a letter addressed to Senator Brownback. Next week I will send this entire letter along with your co-signatures and email to the Brownback for President Campaign. The earlier the Senator chooses to drop the campaign, the better it is for Gov. Huckabee. Please co-sign this letter in the comments section!
- - - - - - - - -

Honorable Senator Sam Brownback,

Since 1996, you have been a great asset to the social and economic conservative movement in the US Senate as an ardent supporter of pro-life and pro-growth policies.

There are not many Senators like you today that represent us, conservatives, in the U.S. government.

We believe, however, with all due respect that your announcement on Jan 20th 2007 of your intention to seek the Republican Party's Nomination for President of the United States is an unrealizable goal.

The recent straw poll and national poll standings for you are either between 1% and 3%, and in some cases, your support is so low, it's not even registered. At this point, Sir, any person would realistically look at their prospects and make a wise decision.

We believe that the wisest decision now is to facilitate the unification of the social conservative vote. Right now the vote is split between you, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Mitt Romney, and now Sen. Fred Thompson. We are sure you would agree that both Gov. Romney and Sen. Thompson have had questionable pasts when it comes to their pro-life beliefs. Their authenticity is at question.

This leaves one reliable and authentic candidate: Gov. Mike Huckabee. He has been the governor of the state of Arkansas for 11 years. He has the executive experience which a president needs in this vulnerable time of history. He has shown that he has the ability to attract crossover appeal of independents and democrats, pro-lifers and pro-choicers, African Americans and Hispanic Americans. He has the uncanny ability to communicate conservative values in an unifying way.

Most importantly, he can erode the support for Sen. Hillary Clinton's candidacy in a general election.

For the reasons stated above, we humbly request you, Senator Brownback, to drop out of the Republican primary campaign and consider supporting Gov. Mike Huckabee's candidacy.

May God Bless you,

Justin Thomas
justinok.blogspot.com

2007-09-09T19:06:00.000-05:00

I got this from the CNN transcripts website.

BLITZER: You said something at the debate, the Republican debate, earlier in the week that caused a stir, at least among some. You said, "What we did in Iraq, we essentially broke it. It's our responsibility to do the best we can to try to fix it before we just turn away because something is at stake."

Now, what do you mean when you say the United States broke it?

HUCKABEE: Well, when you have a war, you end up with a lot of carnage, not just the human carnage but also the infrastructure of the country. You've got a nation that is clearly in disarray and some would say chaos. But the point is, things are improving.

But you don't just walk away in the middle of the mission. That's never been the history of this country and it's certainly not the mission, nor is it the intent of our military. And it would, I think, break their spirit to take them out before they finish the job that they know they not only can do but that they're going to do if given the opportunity.

BLITZER: Here's a little exchange you had with another presidential candidate, Ron Paul, who supports an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RON PAUL, R-TEXAS: We dug a hole for ourselves and we've dug a hole for our party. We're losing elections and we're going down next year if we don't change it and it has all to do with foreign policy and we have to wake up to this fact.

HUCKABEE: Even if we lose elections, we should not lose our honor and that is more important than the Republican Party.

PAUL: We're losing -- we've lost over...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, Governor, how long are you ready to stay in Iraq with this current troop level of about 168,000 forces?

HUCKABEE: Wolf, I wish we were out of there tomorrow. I wish every last American could come home if not tomorrow, today. I don't want to see another life lost.

But on the other hand, I don't want the long-term safety of the United States and our security compromised, nor do I want the credibility of this nation lost for generations because we've simply decided that people were ready for us to come out, whether or not we had finished the task we went there to do.

Even our own Senate sent General Petraeus over there this summer with full confidence and told him he would have until this week to be able to bring a report back. He had barely landed on the ground before they were already on the Senate floor saying we had failed, saying we had lost.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: But Governor, you've got to be really disappointed in the behavior of the Iraqi government in failing to disband the militias, failing to take virtually any of those political steps that the U.S. has literally begged them to take.

