It wasn’t quite Bob Dole circa 1988 “quit lying about my record” but in a Des Moines news conference Huckabee unloaded on Romney’s attack ads.

“he’s been attacking me just ruthlessly in the mail and on television and distorting the record and I think we need to get the record straightened up…the attacks have been desperate and I think they have been dishonest.”

But wait! Then Huck said

“I’m not gonna fight with him. He’s throwing punches and I’m saying merry christmas.”

Then Huckabee suggested that when the eventual nominee is selected he would like to be legitimately supportive. It was hard to not notice……he cast himself as an also ran.

“We’re gonna at some point have a nominee. It’s gonna be one of us and the rest of us are all gonna be sort of forced to sort of stand on that stage with big smiles on our face and say this is just great with us…I don’t want to do that with some disingenuous grin on my face, I wanna be able to say we had a good battle, the best man won, and now we are going to unite this party, we’re gonna keep the WH and bring America back to its best days”.

Whoops!

The subject of sanctuary cities–already a hot topic on the campaign trail–sparked even more controversy in Iowa this week, when it was reported that immigration activists plan to ask the city of Des Moines to accommodate illegals.

At a press availability in Le Mars, Iowa, on Tuesday, I asked Mr. Thompson for his reaction to the report. Thompson, who has called for a ban on sanctuary cities, said he didn’t think Des Moines would “follow the pattern of New York City or Little Rock, Arkansas.” (His remark, of course, alluded to GOP rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee.  Thompson has criticized both men for their past support of sanctuary cities).

Click to hear more from the Senator: