The Next Time: Huckabee's Book Tour

From GOP Catholics

Perhaps the reason for some of the negative headlines about Huckabee's new book, Do The Right Thing, has to do with a simple fact.

The GOP leadership knows Huckabee is the biggest threat to insider politicians like Mitt Romney for 2012 and wants to stop him before the nomination literally starts falling Huckabee's way.

The leaders of the social conservative movement who helped nominate the closet liberal John McCain by refusing to help one of their own in Mike Huckabee, have realized their mistake of presuming to know who was "viable" and who was "not."

This time around, the conservatives in the party will know whom to support and avoid the fracturing which almost destroyed them during the last primaries. We must show out in force for Mike Huckabee's upcoming national book tour and show the GOP leadership and the media whom we the people want as our next nominee.

For those of you living in Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, and North Carolina and South Carolina, I would especially urge you to come out and show your support for Huckabee in these very important primary states.

Alabama
Birmingham, AL
Monday, 12/11 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Books A Million / Brockwood Village, 757 Brockwood Village, Birmingham, AL 35209
(205)870-0213

Alabama
Dothan, AL
Saturday, 11/29 - 8:00-9:00 AM
Books A Million, Northside Mall, 3489 Ross Clark Circle #54, Dothan, AL 36303
(334)712-1341

Arkansas
Bentonville, AR
Friday, 11/21 - 7:00-9:00 PM
Sam's Club** Free Pass, 3500 Southeast Club Blvd., Bentonville, AR 72712
(479)621-5537

Arkansas
El Dorado, AR
Tuesday, 11/25 - 8:00-9:00 PM
Walmart Supercenter, 2730 Northwest Ave., El Dorado, AR 71730
(870)862-2128

Arkansas
Ft. Smith, AR
Wednesday, 11/26 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Books A Million (Pavilions Store), 4145 Phoenix Ave., Ft. Smith, AR 72903
(479)484-5833

Arkansas
Little Rock, AR
Wednesday, 11/26 - 6:00-8:00 PM
Barnes & Noble,11500 Financial Ctr Pkwy., Little Rock, AR 72211
(501)954-7646

Florida
Brandon, FL
Sunday, 12/7 - Church Signing
Bell Shoals Baptist Church, 2102 Bell Shoals Rd., Brandon, FL 33511
(813)689-4229

Florida
Orlando, FL
Monday, 12/8 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Colonial Plaza Market Center, 2418 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803
(407)894-6024

Florida
Panama City, FL
Friday, 11/28 - 5:00-6:00 PM
Borders Super Store, 15575 Starfish Dr., Panama City Beach, FL 32413
(850)636-3181

Florida
Pensacola, FL
Friday, 11/28 - 8:00-9:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, The Cordova Crossing, 1200 Airport Blvd., Pensacola, FL 32504
(850)969-9554

Florida
Sarasota, FL
Friday, 11/28 - 7:00-8:00 AM
Books A Million, Gulf Gate Mall, 6591 S. Tamiami Trial, Sarasota, FL 34231
(941)922-7804

Florida
Southwest Ranches, FL
Sunday, 12/7 - Church Signing
Abundant Living Ministries, 14221 SW 72nd St., Southwest Ranches, FL 33330
Phone TK

Florida
Tampa, FL
Friday, 11/28 - 9:00-10:00 AM
Inkwood Books, 216 S Armenia Ave., Tampa, FL 33609
(813)253-2638

Florida
The Villages, FL
Friday, 11/28 - 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Barnes & Noble, Lake Sumter Market Square, 1055 Old Camp Rd., The Villages, FL 32162
(352)430-3029

Georgia
Albany, GA
Saturday, 11/2912:00-1:00 PM
Books A Million, Albany Mall, 2601 Dawson Rd, Ste 3, Albany, GA 31707
(229)889-0507

Georgia
Macon, GA
Saturday, 11/29/083:00-4:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, The Shoppes at River Crossing, 5080 Riverside Dr., Macon, GA 31210
(478)474-0161

Georgia
Norcross, GA / Atlanta, GA
Sunday, 11/30 - Church Signing
Victory World Church, 5905 Brook Hollow Parkway, Norcross, GA 30071
(770)849-9400

Iowa
Cedar Rapids, IA
Thursday, 11/20 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Northland Square, SC333 Collins Rd NE, Bldg 1, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
(319)393-4800

Iowa
Des Moines, IA
Thursday, 11/206:00-8:00 PM
Sam's Club ** Free Pass, 1101 73rd St., Des Moines, IA 50311
(515)255-2252

Kansas
Kansas City, MO
Friday, 11/21 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Rainy Day Books, Unity Temple On The Plaza, 707 W. 47th Street, Kansas City, MO 64112
(913)384-3126

Kentucky
Lexington, KY
Tuesday, 12/22 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Joseph Beth, 161 Lexington Green Circle #B, Lexington, KY 40503
(859)273-2911

Louisiana
Bossier City, LA / Shreveport, LA
Tuesday, 11/25 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Walmart Supercenter, 2536 Airline Dr., Bossier City, LA 71111
(318)747-0173