HUCKABEE: Well, the Iraqi government certainly has not lived up to their needs or our expectations. And we're going to have to push harder. I think the fact that we're doing our part and doing it well gives us more credibility and more leverage to say the Iraqi government, "Look, we're doing our part. We have an expectation that you do theirs -- that you do yours." But one thing we've got to understand...

BLITZER: What if they don't? What if they don't, Governor? What if they don't do it?

HUCKABEE: ... is that there's a real problem with...

BLITZER: What if they don't do it?

HUCKABEE: Well, then I think we have reasons then to starting saying, "Here are our limits." Now, I don't think we ought to put a timeframe. This is not football with a clock. This is baseball and we have to play it to its conclusion.

And the fact is, we never want to announce to the enemy exactly how long we're going to stay because then we've already lost. They don't have to beat us. They just have to outlast us. And that's not a strategy that the United States could ever play.

BLITZER: All right. Let's move to some of the presidential politics of the week. Fred Thompson decided he was going to be an official presidential candidate, the former senator from Tennessee. He didn't show up at the Republican presidential debate. He had some other things he wanted to do. I'm going to play a little clip from that debate of some of the statements made by and you your colleagues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-ARIZ.: Maybe we're up past his bedtime.

HUCKABEE: Maybe Senator Thompson will be known as the no-show for the presidential debates.

FORMER MAYOR RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI, R-NEW YORK CITY: I think he's done a pretty good job of playing my part on "Law & Order."

FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS.: Why the hurry? Why not take some more time off?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, who does he help and who does he hurt? There's a general consensus that another strong conservative like Fred Thompson helps Rudy Giuliani because it sort of divides that conservative base -- you and Romney and others. Do you agree with that assessment?

HUCKABEE: I don't know where Fred stands on a lot of issues. That's why I think we were disappointed he didn't show up for the debate, because then he would have had to have defended his record and his positions, just like the rest of us have in the first five debates that we've already participated in.

But Fred did say that he wanted Lincoln/Douglas style debates. He said he would participate in those. I've taken him up on his offer and suggested that he and I go to it, maybe in New Hampshire.

And I hope he'll honor what he said on the Jay Leno show and be serious about that because I think it would be great for the American people. I've signed Newt Gingrich's pledge to take on nine 90-minute debates. I think that's a great idea and it's the kind of discussion that, frankly, the American people would benefit from.

BLITZER: Well, we welcome all of you guys here on CNN to do that debate at the right moment.

Here's what you said -- I saw it this morning in the new issue just coming out of U.S. News & World Report in an interview with you. On Senator Thompson, you said, "I'm distinctly different -- an executive position as a governor, not a Senate position, don't have a Washington address, never been a lobbyist, never been paid to lobby for a pro-abortion group." You're referring to Senator Thompson when he worked for a law firm, giving some advice to a pro-abortion group. So what do you mean by that? Should he be persona non grata among Republicans?

HUCKABEE: No, not persona non grata, but he's got to defend decisions that he made. And I know that he said, "Well, lawyers take on clients that sometimes they don't believe in." Lawyers can also say no. And if it's a matter of conscience, if it's something that gets to the very heart and soul of an issue like the sanctity of human life, I think if he's genuinely all the way to the bone convinced that it's wrong, then you just say, "You know, there are some case I just don't choose to take."

This was not a court-ordered defense appointment from a judge. This was a choice that he made as an attorney. And he's going to have to defend that.

BLITZER: I'm going to show you some poll numbers because it shows you moving up in Iowa, New Hampshire. Nationally, you're still down at only 3 percent. We'll put that poll of polls as we have up there first. You have a problem nationally.

But if you go to Iowa, you see you've moved up to number three with 14 percent behind Romney and Giuliani. And if you go to New Hampshire, you're at 9 percent moving up. You're at number four just behind John McCain.

