Carl,
You should look into Dresner, Wickers and Associates on the very first push poll that came out in Iowa and New Hampshire… funny how they have not as a company say they weren’t involved. I think they were payed money by Huckabee and then took money off the top to pay a third party group to make these attack calls. Who else would benefit more from outing Mitt as a Mormon amongst Evangicals than Mike Huckabee. There is a story there and you should follow up. Also, this third party group that Huckabee claims should stop… well its top manager is Chip Saltsman good friend and former staffer at a former political committee in DC… its so amazing how Huckabee uses to the media to switch around the truth. Dresner has used push polls in the Nebraska Republican Primary and Huckabee has used it before in Arkansas. He even campaigned against 4 Republicans in one cycle because they opposed growing state government. Come on Carl you are one of the best reporters out there… dig this up, because Huckabee is hiding behind the cloth but its all just a show… The Truth will set you free Mike….

[...] Looks like Huck took the bait. Call him a fascist, just don’t do it during Christmas, which is conveniently during the final leg of the campaign [...]

Come on Carl… Why do you guys ask stupid questions that allow the candidates to ‘Spin” and say the old same things? Ask direct questions to them. You afraid they will be mad at you?

Ask Mike to justify his commutations. Ask him to justify letting Murderers out of Jail. Why should public justice not be served? Having a spiritual re-birth is a great thing for the convicts and hopefully their maker will have mercy on them in the next life. In this life, they still need to serve out their terms and receive their penalty for their crime.

Carl
Charlie Krauthammer has briefly stated at least two times on Fox that Huckabee doe not have a degree in Theology. Could you please clarify this?

Notice he didn’t deny the amount of pardons he gave or the fact that he pardoned murderers and Rapists. He didn’t deny it so it must be true. If he is making the point he pardoned 12 murderers and sentenced 16 to death row thats about a 50/50 split…. not very good. Do you know how many pardons Mitt Gave ..thats right zero. To claim that you are tougher on crime than an opponent is not despicible. It is simply putting the facts out there. To try to hide from your record by insisting no one talk about it is pretty lame in my opinion.

My thoughts on the whole campaign: I believe Hilary will be the democratic nominee and it is my feeling the only way to beat her in the general election is to nominate one of two people: Mitt Romney or Giuliani.

This is my logic: People want great change in America and a clean break from Bush; democrats and republicans alike. If Huckabee is the nominee, Hilary will convince voters that if you think Bush brought too much religion into the white house, then watch out…Huckabee will be worse. He is having success in the “Bible Belt” states but I feel that some of his poor decisions as Gov. will ultimately be his downfall.

Fred Thompson I feel would make a decent VP but he lacks the support and to be frank, the knowledge of crucial issues. He is also too much like Bush.

Ron Paul: Ron Paul who? No, I’m just joking. Paul can sure raise a lot of money in one day…what was it, $6 million? Wow! But his views and some of the policies he wants to introduce are neither pro-democrat nor pro-republican. He is by far the worst debater in the republican race. Hilary would be a shoe-in if Ron Paul was the rep nominee.

John McCain has a lot of experience and has a good consistent record to back it up. His downfall is his lack of organization. He spent something like $36 million during this campaign and not much to show for it. Also, the man tends to be a hot-head. I feel that if nominated, the Hilary team will find a way to hit a nerve and make him explode. He will say something very un-presidential and look stupid.

Giuliani and Romney have the money, support, and organization. Out of Giuliani and Romney, I feel that Romney has the better shot at beating Hilary. The logic behind my theory:

Giuliani has many personal skeletons in his closet. Hilary will find them, exploit them, and make him look unfit and unworthy to run the country. He is tough on crime and terror and I personally think he is running his campaign very savvy by not attacking anyone and playing the “American’s Mayor” card. But I feel that his stance on abortion, gay rights, and his scandalous personal life will play a big role with conservatives. Hilary vs. Giuliani would be a very close race and it would be anyone’s ballgame. I only hope and pray that Giuliani wins if these two meet.

Romney vs. Hilary on the other hand would make for a very interesting presidential race. The first woman nominee and the first Mormon nominee. Their views differ drastically on almost every issue. All the democrats will vote for Hilary and the same with the republicans voting for Romney. I feel that the presidential debates will be important and will sway enough independents towards Romney because he is the best debater and orator. Hilary is a politician. Romney is a business man/politician/leader. He is charming and likable, presidential and has a history of success. Hilary will probably play the “Mormon” card against Romney, kind of like the “Kindergarten” card she played against Obama. It will only hurt her in the end. In general, I believe that the voters will not judge the nominee on religion but on experience, views on critical matters, and their integrity. The only hope for Hilary is to make Romney out to be a “flip-flopper,” and I must admit, he seemed to have changed his views on certain issues. But I’m confident that if given the opportunity to explain himself, the American voting population will understand and sympathize. I see this race being close but not as close as a Hilary vs. Giuliani race. Romney wins by almost double digits.

Huckabee knows how to “play the victim” better than any candidate out there. When Romney or any other candidate simply points out Huckabee’s RECORD, Huckabee masterfully plays the role of a humble little old servant who just wants to do good, but is attacked by mean old opponents. He did it for years in Arkansas, and now he’s taking his victim mentality nationally. Meanwhile, rather than offer substance on critical policy issues, he offers the amazing revelation that Christmas is about the birth of Christ. I’m sure the Vatican and churches of every Christian denomination will be relieved to know they’ve had it right all these years.

Meanwhile, the rest of us wonder what he’ll do to fight terrorists. Kill them with kindness? “Witness” to Ahmadinejad and bin Laden, and maybe convert them? Will he seek approval from the Southern Baptist Convention Foreign Mission Board before he launches a strike against our enemies? Turn the other cheek the next time one of our cities is attacked, the way he turned the other cheek and released violent criminals from jail early when he was Governor?

Hopefully the rest of the nation, and the national media that swoons over him, will not be yuk-yukked and shucked by the Huck.

Anyone else notice how Huckabee seemed to be morphing into Romney in his “Merry Christmas” ad? I’m not talking about the message–I’m talking about the way his face looks almost “Photoshopped” to make him look softer, kinder, more handsome, etc.

I like Quinn’s analysis. It probably explains some of the reasons that Gov. Huckabee distanced himself from President Bush in his Foreign Affairs article.

I submit a twist for your feedback. Dr. Ron Paul plays the part of Ross Perot from the 1992/96 Clinton playbook. Her negatives are too high to win without a split in the Republican vote which gives her the boost in the Electoral College.

Lastly, your analysis of the two northern candidates is good, but neither will win their respective states in the general election. Mayor Giuliani is a stay home candidate among social conservatives. As for Gov. Romney, he gave up after one term when faced with a hostile Democratic congress. All his vetos we over-ridden, to the tone of higher taxes and gay marriage in Massachusetts. What’s he gonna do with Harry Reid, Ms. Pelosi and their cohorts?

All the candidates would do well to ask themselves whether they can handle the abuse that President Bush has taken over the last 7 years. It is not likely to get better, only worse. In my book, President Bush is a heavyweight champion who has gone the distance and is still standing. Merry Christmas.

“Despicable”

Huckabee is despicable. His record in Arkansas is “social democrat” not Republican. All the candiates have changed one possion or another, while Huckabee has changed or says he has on several conservative issues. 1) taxes, he only knows how to raise them, 2) imigration, he wanted to give them “free” college tution. This is what is “Despicable”. He is saying what he thinks Bible Belt conservatives want to hear. The news media wants Huckabee to win the Rebublican nomination; cause if he wins the Rebublican nomination, Hilary wins the White House…………