Michigan
Birmingham, MI / Detroit, MI
Wednesday, 12/3 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Borders, 34300 Woodward, Birmingham, MI 48009
(248)203-0005

Michigan
Grand Rapids, MI
Wednesday, 12/3 - 7:30-8:30 PM
Schuler Books (Grand Rapids), 2660 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512
(616)942-2561

Michigan
Lansing, MI
Wednesday, 12/3 - 5:00-6:00 PM
Schuler Books (Eastwood), Eastwood Towne Center, 2820 Towne Center Blvd., Lansing, MI 48912
(517)316-7495

Mississippi
Oxford, MS
Monday, 12/1 - 5:00-6:00 PM
Square Books, 160 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS 38655
(662)236-2262

Missouri
Springfield, MO
Friday, 11/21 - 4:00-5:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, 3055 South Glenstone, Springfield, MO 65804
(417)885-0026

Ohio
Cincinnati, OH
Tuesday, 12/2 - 5:00-6:00 PM
Joseph Beth, 2692 Madison Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513)396-8960

Ohio
Columbus, OH
Tuesday, 12/2 - 8:00-9:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Easton Town Center, 4005 Townsfair Way, Columbus, OH 43219
(614)476-8480

Oklahoma
Edmond, OK / Oklahoma City, OK
Saturday, 11/22 - 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Best of Books, Kickingbird Sq, 1313 E Danforth Rd., Edmond, OK 73034
(405)340-9202

Oklahoma
Tulsa, OK
Saturday, 11/22 - 7:00-8:00 AM
Barnes & Noble, Southroads Shopping Center, 5231 East 41st St., Tulsa, OK 74135
(918)665-4580

South Carolina
Aiken, SC
Saturday, 12/6 - 1:00-2:00 PM
Walmart Supercenter, 2035 Whiskey Rd., Aiken, SC 29803
(803)648-9197

South Carolina
Columbia, SC
Saturday, 12/6 - 3:00-4:00 PM
Books A Million, Harbison Shopping Center, 275-1 Harbison Blvd., Columbia, SC 29212
(803)749-9378

South Carolina
Greenville, SC
Friday, 12/5 - 6:00-7:30 PM
Costco, 1021 Woodruff Rd., Greenville, SC 29607
(864)297-2560

South Carolina
Rock Hill, SC
Saturday, 12/6 - 9:00-10:00 AM
Books A Million, Manchester Village, 540 John Ross Parkway, Rock Hill, SC 29730
(803)985-5362

South Carolina
Spartanburg, SC
Friday, 12/5 - 8:00-9:00 PM
Sam's Club** Free Pass, 200 Peachwood Centre Dr., Spartanburg, SC 29301
(864)574-3480

Tennessee
Chattanooga, TN
Sunday, 11/30 - 3:00-4:00 PM
Books A Million, Hamilton Village, 2020 Gunbarrel Rd, Ste 205-A, Chattanooga, TN 37421
(423)894-1690

Tennessee
Memphis, TN
Monday, 12/1 - 8:00-9:00 PM
Davis Kidd, 387 Perkins Road Extended, Memphis, TN 38117
(901)683-9801

Tennessee
Nashville, TN
Sunday, 11/30 - 6:00-7:00 PM
Davis Kidd, The Mall at Green Hills, 2121 Green Hills Village Dr, Ste 281, Nashville, TN 37215
(615)385-2645

Texas
Amarillo, TX
Sunday, 11/23 - Church Service
Address TK
Phone TK

Texas
Arlington, TX
Saturday, 11/22 - 5:00-6:00 PM
Costco, 600 West Arbrook Blvd., Arlington, TX, 76014
(817)417-1603

Texas
College Station, TX
Monday, 11/24 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Lone-Star Pavilion, 711 Texas Ave., College Station, TX 77840
(979)764-8955

Texas
Dallas, TX
Saturday, 11/22 - 7:00-8:00 PM
Borders, 10720 Preston Rd., Dallas, TX 75230
(214)363-1977

Texas
Houston, TX
Monday, 11/24 - 8:00-9:00 PM
Books a Million (Pavilions Store),1201 Main St., Houston, TX 77002
(713)353-5496

Texas
Killeen, TX
Sunday, 11/23 - 6:00-7:00 PM
Hastings Books, 2200 E Veterans Memorial, Killeen, TX, 76549
(254)680-5313

Texas
Lubbock, TX
Sunday, 11/23 - 2:00-3:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, 6707 Slide Rd., Lubbock, TX 79424
(806)798-8990

Texas
San Antonio, TX
Thursday, 12/11 - 2:00-3:00 PM
Barnes & Noble,18030 HWY 281N, Ste #140, San Antonio, TX 78232
(210)490-0411

Texas
Texarkana, TX
Tuesday, 11/25 - 5:00-6:00 PM
Books A Million, Central Mall, 3501 Mall Dr., Texarkana, TX 75503
(903)838-3848

Texas
The Woodlands, TX
Monday, 11/24 - 5:00-6:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, The Woodlands Mall, 1201 Lake Woodlands Dr, #3008, The Woodlands, TX 77381
(281)465-8744

Virginia
Arlington, VA / Washington, DC
Wednesday, 11/19 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Costco, Pentagon City, 1200 South Fern St., Arlington, VA 22202
(703)413-2324