At the same time, I want to read to you what Mitt Romney is saying about your campaign. He said this: "If Huckabee raises $20 million this quarter, like we did in the first quarter, then he'll become a front-tier candidate." He says that in an interview with the Associated Press on Friday. Do you want to respond to Governor Romney?

HUCKABEE: Well, with all due respect, I appreciate his budget advice but we're not spending money like he is. We don't have to raise it, and we're getting where we're going by being frugal just like I would want to be with the Federal Treasury.

I would be worried if I were a voter if a person is spending millions and millions of dollars to barely be in double digits. I'd be beginning to think I don't want that person in charge of the Federal Treasury.

So we don't really let Governor Romney decide our campaign budget and neither do we let him decide our campaign message. But I appreciate the advice that he's offered to us.

BLITZER: How's the money situation coming in?

HUCKABEE: It's much better as a result of the Iowa straw poll. That gave us some credibility, Wolf, that we certainly needed. And I think it showed that there is a separation between our campaign and some of the others and that we're gaining traction. We're on the trajectory we want to be on. We're hiring staff, not laying people off. And we're on the path up, not down.

And we're certainly not sitting still or static. And, you know, we've seen this all along, like a marathon, a long race that requires some stamina. And it's want just a matter of a few explosions along the way. We wanted a slow, steady, but upward burn.

BLITZER: And if you do become president of the United States, you will be the second U.S. president from a place called Hope -- Hope, Arkansas. Governor Huckabee, thanks for coming in.

HUCKABEE: Thank you, Wolf. Pleasure to be back on the program.

BLITZER: Appreciate it.

2007-09-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

As an evangelical Christian myself, it boggles me when I see news stories that emphasize the importance of endorsements from so-called Evangelical leaders.

Richard Land, a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, recently discredited Gov. Huckabee's by saying, “We like Mike a lot, but nobody thinks he can beat Hillary, and a fear of another Clinton White House outweighs almost everything.”

These so-called evangelical leaders are so worried about losing the election that they are willing to put their convictions aside.

I honestly don't listen to what they have to say. Evangelical Christians attend autonomous churches and are very independent-minded. What we look for is authentic individuals who believe in Christ and have shown the fruits, who would stand up for family values, and keep our country secure.

So, next time you see some big news announcement of an endorsement, just know that most evangelicals don't give a hoot. We will make up our own minds.

2007-09-08T21:12:00.000-05:00

I have never been curious to read up on what Bin Laden has to say to us...until now. As you know, he came out with yet another video message, this time looking all young with his hair dyed.

For the most part the media has correctly reported the story, and all agree that Osama's message is full of leftist talking points. As Gateway Pundit pointed out, one would think Keith Olbermann was the speech writer.

In this post, I will summarize the main non-religious points of his message and in subsequent posts I will breakdown the Islamic rhetoric he uses in the message. Is he preaching his 'own brand' of Islam? Or is it true Islam? How would a worldwide Islamic empire that he preaches look like?

I believe Adam Gadahn (shown below) probably had a lot to do with the scripting of his message. After all, Adam is an American and he thinks he knows how to influence American minds.

SUMMARY

- Iraq
"..Bush talks about his working with al-Maliki and his government to spread freedom in Iraq but he is fact is working with the leaders of one sect against another sect, in the belief that this will quickly decide the war in his favor."

"Among the most important items contained in Bush's speeches since the events of the 11th is that the Americans have no option but to continue the war. This tone is in fact an echoing of the words of neoconservatives like Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Richard Pearle, the latter having said previously that the Americans have no choice in front of them other than to continue the war or face a holocaust.
I say, refuting this unjust statement, that the morality and culture of the holocaust is your culture, not our culture. (Mentions burning at the stake, Hitler's Germany, Spanish Inquisition, Native American murders, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.)"

