That’s the question on the tip of my tongue after tonight’s results. I think Rudy has done the honorable thing in dropping out now that it has become clear that he isn’t going to be the nominee. In so doing, Rudy has shown class, and a concern for the future of the party. He understands that after Florida he would be reduced to a non-candidate candidate who could merely siphon votes (largely from Sen. McCain) without any chance of actually winning. This wouldn’t be good for the country, nevermind the party.
Now consider Huckabee. He’s siphoning votes from somebody, and I believe that person is Gov. Romney. After his dismal performances in New Hampshire and Michigan and his underwhelming performances in South Carolina and Florida, it’s clear that the Huckster has lost his groove.
Now let me say this: I believe Mike Huckabee is a good and decent man. But … Read the Rest »

The truth continues to trickle out about Gov. Huckabee’s law and order record in Arkansas. I’m probably more of a hardliner on law and order issues than many evangelicals, but even if you’re particularly predisposed to granting second chances to criminals, this has to make you feel a bit uneasy. Via the Wall Street Journal:

As Mr. Huckabee has surged to the top of the Republican presidential race, scrutiny of his record here in Little Rock has grown. One element in particular is the high number of prison-sentence commutations and pardons that Mr. Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, granted during his decade in office — more than a thousand, or twice those of the previous three governors combined.

Here’s the story of one criminal who benefited from Gov. Huckabee’s leniency:

Mr. Claiborne, who will turn 40 on Friday, grew up in Little Rock. In 1991, while he was

… Read the Rest »

Forgive me if I’m late to the party on this, but I just read Kane Webb’s recent NR piece making the case for Gov. Huckabee. Here’s something that caught my eye:

An old radio announcer, Huckabee can’t resist a good line. Or a bad one. So long as it’s clever. To his credit, though, I can’t remember a time when he accused the press of misquoting him. By and large, he stood by his one-liners. Huckabee’s candor — a blessing for us newspaper types always craving good copy — could get him in trouble. He once referred to Arkansas as a banana republic. He slapped the most conservative members of his party in northwest Arkansas as Shiite Republicans. (This was long before the war in Iraq. Those who fear that Huckabee, a social conservative and Baptist preacher, would turn the White House into a tent revival ought to take note

… Read the Rest »