Virginia
Bristol, VA
Friday, 12/5 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Books a Million, 16700 Highlands Center Blvd., Bristol, VA 24202
(276)669-2115

Virginia
Lynchburg, VA
Thursday, 12/45:30-6:30 PM
Barnes & Noble, Wards Crossing, 4024-C Wards Rd., Lynchburg, VA 24502
(434)239-8688

Virginia
Roanoke, VA
Thursday, 12/4 - 8:00-9:00 PM
Books a Million, Cross Roads Mall, 1515 Hershberger Rd., Roanoke, VA 24012
(540)366-6682

West Virginia
Charleston, WV
Thursday, 12/4 - 12:00-1:00 PM
Books a Million, Dudley Farms Plaza, 212 RHL Blvd., Charleston, WV 25309
(304)746-2984

ABC Radio Networks and Governor Mike Huckabee to Launch The Huckabee Report

A few of us may remember that after Ronald Reagan came close to capturing the Republican nomination from an incumbent Republican President, Gerald Ford, he began a series of nationally syndicated radio commentaries. We now know that those thoughtful essays spelling out his vision for freedom, limited government and economic opportunity were entirely his own work, written in his own hand. And they were critical in building a national network of supporters who shared his hopeful, conservative vision for America.

Now, in addition to his highly rated Fox News program, Governor Mike Huckabee has signed with ABC Radio Networks to do similar commentaries. According to ABC, "The Huckabee Report will be broadcast weekday mornings and afternoons and provide listeners with the top news stories of the day while also drawing on Huckabee’s experiences as a former governor and presidential candidate. The short form news features will launch on January 5, 2009."

“My first job at the age of 14 was reading the early morning news, sports, weather and even commercials at our local radio station, so in a sense, this is an opportunity for me to return to my roots,” said Governor Huckabee. “I worked my way through high school and college in radio and loved every minute of it. The team at ABC Radio Networks has a stellar reputation for syndicating news programming and I’m pleased that I’ll be partnering with them as I reach out to Americans across the airwaves.”

ABC Radio Networks has 4,400 affiliate radio stations reaching more than 105 million listeners each week.

Columbia Conservative: "Pro-Life VP or Bust"

In the Saddlebrook Church interview, Senator McCain made a good effort to mend fences and bridge the distance he has created over the years from social and religious conservatives.

Unfortunately his close friend, Senator Lindsey Graham, has raised the possibility of a pro-abortion running mate. I posted the response of many Michigan Republicans to that idea a few days ago.

In this regard, my friend Joshua Gross has an excellent post at The Columbia Conservative about the possibility of a convention fight if McCain is foolish enough to defy pro-life Republicans.

I happen to think that with a zealous, national organization in place, Mick Huckabee would bring more to the ticket than any other candidate, but certainly most of the names that Josh Gross mentions would make for a strong Republican ticket.

*****

Update: The American Family Association is currently conducting a poll on possible McCain running mates. The results are currently:

Who should McCain select as his running mate?

Gov. Bobby Jindal [LA] 386

Gov. Sarah Palin [AK] 446

Gov. Haley Barbour [MS] 58

Gov. Tim Pawlenty [MN] 172

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee [AR] 11,557

Sen. Lindsey Graham [SC] 64

Former Gov. Mitt Romney 5,176

Other 1,894

Michigan Supporters Tell McCain Camp Only Huckabee Can Mobilize GOP Base

Backers point to Rasmussen, Zogby polls

Michigan supporters of former Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential candidacy Monday said they have delivered a statement to Sen. John McCain's campaign urging McCain to select Huckabee as his vice presidential running mate.

The Huckabee supporters and other social conservatives in Michigan and nationally last week were shocked by the McCain camp's serious discussion of selecting a running mate who favors legal abortion on demand.

The statement -- delivered by e-mail and fax Monday to McCain's Michigan and national campaign headquarters -- reads as follows:

1. It is our belief that a large number of Christians do not currently plan to vote for Senator McCain because of his past positions and statements on issues of concern to Christian voters. This includes many voters who were not previously involved politically but were activated to support a Republican presidential campaign by former Gov. Mike Huckabee.

* A poll published earlier this year by the Christian Post found that Sen. Barack Obama and even Sen. Hillary Clinton outpolled McCain among Christian conservatives. (Notably, former Gov. Mike Huckabee was by far the most popular candidate among those polled.)

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080215/christian-poll-mccain-less-popular-than-obama-clinton.htm

* Newsweek reported Friday that "a new poll from the Barna Group, a Christian research firm, shows Obama leading McCain 43 percent to 34 percent among likely Christian voters, with advantages among non-evangelical born again Christians (43% to 31%); notional Christians (44% to 28%)...Catholics (39% vs. 29%); and Protestants (43% to 34%). The only Christian subgroup (Obama) isn't winning? Evangelicals."

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/arc hive/2008/08/15/loose-threads.aspx

2. We strongly believe that if Gov. Huckabee is part of the Republican Party ticket, many, many more of these Christians and Huckabee supporters will not only vote for the McCain ticket but will do something far more important: actively and enthusiastically work for its success.