“People of America: the world is following your news in regards to your invasion of Iraq, for people have recently come to know that, after several years of tragedies of this war, the vast majority of you want it stopped. Thus, you elected the Democratic Party for this purpose, but the Democrats haven’t made a move worth mentioning. On the contrary, they continue to agree to the spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and war there.”

"The war was entirely unnecessary, as testified to by your own reports. And among the most capable of those from your own side who speak to you on this topic and on the manufacturing of public opinion is Noam Chomsky, who spoke sober words of advice prior to the war, but the leader of Texas doesn't like those who give advice."

"However, there are two solutions for stopping it. The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you. This is our duty, and our brothers are carrying it out, and I ask Allah to grant them resolve and victory. And the second solution is from your side. "

- Vietnam War and Kennedy
"In the Vietnam War, the leaders of the White House claimed at the time that it was a necessary and crucial war, and during it, Rumsfeld and his aides murdered two million villagers. And when Kennedy took over the presidency and deviated from the general line of policy drawn up for the White House and wanted to stop this unjust war, that angered the owners of the major corporations who were benefiting from its continuation.
And so Kennedy was killed, and al-Qaida wasn't present at that time, but rather, those corporations were the primary beneficiary from his killing."

- Environmentalism and Global Warming
"And with that, it has become clear to all that they (leaders of Democratic countries) are the real tyrannical terrorists. In fact, the life of all of mankind is in danger because of the global warming resulting to a large degree from the emissions of the factories of the major corporations, yet despite that, the representative of these corporations in the White House insists on not observing the Kyoto accord, with the knowledge that the statistic speaks of the death and displacement of the millions of human beings because of that especially in Africa."

- Democracy
"The greatest of plagues and most dangerous of threats to the lives of humans is taking place in an accelerating fashion as the world is being dominated by the democratic system, which confirms its massive failure to protect humans and their interests from the greed and avarice of the major corporations and their representatives."

- Capitalism
"The capitalist system seeks to turn the entire world into a fiefdom of the major corporations under the label of "globalization" in order to protect democracy.
And Iraq and Afghanistan are their tragedies; and the reeling of many of you under the burden of interest-related debts, insane taxes and real estate mortgages; global warming and its woes; and the abject poverty and tragic hunger in Africa: all of this is but one side of the grim face of this global system. "

2007-09-07T14:15:00.001-05:00

This is very interesting. I’m actually looking forward to this. Let’s see if Sen. Thompson will accept this invitation.

First Read reports:

“Per his campaign, Mike Huckabee today sent a letter to Fred Thompson, inviting the former Tennessee senator to debate. "I am aware of your comments on Fox News that you would like to participate in a series of Lincoln-Douglas styled debates. I would like to officially accept your offer," Huckabee says in the letter. "I agree that what is needed is a real discussion by the candidates about their vision for the future of our country."

"Senator, let's lead by example and get the ball rolling," Huckabee adds.”

- - - - - -

Update: The Huckabee campaign has posted the letter on their website. You can co-sign the letter online here.

2007-09-05T23:05:00.000-05:00

I will be watching Fred Thompson on Jay Leno to fall asleep.. I have the bad case of insomnia, u know.

2007-09-05T19:54:00.000-05:00

Caution: The post below is pro-Huckabee. :)

Update: Exchange between Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee

Update: 10:36 pm

Huckabee has a personable moment with Campaign Carl. He says Fred Thompson forfeited the debates. I agree.

Update: 10:28 pm
Frank Luntz shows the exchange between Huckabee and Paul and displays how the response from Conservatives and Moderates were positive in favor of Mike Huckabee. As I watched the exchange again, I have to admit that Huckabee showed enormous strength, and you can see his tough side.
- - - - - - - - - - -

My Thoughts: I didn't think Huckabee did so well, maybe because he didn't get enough time. In the other debates he stood out, not this one. I hope the small clip between Huckabee and Paul will be shown all over the media. If it weren't for that clip, Huckabee would've utterly failed this debate. I thank God that he got the chance to counter Rep. Ron Paul's ridiculous points.

