Huckabee at a Republican Governors Association Dinner in 2004

He probably is just trying to be funny, but his language is a little too flippant for my taste.

Moderator: Hello, and welcome to the Republican Debate. My first question goes to former Mayor Giuliani. Some in your party worry about your pro-choice position and what kind of judges you would appoint to the Supreme Court. What can you say to reassure those voters?

Giuliani: I would tell them to look at my record in NYC during 911, and that would tell them all they need to know. I reduced crime in New York City, and displayed incredible leadership during 911. Did I forget to mention 911?

Moderator: Alright, Governor Mike Huckabee: Mitt Romney has been running commercials attacking you for being soft on illegal immigration and for raising taxes in Arkansas by a half billion dollars. What do you have to say about his claims?

Huckabee: You know, after being attacked by Mr. Romney, I was going to come out here and say Mitt is a liar, a crook, freaky cult member, and a metrosexual. But after I thought about it, I realized I don’t want to run a negative campaign, and decided against saying these things. If I hadn’t told you this, the media wouldn’t have believed I had a change of heart and such incredible core values.

Moderator: Governor Romney, is it true your Massachusetts healthcare plan allows for hair tranplants for only a $50 co-pay?

Romney: I mandated everyone in my state be required to obtain full, lush hair like mine. [flashes brilliant white smile]

Moderator: Congressman Paul, what would you do about the skyrocketing costs of healthcare in this country?

Paul: You know, this all links back to the Military Industrial complex. [adjusts tinfoil hat] If we weren’t the world’s policeman and inflation wasn’t so high, we wouldn’t be having all these problems with obesity and cancer either.

Moderator: Senator McCain, what do you have to say to your detractors about your support for the amnesty bill?

McCain: First of all, I have the most experience, knowledge, and background to lead us through troubled times. I just had to get that out there first. I want to remind everyone I was the first to advocate the surge of illegal immigrants before any of the rest of my opponents. I and I alone pushed for the illegal surge, and insisted Michael Chertoff was not letting in enough illegals to get the job done! [face turns red, trying to supress building rage]

Romney: The bill you worked on with Ted Kennedy was amnesty though, wasn’t it?

McCain: It’s not amnesty!! [rage reaches uncontrollable level] They have to pay a fine!!! [pressure builds until McCain's head pops off]

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While all the media hype has been focused on Iowa and New Hampshire, Wyoming quietly held its caucus, Saturday, January 5. Wyoming moved its primary forward, in the hopes of drawing more attention from candidates. The RNC punished Wyoming by removing half of Wyoming’s delegates. This means Wyoming has 14 delegates, with 2 of those delegates to be chosen later at a statewide convention. While the New Hampshire Primary winner gains a lot of coverage and recognition, the state itself delivers only 12 delegates.

In Wyoming, Mitt Romney won eight delegates, Fred Thompson won three delegates, and Duncan Hunter received one.

The New Hampshire Primary takes place Tuesday, January 8.

Links of Interest

http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2008/01/05/news/breaking/doc477fbf6457e8f662660108.txt

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/01/mittwinsone.html

http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/WY-R.phtml

Wow, it’s been quite a night … full of surprises. Huckabee and Obama won by comfortable margins.

This Huckabee win creates even more uncertainty as to who will ultimately be the GOP nominee. No question about it, Huckabee scored a huge win in Iowa. However, Iowa is considered especially fertile ground for Huckabee, with the large percentage of Evangelicals in the state. New Hampshire should prove a lot more difficult for him, as the state tilts to the left on social issues. Romney’s second place finish could hurt his momentum going into New Hampshire. If Romney loses both these states with the huge amount of money he has spent, he could be out of the race. Romney still has a huge amount of funds, so he can live to fight another day. McCain has always been a favorite in New Hampshire, so he should do well there. However, McCain has not always been popular with the conservative base because of his support for the amnesty bill, as well as his participation in the moderate “gang of 14″. He may not get much traction beyond New Hampshire, and is also rumored to have money problems. Fred Thompson’s 3rd place showing should keep him in the race, although he just squeaked by McCain, so it’s not as strong a victory as I would have liked. Fred has not had much of an organization on the ground in New Hampshire, so he likely will do poorly there. If he can stay in the race until South Carolina, he has a chance, as he has polled very well in that state in the past. Even Ron Paul outshined Giuliani. Rudy didn’t really try in Iowa, as his strategy is to start in Florida, but I think it will be too late for him. Paul exceeded my expectations in Iowa, and will likely do even better in New Hampshire. I don’t antcipate Paul carrying a state, but he could still impact the race as a spoiler candidate.

On the Democrat side, Obama shockingly beat out the seemingly invincible Hillary Clinton. Get the popcorn ready, because it’s gonna get really interesting. I can’t see Hillary taking this defeat lying down. I sure wouldn’t want to be Obama right now, smack dab in the middle of Hillary’s crosshairs. Even John Edwards placed in front of Hillary … ouch.

Speaking of John Edwards, I must admit I was hoping he and Romney would both take first in Iowa, so it would be the “Battle of the Hair”. John Edwards would likely have an edge in this category as evidenced by this video:) Enjoy:

With the Iowa Caucus looming, I figured I’d try my hand at prognostication. While current polling data does not support my predictions, I believe the winners of the Iowa Caucus will be as follows:

1. Mitt Romney
2. Fred Thompson
3. Mike Huckabee
4. John McCain
5. Giuliani
6. Ron Paul

I really hope all Iowans watch this Fred Thompson address, where he eloquently lays out his clear, unwavering conservative principles and values, and hopeful vision for America:

Fred doesn’t have to run from a liberal record like some candidates, or use cute little phrases and wordplays to distract from the real issues like others. Fred doesn’t pretend to be anyone other than Fred.

Links of Interest

Polling Data

Clinton, Huckabee Lead

Following the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan and the resulting unrest, voters are re-evaluating what candidates bring to the table when it comes to foreign affairs.

On the surface, it would seem events in Pakistan likely do the most harm to Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, who have little foreign policy experience. However, Romney seems to have come out the other side unscathed. Romney came out early with a statement, and he certainly sounds studied and knowledgeable. Part of his statement reads:

“America must show its commitment to stand with all moderate forces across the Islamic world and together face the defining challenge of our generation –- the struggle against violent, radical jihadists.”

Romey’s Reaction to Bhutto Assassination

Mitt Romney Press Release

Huckabee, however, had a rough week, with several slip-ups regarding Pakistan. First, he sent his “concerns and apologies” to the people of of Pakistan. The Huckabee campaign later clarified that the governor meant “sympathies,” not apologies. On MSNBC, Mike spoke about Pakistan’s “eastern borders near Afghanistan,” even though that border is on Pakistan’s western side. Huckabee said this about Pakistan:

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