3. The coalition supporting Gov. Huckabee has only grown in recent months, as evidenced by the Denver Letter to Sen. McCain signed by Christian activist leaders nationally.

4. Of all possible vice presidential candidates who would be acceptable to pro-life, pro-family voters, there is little question that Gov. Huckabee has the highest name identification and recognition nationally. We believe his selection would overnight give the McCain ticket something it currently lacks and most likely cannot win without: a national network of values voters and volunteers passionately committed to the values and message brought forth this past year by Gov. Huckabee.

5. Thus, this statement does not reflect merely our personal preference for the candidate we supported during the primary election contests. It reflects our political judgment that selecting Gov. Mike Huckabee as the vice presidential candidate is the quickest and surest way to exciting, activating, and mobilizing the socially conservative base of the Republican Party nationwide, the very coalition Sen. McCain recently said no Republican could win without. [Detroit News: "(James) Muffett said Friday that during the meeting, McCain (said) he respected social conservatives' views (and) believed that Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan on could not have won without them."] http://info.detnews.com/redesign/blogs/lowdownblog/index.cfm?blogid=438

6. Further, two recent professional public opinion polls validated not only our political judgment but Gov. Huckabee's appeal to all voters, not just social conservatives.

* A Rasmussen poll three weeks ago found that among all general election voters, Gov. Mike Huckabee had the highest favorable ratings among all possible vice presidential candidates included in the survey. (Notably, the same poll found that former Gov. Mitt Romney had the highest unfavorability rating of all possible candidates included.) http://www.rasmussenreports.com

* A Zogby poll four weeks ago found that "among likely voters, 27% would be more likely to support McCain with Huckabee on the ticket," the highest percentage of all possible vice presidential candidates included in the survey. http://zogby.com:80newsReadNews.dbm?ID=1530

7. Conversely, it is our judgment that the quickest and surest way Sen. McCain could alienate, demoralize, and deactivate social conservative activists and voters nationwide would be to select a vice presidential candidate who they believe does not share their values and worldview. Those would include former Gov. Mitt Romney, former Gov. Tom Ridge, Gov. Charlie Crist, Sen. Joe Lieberman, and others.

8. While other possible vice presidential candidates are believed to share socially conservative values and would thus be philosophically acceptable -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Rep. Rob Portman, Gov. Mark Sanford, Gov. Sarah Palin, and others -- none of them has national name identification and a national organization of volunteers committed to their support comparable to Gov. Mike Huckabee. For example, the same Zogby poll which found that 27 percent of likely voters would be more likely to vote for McCain with Gov. Huckabee on the ticket, found that putting Gov. Jindal on the ticket would move only 5 percent to be more likely to support McCain, while Pawlenty motivated only 3 percent.

9. In summary, Gov. Mike Huckabee's selection as Sen. McCain's running mate would motivate more American voters to support Sen. McCain's candidacy than any other possible running mate, and it would mobilize a pre-existing grassroots network of social conservative activists and volunteers that no other potential running mate could match, not even those philosophically acceptable to the Republican base.

10. The election of Sen. Barack Obama is unthinkable. Because we want Sen. McCain to succeed, and because we believe his vice presidential selection may be determinative in whether he has the grassroots volunteer support required for a Republican victory, we strongly and respectfully urge Sen. McCain to help us help him -- and make iteasy, not hard, for us to persuade others to support and work for his candidacy -- by selecting former Gov. Mike Huckabee as his vice presidential running mate.

Respectfully submitted,

Huckabee's Michigan Grassroots Coalition

Only Huckabee Can Save McCain

From what I have observed, John McCain only consults conservative voices in the Republican Party to ensure he is working against their interests. It may be the result of the drugs and brain washing that Soviet doctors applied during his imprisonment in Vietnam. Nevertheless, some conservative leaders are making one last attempt to salvage the 2008 presidential election. The following was reported by Right Wing Watch, published by People for the American Way.

A few weeks ago, we wrote several posts about the meeting in Colorado where a large group of right-wing leaders finally decided to support John McCain. At the time, all we had were second-hand accounts that those in attendance had decided that Barack Obama would “decimate [the] moral values” they hold dear and, as such, collectively decided to support McCain as the lesser of two evils.

Glossed over in the press coverage was the fact that their support for McCain seemed to rest heavily on his choice of candidate for Vice President, with those in attendance making their preference known that they really want him to pick Mike Huckabee:

Those in attendance also reached a consensus that they would send a letter to McCain, R-Ariz., encouraging him to consider former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as his choice for vice president.

"It's not a demand; it's a request," said [Mat] Staver, who couldn't say when McCain would be contacted about Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor who resonated with some evangelical voters during the Republican primaries.

Until now, the content and signatories of that letter remained unknown. But recently Clark Vandeventer, founder and CEO of World Changers, Inc, who reportedly attended the meeting and signed the letter, posted it on a blog called Veritas Rex and it seems clear that they were not so much “requesting” that McCain pick Huckabee as his Vice President as outright warning him that doing so is “necessary for [his] success”:

We believe that a pro-life, pro-family Vice Presidential running mate is critical to confirm to our constituents that you will take affirmative steps to protect these values. Your selection of a pro-life, pro-family running mate will be one of the first and most important opportunities to communicate your commitment to such values, since we believe that personnel is policy.