I think McCain did quite well. However, he won't win the nomination. Giuliani kept talking about how he single-handedly did everything for NYC, which is not the case. Romney stumbled through his answers, didn't show much charisma.

Post Debate Interviews: Mike Huckabee
Acknowledges the lack of Name-ID. He leaves open to possibility to be a VP candidate.
He does a better job at this interview than the debates. I hope people were still watching.

---END OF DEBATE----

9:30 pm
Scenario questions:
On the Iran situation.
Paul: One of the candidate laughs (its Giuliani, and I think its extremely rude).. Paul says we need to be cautious and congress must approve war. There is a lot of Ron Paul supporters/fanatics.
Tomcredo: Stumbly. It seems like he has a lot of thoughts coming out of mouth at the same time.. Bush syndrome.
Hunter: He has lot of knowledge on military affairs.. I must admit that. However, he is empty on other policies.
Huckabee: "When a president is elected president, he is elected president to.." I hope he answers this question.
He communicated his values and how his heart and head will be involved, and any decision to go to war will be after a lot of preparation and cautiousness.
Brownback: Attack the Iranian soldiers.
Guiliani: Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Made some good points. Invokes Ronald Reagan.
Romney: Too many details.. maybe its because I'm typing while listening to the debate. He argues a bit with Brit Hume about "getting full cooperation from both sides." Romney says its possible.
McCain: Talks about the danger of Iran. Invokes Ronald Reagan.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
Thoughts: I loved the exchange between Huckabee and Paul. That was the highlight of the evening so far. Huckabee didn't get any chances to speak after that. His support on the fair tax might have a bad effect on his campaign. I love the fair tax idea but there are lot of misconceptions about it. Some people in audience probably just heard it for the first time and when they hear the criticisms of the plan, they just assume that it is bad.

9:21 pm
Question from Campaign Carl. Family values to Giuliani. Good question.
He talks about the struggles he had on the job and that had an affect on his personal life. He says he is not perfect. Stresses his experience and record.

9:15 pm
Question on Taxes.
McCain: Why haven't you signed the No Tax Pledge. He says he has supported tax cuts. Cut spending not just taxes. He says there no point in signing the pledge, he stands on his record. (which means he might raise taxes)
Brownback: Angry again. People are completely turned off to this guy. Kinda sad, but understandable. Eh
Guiliani: Tax Raises in NYC. Why not take the tax pledge. Why is he bragging too much about himself and how he single-handedly did everything for NYC.
Romney: His nickname Fee-Fee.. He raised fees in Massachusetts. He talks about the democrats and how they are going to raise the taxes. I almost feel like he pulls out the democrat card when he doesn't want to answer the question.
Huckabee: Fair Tax. Critique by Wallace on the fair tax and how sales tax will go high to not 23% but 30 something. People don't know much about the fair tax in New Hampshire it seems. I hope that his staunch support on the fair tax doesn't hurt his chances.
Paul: Ahh...

9:10 pm
Question to Romney: Wiretapping mosques?
HE says no, we need a warrant from a judge to do that. I see lots of attacks on Romney during this debate.
Tancredo: Ah, stumbling again.. He doesn't believe waterboarding is torture.
McCain: Has Bush crossed the line? He says we shouldn't torture, it can backfire on us.
McCain praises Huckabee for his kind words.
Giuliani: Supports Guantanamo, makes a good point on how we keep talking about retreating from the Iraq war.
Hunter: Talks about how well treated the prisoners are in Guantanamo.
Brownback: Question on executive power and the vice president. He says No. THe way he said No caused the audience to laugh.

9:00 pm
Question to the Deputy Sheriff. He questions Romney on his vague answer and attacked him for comparing the armed forces and his sons sacrificing for his campaign.
Romney kinda stumbles... ehh.. its hard to listen to what he said after that stinger.. He says to go to his website. He wants to hear from Petreaus to judge the success of the surge.. he's not answering the question.

8:45 pm
National Security:
McCain - asks about his comments on Giuliani. He praises Giuliani, but says he has more experience.
He points out how he for the longest time promoted the current surge strategy.
Giuliani - Says he would've supported McCain if he wasn't running. He said that he isn't running on his 9/11 credentials, but on how he changed NYC around. Talks about how he is experienced.
Romney - Talks about his plan in Iraq. First support role, then standby role in kuwait. No timetable on it, it depends on how we succeed.
McCain - Insists that the surge is working, cuts off Romney who said "apparantly", says "not apparantly". Pretty good defense on the surge.
Paul - I'm not even going to spend my energy on this one..
HUCKABEE needs to respond at this point..
Brownback????? - why ask him??? AHHH.. Brownback totally bombed the followed up question.. he's gone!
Huckabeee!! where are you!
Finally... question to Huckabee: AWESOME ANSWER! Responds to Cong. Paul. Asks how we can leave something we broke without fixing it... we must keep our honor. Praises McCain, says he is honorable.
Paul responds.. Huckabee hits back Paul! Huckabeeeee yes!!! Lots of applause. I'm liking this!! Good stuff..
Did Huckabee give a substantial answer? No.. but the way he countered Paul was tight.
Hunter: Talks about the progress of the Marines and Army. Good stats. Talks about the determination of the U.S. Armed forces. Good Answer.
Tancredo: Stumble, stumble, stumble. He ends off well though.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
Thoughts: I was particularly watching Gov. Huckabee. He hasn't shined though yet. He stumbled a bit on the question on life, but I'm impressed how he doesn't say "ah.. umm.." whenever he speaks. He just stays silent and thinks his thoughts through and then speaks.

8:36 pm
Question from Campaign Carl. Should there be a constitutional amendment on marriage.
Brownback - Gets boos for saying yes. He comes off as angry. He can't convince those who are already has their minds set on supporting gay marriage. I agree with his views, though.

8:35 pm
Question about Guns, can college students carry guns to school.
Giuliani - NYC was safer than Boston.. oooo. He reduced crime 75% all on his own? Hmm..
Paul - Airlines are responsible for security, not the government. I see it as a bunch of rhetoric. His world is an utopian one.

8:25 pm
Question about Larry Craig.
Brownback - The way he talks is kinda funny. He says he wants to rebuild the family. How is he going to do that??? I say let churches do that, not the government.
Hunter - Yes, Craig should resign. Talks about the double standard between republican scandals and democratic scandals.. Good point. He can be a good V.P.
Romney - He likes to see Roe v Wade overturned, but America isn't there right now..
Huckabee - Asks him to compare between Guiliani and Romney. He declines. He stumbles a little bit, but answers the question with what he has said always about life.

8:20 pm
Question from a police officer on what do to about the illegal immigrants here.
Giuliani answers, second's Huckabee's answers from a previous question.
McCain - Defends illegal immigrants, at least the good ones. He says that his bill isn't amnesty, there are fines and restrictions.
Romney - Something about the Z-visas. I didn't really understand his answer..

8:10 pm
Question to Romney about Illegal immigration. Some boos after question was asked.
Romney points out what Giuliani's policies have done for New York as far as illegal immigration is concerned.
Question to Giuliani. Pull's up an old quote on him. He corrects Chris Wallace on the executive order that he had given out.
Question to McCain. McCain is being humorous this time compared to previous debates. Recognizes that the immigration debate has enraged conservatives.
Question to Huckabee. Pulled up a quote about how racism has somewhat to do with the conservative anger. Gives a great answer.
Question to Tancredo. I have a feeling that Tancredo is kinda racist and angry.. just my opinion.
Question to Hunter. Wallace asks if the border wall across the entire southern border is feasible. He promises to build the wall in 6 months.. yeah right.