As citizens who love this country and as leaders who communicate collectively with millions of values voters, we met this week in Denver to discuss our shared moral values and the need to support your campaign. As a sincere expression of what we believe is necessary for your success, we strongly agreed to respectfully urge you to select former Governor Mike Huckabee as your running mate.

We believe putting Gov. Huckabee on your ticket will immediately excite, mobilize, and activate a key grassroots constituency that is essential to your success and the advancement and defense of the values we share. We have heard this message so clearly and consistently from our constituencies that we believe it is our duty to respectfully share it with you -- not as a demand or condition of our support -- but as an honest communication of what we believe to be the surest way to immediately activate millions of social conservative voters and activists nationwide in support of your candidacy.

Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,

Phil Burress, President, Citizens for Community Values
Mathew Staver,Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
Gary Glenn, President, American Family Association of Michigan
David Barton, Wall Builders
Bill and Deborah Owens
Clark Vandeventer, Chief Executive Officer, World Changers Inc.
Kelly Shackelford, Esq., President, Liberty Legal institute
John Stemberger, Florida Attorney and Pro Family Advocate
Dr. Beverly LaHaye, Concerned Women for America
Dr. Tim F. LaHaye, Tim LaHaye Ministries
Paul E. Rondeau
Rick Scarborough, President of Vision America Action
Johnnie Moore,
 Campus Pastor, Liberty University
Jim Garlow, California Pastors Rapid Response Team
Steve Strang, publisher, Charisma magazine
Kenneth L. Connor, Wilkes & McHugh, P.A.
Clint Cline
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman, American Family Association
Randy Thomasson, President
Campaign for Children and Families
Rebecca Kiessling
Joshua Straub, American Association of Christian Counselors
Sandy Rios, President of Culture Campaign
Deryl Edwards, President, Liberty Alliance
Linda Harvey, Mission America
Diane Gramley, President, American Family Association of Pennsylvania
David N. Cutchen
Micah Clark, Executive Director, American Family Association of Indiana
Don McClure
Alex Harris, Founder and Chairman, Huck's Army and Director, The Rebelution
Brett Harris, Founder and Chairman, Huck's Army and Director, The Rebelution

GALLUP POLL -- Huckabee Tops List of Republican Voters' V.P. Favorites

"Nomination also-rans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney receive the most mentions when Republicans are asked whom they would most like to see as McCain's vice presidential running mate, at 18% and 15%, respectively. ...Conservative and moderate or liberal Republicans do not differ much in their choices -- Huckabee, Romney, and Rice are the top three candidate s among both groups. ...There are differences by religiosity, however. Republicans who attend church weekly rate Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, as the top choice, with 29% choosing him compared to 19% who choose Romney."

By Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ -- At this early point in the process, Republicans do not have a clear favorite as to whom they would most want to see as John McCain's vice presidential running mate.

Nomination also-rans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney receive the most mentions when Republicans are asked whom they would most like to see as McCain's vice presidential running mate, at 18% and 15%, respectively. It is common for candidates who come up short for the presidential nomination to be strongly considered for the vice presidential spot on the ticket, and John Edwards in 2004, George H.W. Bush in 1980, and Lyndon Johnson in 1960 are some of the former presidential candidates who accepted the vice presidential spot after losing out for the presidential nomination.

The unsuccessful candidates' names may also be the most top-of-mind when respondents answer the question, given their visibility while campaigning for the nomination.

In fact, five of the top six names on the list of suggested vice presidential candidates for McCain actively campaigned against him for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination -- Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and Rudy Giuliani join Huckabee and Romney among the most frequently mentioned names. The only non-candidate among these is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

A few Democrats were mentioned by at least 1% of respondents, including McCain ally Joe Lieberman (who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 as an independent but who was a Democrat prior to that), John Edwards, and Bill Richardson. Though McCain has consistently worked with Democrats during his time in the Senate, there is some pressure on him to choose a conservative Republican to shore up his support among the right wing of the party.

Also, about one in three Republicans, 31%, could not think of any specific person they would like McCain to pick.

Conservative and moderate or liberal Republicans do not differ much in their choices -- Huckabee, Romney, and Rice are the top three candidates among both groups (Florida Gov. Charlie Crist ties Rice for third among moderates/liberals). The main difference is that moderate or liberal Republicans are less likely to supply a name of a favored vice presidential pick.

There are differences by religiosity, however. Republicans who attend church weekly rate Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, as the top choice, with 29% choosing him compared to 19% who choose Romney. Among Republicans who attend religious services less often, Romney gets slightly more mentions in the poll than Rice, with Huckabee getting the third most.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup Panel study are based on telephone interviews with 453 Republicans and Republican leaners, aged 18 and older, conducted March 24-27, 2008. Gallup Panel members are recruited through random selection methods. The panel is weighted so that it is demographically representative of the U.S. adult population. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±6 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/106129/Consensus-Favorite-Among-Republicans-McCain.aspx

Divided We Stand

Unable to unite behind a GOP candidate, religious right

leaders face a wilderness road to the White House

From WORLD Magazine

By Warren Cole Smith

Last month at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans, several dozen leaders of the "Christian right" met to strategize next steps—but the meeting inevitably included discussion of missteps in the GOP presidential campaign. Michael Farris of the Home School Legal Defense Association, an early supporter of Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, chided the group for cold-shouldering his candidate until it was too late. Others, including Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, disagreed. The meeting quickly threatened to dissolve into accusations, rebuttals, and recriminations.

Then, venerable Paul Weyrich — a founder of the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority, and the Council for National Policy (CNP) — raised his hand to speak. Weyrich is a man whose mortality is plain to see. A freak accident several years ago left him with a spinal injury, which ultimately led to both his legs being amputated in 2005. He now gets around in a motorized wheelchair. He is visibly paler and grayer than he was just a few years ago, a fact not lost on many of his friends in the room, some of whom had fought in the political trenches with him since the 1960s.

The room — which had been taken over by argument and side-conversations — became suddenly quiet. Weyrich, a Romney supporter and one of those Farris had chastised for not supporting Huckabee, steered his wheelchair to the front of the room and slowly turned to face his compatriots. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said, "Friends, before all of you and before almighty God, I want to say I was wrong."

In a quiet, brief, but passionate speech, Weyrich essentially confessed that he and the other leaders should have backed Huckabee, a candidate who shared their values more fully than any other candidate in a generation. He agreed with Farris that many conservative leaders had blown it. By chasing other candidates with greater visibility, they failed to see what many of their supporters in the trenches saw clearly: Huckabee was their guy.

Why were the leaders of Christian conservatives divided and ultimately ineffective in the 2008 campaign?

The story may have begun a year ago when Newt Gingrich appeared on Focus on the Family's national radio broadcast on March 16, 2007. During the broadcast, Gingrich confessed past sins and Focus founder and host James Dobson declared, "I cannot under any circumstances support John McCain." Many thought that Gingrich would be Dobson's candidate, but those who had been disappointed by Gingrich's ineffectiveness as speaker of the House, or by his extramarital dalliance, withheld their backing.

That same day Sen. John McCain pulled in a disappointing $150,000 at a luncheon fundraiser across the country at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. He was polling in single digits, behind Gov. Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, even behind former Sen. Fred Thompson, who had not declared his candidacy. At an after-lunch press conference, McCain took a reporter's question about Gingrich's performance on the Focus broadcast with an icy stare: "First of all, let me say that I'm a believer in redemption."

For McCain, political redemption was a year away. Gingrich failed to rally support from those who knew him best, and some conservative leaders turned instead to Romney, who had long courted them. In 2006, Christian public-relations guru and Romney backer Mark DeMoss had his candidate meet with about 15 conservative activists. In a gesture that — like much of Romney's campaign — was both opulent and desperate, Romney sent everyone in attendance an expensive office chair, along with a note that read, "You'll always have a seat at our table."

Despite the largesse, Romney gained only a footstool at the Christian conservative table, whose leadership increasingly was troubled over his flip-flops on gay civil unions and abortion. On Sept. 29, 2007, he spoke at a CNP meeting in Salt Lake City. The next day he met with Dobson, Perkins, and about 40 other leaders. Conservative talk show host Rick Scarborough told WORLD the verdict: Romney as governor of Massachusetts "just a few short years ago . . . fought against everything we're fighting for." He would not win the group's backing.

So, with Gingrich not in the running, and Romney a "no," Thompson's leisurely campaign and Ron Paul's iconoclastic one did not impress many Republicans. Giuliani's pro-abortion stance alienated most. The candidate who continued to draw support from grassroots folks: Huckabee.

"The other candidates come to you," Huckabee told 2,000 Christian conservatives at the Washington, D.C., Value Voters Summit in October 2007. "I come from you."

That line generated one of more than a dozen standing ovations during Huckabee's 20-minute address, and he gained most of their votes in a straw poll of those present.

But Huckabee could not gain traction among the religious right leaders who could have generated the financial backing he needed to run a national campaign. In October, as well, he met with a group of conservative Christian leaders — most drawn from the ranks of the CNP gatherings — who say they were "vetting" the candidates. Most didn't like Huckabee's positions on immigration and tax reform. Others thought him insufficiently ardent in criticizing Islamic extremism and abortion. Members of the group believed that Huckabee was "their guy" from a religious perspective but said he was not quite ready for "prime time."

But no other candidates thrilled the leaders, either, so Huckabee was the one candidate they invited back for what one leader called a "do-over." He did much better the second time, yet the group remained too divided about his winning potential to agree to endorse him. When he won a stunning victory in Iowa, he didn't have the resources to take advantage of that upset in the primaries that immediately followed. McCain beat Romney in New Hampshire, and the Arizona senator soon became the unexpected front-runner.

On Jan. 22, just days after the South Carolina primary, Fred Thompson dropped out of the race. The next day, American Values president Gary Bauer wrote the 100,000 supporters on his email list: "Fred Thompson — sadly, in my view — dropped out of the Republican presidential primary race yesterday. He was the one candidate who understood Reagan conservatism and who appealed to all three segments of the Reagan coalition — social conservatives, economic conservatives and defense conservatives."