8:08 pm
Huckabee got the first question. It's about Fred Thompson, I think the question is dumb.
Huckabee is very kind on Thompson.. calls him "no-show Thompson"
Ron Paul said something..
McCain is talking for too long..made some jokes
Romney advised Thompson to stay off longer..
Giuliani said something nice well.. he's stumbling in speech though. Points out that the leading democrats don't have any executive experience. Good point.

8:05 pm
Tomcredo got little applause. Ron Paul, Huckabee, Brownback, Hunter moderate applause. Romney, Giuliani and McCain got mid-high applause.

8:00 pm
Large audience at the University of New Hampshire..

7:55 pm
Fred Thompson's ad on O'Reilly factor.. not too impressive. His theme is Security. Unity. Prosperity. It seems like he has lot of old-timers on his campaign.

2007-08-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

Leon Wolf who regularly blogs for the Brownback campaign (brownbacker.com) offered this complex explanation for the straw poll loss.

..... “religious conservatives” do not appear to be lining up behind Huckabee - Huckabee’s second-place finish was entirely due to the fact that the folks from FairTax.org, who bought 1,000 tickets which went almost exclusively to Huckabee. The FairTaxers brag about this on their website here. Without those votes, Huckabee would have finished behind Tom Tancredo, and barely ahead of Ron Paul. While the alternative flat tax proposal put forth by Senator Brownback would be easier to manage, and a more effective reform of the tax code, Mike Huckabee needs to embrace some sort of tax proposal wherein he has very little control over tax policy, in order to assuage the well-founded fears of conservatives about Mike Huckabee’s tax history. While Sam Brownback has never voted for a tax increase in his life, Mike Huckabee is perhaps the only repeat-offender tax-hiker in the Republican field. Whatever one thinks of the FairTax, it is clear that Huckabee’s finish in Iowa did not represent “religious conservatives” lining up behind him. Senator Brownback’s first-place finish in the Students for Life straw poll, in which Mike Huckabee barely registered at 5%, proves the truth of this statement.

The Brownback campaign ran no television advertising, no radio, and no media efforts in the run-up to the Ames poll. the entire operation was exclusively grassroots. The FairTax organization at the Ames straw poll was strong and unexpected, but Senator Brownback’s volunteers and donors know the true story behind what happened in Iowa, and have remained loyal to him. And unlike some of the other “major” candidates who have unwisely decided to skip Iowa, Senator Brownback’s strong finish at Ames provides him a ticket forward to the Iowa caucuses, where the Senator expects a strong finish.

Wow.. I'm speechless.. The Brownback campaign ran no sort of media efforts? I know Leon carefully worded that, but making robo-calls all over Iowa attacking Mitt Romney, and glorifying his own holier-than-thou stance on pro-life is without a doubt a form of advertising.

Huckabee would've grabbed all 15% of Brownback's support if those who supported the senator knew the Governor's experience as a Baptist minister and the actions he took as a pro-life governor of Arkansas. As far as I see it, I think Huckabee received 33% of the vote.

What is the Students for Life straw poll? I think the Brownback campaign is making too much of a big deal out of that insignificant poll. Again, the 5% Huckabee received only shows that lot of people still don't know the Governor well. Just wait a see, Leon, my friend. I think since that straw poll, lot of people have come to know Gov. Huckabee.

About fairfax.org, cry me a river, Leon... the 1000 that voted are regular people not fairfax robots. They also wanted a President that was strong on defense, pro-life, and had overall conservative principles.

I have nothing against Senator Brownback. I do think that he over-ran on his pro-life position and made himself look very pompous. In any case, I think he is a great senator, and should stay that way..

Justin

2007-08-17T23:27:00.000-05:00

Great compilation of the biography of Gov. Huckabee.

2007-08-17T23:16:00.000-05:00

Governor Huckabee as usual showing his great sense of humor.