Thompson's departure should have helped Huckabee, but Huckabee himself had finished a disappointing second in South Carolina — to McCain. When Giuliani failed to win Florida on Jan. 29, a state in which he had spent much of his time and money, he withdrew — and McCain got most of Giuliani's supporters.

On Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008, McCain won nine states to Romney's seven and Huckabee's five. McCain took 601 of the delegates to Romney's 201 and Huckabee's 152. When it was too late for Huckabee, Dobson endorsed him, but by then McCain had the endorsement of inevitability. On March 4, nearly a year after Dobson had said he would not vote for McCain, McCain won the Texas primary and enough delegates to clinch the GOP nomination.

Three days later the CNP met again, this time in New Orleans. McCain, trying to stroke conservatives, took the stage with a hand-held microphone. He received applause when he praised Huckabee, when he said, "We've let spending get out of control," when he said, "Radical Islamic extremism is evil. It's evil," and when he said, "As for the rights of the unborn: The noblest words written are the words 'inalienable rights.' That means the right to life."

When asked about his own faith in God, though, McCain launched into the story he has told often about a prison guard in North Vietnam who showed him compassion and once, in the prison yard, drew the sign of the cross in the dirt at McCain's feet, then quickly brushed it away. The story received polite applause. Later Family Research Council head Tony Perkins told WORLD, "He had a golden opportunity to talk about his faith. Instead, he talked about the faith of his guard. It was a great story, but not what we were looking for." Bill Owens, founder and president of the Coalition of African-American Pastors, was more direct: "It was a disaster. It just proves he has no clue what we're about."

But Phil Burress, who by championing a marriage amendment in Ohio in 2004 became instrumental in winning Ohio — and reelection — for George W. Bush, was among the last to speak before the New Orleans meeting broke up. Burress had been a part of the "vetting process" in Washington where the leaders reviewed and dismissed the GOP candidates early on.

With the election now just over six months away, he told the New Orleans gathering, "McCain wasn't my first choice, and I'm not sure about him now, but we've got a zero chance of getting a conservative Supreme Court justice out of either Clinton or Obama. I don't know whether we've got a 25 percent chance, or a 50 percent chance, or a 100 percent chance with McCain — but it's better than zero, and I'm going to do everything in my power to help get him elected. He's our best shot."

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/13894

McCain: How To Lose The White House

From WorldNetDaily
By Janet Folger

It doesn't really matter how "honored" Mitt Romney would be to be chosen as Sen. John McCain's running mate, because if Sen. McCain wants to be president, he won't pick Romney. In fact, the very best way to lose the White House is to pick Mitt Romney for vice president. Here are just a few reasons why.

1. Mitt Romney did two "post conversion" things the Clintons and Obamas only dream about:
   
   a. He ORDERED homosexual marriage, and

   b. He made abortion a tax-funded "health care benefit" in his state mandated socialized medicine plan.

2. On life and marriage, there is no one worse than Mitt Romney.

3. He's billed as "Mr. Money," but he had to loan himself millions because he couldn't raise enough to run. Romney outspent Mike Huckabee by about 20 to one. If you want to spend 20 times more than you would if you picked Gov. Huckabee, Romney's your guy. According to the Los Angeles Times, he spent $98 million dollars ($42.3 million of his own money) and only won three primaries: Utah, Massachusetts and Michigan – his three "home" states.

   In a cost/delegate analysis, there is no one worse than Mitt Romney.

4. According to Rasmussen, Romney has "the least core support" and "the most core opposition of all the leading candidates, Republican or Democrat." Nearly half of Americans, 47 percent, find Romney so politically repugnant that they say they will vote against him "no matter who else is on the ballot." Gallup Guru put it this way: "Romney is the 'only candidate with a more negative than positive ratio.'"

   When it comes to popular support, there is no one worse than Mitt Romney.

5. The one who attacked John McCain in the campaign the most was none other than Mitt Romney. If you want a guy that will attack you in an effort to get ahead, Romney's your pick. McCain's response to that attack is seen on video, speaking of "One of a number of [Romney's] attacks." McCain himself points out: "As we've gone up in the polls the attacks have grown more … hysterical." By the way, it was Huckabee during the race who defended McCain, calling him a "true … American hero" and calling the Romney attack "desperate and dishonest."

   When it comes to a record of personal attack against Sen. McCain, there is no one worse than Mitt Romney.
   
   If you want to lose, there is a sure fire way to do that: Pick Mitt Romney or someone else who can't be trusted to defend the right to life and the institution of marriage. Someone who can't be trusted, period. As the Myths of Mitt Romney point out, Romney has trouble with the truth. Here are a few that have been documented:

1. Romney said his father marched with Martin Luther King Jr. He didn't.
2. Romney said he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. He didn't.
3. Romney said: "I have a gun of my own." He doesn't.
4. Romney said he was endorsed by the National Rifle Association. He wasn't.
5. Romney said he's been a hunter "all my life." Well, he hunted exactly "Twice." Once every forty years. In fact, according to public officials in four states where Romney lived, he never took out a license.
   