2007-08-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

I thought this biography was very balanced. It includes some mini-scandals and questionable things that people claim that Huckabee's administration has done. They also mention most of Huckabee's accomplishments as well.
As far as the controversies, I think some of them should be answered by the campaign. However, I don't think he did anything illegal or immoral though.

2007-08-16T20:40:00.000-05:00

Newman magazine on Gov. Huckabee
Newman magazine, a prominent Evangelical magazine gives more than enough reasons on why Gov. Mike Huckabee is the man of our times.

Gov Huckabee's sermon at the Gateway church in Texas
I loved his sermon. The title is "State of the Union - What has God joined together."
He spoke well about the importance of marriage, and the struggles and sacrifices that come along the way. Rev. James Robison gave a great endorsement of Gov. Huckabee. He talked about the Governor's struggles early in his life and how Robison helped him out. The significance of James Robison's endorsement is that he was instrumental in electing Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

In a couple of books I have read, there are accounts of Robison, after meeting both Reagan in the 70's and Bush 43 in the 90's having the feeling that God will choose both of those men to become Presidents of the United States. When it comes to Gov. Huckabee, there is a lot of hope beyond just the endorsement of Rev. Robison. His crossover appeal to all demographic groups in America, and media attention would serve him well.

2007-08-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

2007-08-15T17:15:00.000-05:00

I found this appalling. Post-modernism gone crazy. Hey Bishop, why does God care if we call Jesus a prophet and Mohammad his messenger. Right? Makes sense! We have to bend over backwards to accommodate other religions while Saudi Arabia tortures Christians and throws out bibles in baggages at airports.

Here's part of the article: "Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn't we all say that from now on we will name God Allah? ... What does God care what we call him? It is our problem."
A survey in the Netherlands' biggest-selling newspaper De Telegraaf on Wednesday found 92 percent of the more than 4,000 people polled disagreed with the bishop's view, which also drew ridicule.

"Sure. Lets call God Allah. Lets then call a church a mosque and pray five times a day. Ramadan sounds like fun," Welmoet Koppenhol wrote in a letter to the newspaper.

While we are on this subject here's a cartoon I found. This speaks volumes.

2007-08-14T20:34:00.001-05:00

Good reason for evil - by Greg Koukl
What is evil? Could it have a purpose? Here is a view of evil from an adult rather than a childish perspective

White House Fires Back Over Hillary Clinton Ad
Absolutely ridiculous ad by Sen. Clinton.
Men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan are invisible to this President??? You kidding me?

2007-08-14T20:03:00.000-05:00

2007-08-13T17:51:00.000-05:00

I first noticed Gov. Huckabee during the CNN debates couple of months ago. His eloquence and courage in defending his views on creation first caught my attention. Even though I am an evangelical and the candidate's faith is an important factor, I wasn't sure whether Gov. Huckabee's views on domestic and foriegn policy aligned with mine. So, I did more research, watched more youtube videos, and I was surprised to know there was a candidate out there that I can feel excited about. I almost gave up hope on the 2008 election till I came to know Gov. Huckabee.

In the past week, we saw how he was able to take an underfunded campaign and maximize the results. He came in second right after Gov. Mitt Romney at 18%. Sen. Sam Brownback followed him with 15%. Even though I believe the Senator is a genuine Christian, he doesn't possess the charisma and communication skills that Gov. Huckabee does. Brownback comes off as angry, while Huckabee seems genuine and empathetic.

There are so many things I like about this candidate that it's hard to talk about it all in one blog post. In the coming days, I will go into his domestic and foreign policy views. I urge you all to look into his campaign! Check out his blog, it's very informative!!

Candidate

Excellent

Abysmal

2007-07-29T17:24:00.000-05:00

Seems like the whole world is blogging. Why shouldn't I?

Whenever I read the news and random articles, thoughts and opinions just flow through my mind. I have the burden to inform others and educate others. Thank God for blogs!

I look forward in the coming days to blog about politics, religion, and current events - all very divisive topics.

Thanks for visiting my site!
Justin