   Not only did he flip on every major social issue just before running for president, he wasn't even honest about it: Romney said both: "I wasn't pro-choice." and "I was pro-choice."

According to Rasmussen, the candidate of either party with the least hard-core opposition among American voters besides John McCain (at 33 percent) is …Gov. Mike Huckabee (at 34 percent). Rasmussen reports the only candidate (of either party) with as much hard-core opposition from American voters as Romney is Hillary Clinton (tied at 47 percent).

The numbers don't lie. Sen. McCain, there is one sure-fire way to lose the White House: Pick Mitt Romney.

I'm not telling you whom to pick, but if you want the vice presidential candidate who in addition to winning the "must win" states in the primary, who has the best cost/vote ratio, who has proven he can energize the base of the party, who defended (not attacked) you even before you won the nomination, who is honest, consistent and according to Rasmussen, has the least opposition among American voters, Mike Huckabee is your guy.

Ask him, I'm sure he would be honored to be your vice president, and I'm sure millions more would be honored to vote for you if you do.

Thanks To A New Conservative Leader

Mike Huckabee has ended his campaign for the Presidency of the United States with all of the class and dignity he exemplified every day of his extraordinary quest.

With no resources, little name recognition, enormous opposition from a political and corporate establishment threatened by his economic nationalism, and outspent twenty-fold by those who sought to distort his record in order to mask their own, Governor Huckabee endured while the bigger names and those with far more money fell by the wayside.

In debate after debate Governor Huckabee’s eloquence, warmth, sharp wit, and deep, unabashed faith won millions of Americans to his side. They heard in him the echoes of great heroes and sensed the spark of greatness. They sensed too that his was not a set of beliefs developed for a business plan, or patched together from polls and focus groups. His is a belief system founded on rock. It is the belief that man, created in the image and likeness of a loving God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and called to share in eternal life, has eminent dignity. It is a view which gives priority to ethics over technology and the person over things.

Governor Huckabee knows that a society which forgets the source and nature of its dignity will suffer the results – broken families, unwed teen pregnancy, abortion, crime, and even threats to the very cell of our civilization, the institution of the family itself. He knows, too, that the freedom which God intends for man is a freedom for love of God and service to ones fellow man, not freedom from responsibility and the consequences of wrong choices.

With a pastor’s heart, Mike Huckabee fights to return the Republican Party to the people of Main Street, the people who have been hurt by international trade agreements, the failure to secure America’s borders and enforce immigration laws, the very policies advocated by the Republican establishment and the Club for Growth that did so much to misrepresent his record and oppose his candidacy.

In taking his leave, Governor Huckabee said that he has “found that there are sometimes three possible answers to our prayers -- "Yes," "No," or "Not Now." "I would like to think,” he said, “our prayers were answered with a ‘Not Now.’"

When greatness is needed, the times find the leader, and many of our greatest Presidents had many setbacks along the road to national leadership. Those of us who see in Governor Huckabee a great and inspiring leader, will prayerfully accept God’s “not now.” But with prayerful hope, we look forward to the day when God says “Yes."

In the meantime, we thank Governor and Mrs. Huckabee for all that they have endured to serve our country, and along with our candidate who “believes in miracles,” we look forward to that great miracle that is yet to be.

Dallas Morning News Endorses Huckabee

Even thought the Dallas Morning News is "on the wrong side" of social issues that Governor Huckabee and those of us who support him care deeply about, the newspaper has endorsed the Governor in Tuesday's Texas Republican Primary. It is particularly gratifying that they, like so many Americans, see Governor Huckabee as a man of destiny who will play a large role in the future of the Republican Party and our nation.

Whatever Texas Republican primary voters do Tuesday, John McCain is all but guaranteed to be the party's presidential nominee. It is mathematically impossible for Mike Huckabee, the last remaining major GOP contender, to capture the nomination. The former Arkansas governor even turned up on Saturday Night Live recently to poke fun at himself for not going away.

Let's be clear: Mr. Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, remains our choice for the GOP nomination. But Mr. McCain has racked up by far the most delegates and leads among Texas Republicans by a wide margin in recent opinion polls. Though he can't clinch the nomination Tuesday, victory is undeniably close.

Aside from his long experience and personal courage, he has a solid record of fiscal responsibility and has been on the right side of campaign finance reform and environmental issues. And he was correct and principled to lead the fight for comprehensive immigration reform last summer. Still, his age – 71 – and his choleric temperament gave us pause, particularly when contrasted to Mr. Huckabee's sunny-side-up brand of conservatism.

Also Online

Voter Guide: Comparing Republican presidential candidates

Win or lose in November, the GOP is destined to spend the next few years redefining itself. For many reasons, Reaganism, which made the GOP the dominant political party of the last generation, no longer resonates as it once did with the American public. The world has changed since Ronald Reagan's election nearly 30 years ago, and the great man's political heirs will have to adjust the GOP's strategy and tactics to new realities.

To that end, Mr. Huckabee, 52, should be a top leader in tomorrow's Republican Party. His good-natured approach to politics – "I'm a conservative; I'm just not mad about it," as he likes to say – is quite appealing after years of scorched-earth tactics from both parties. He's a pragmatist more concerned with effective government than with bowing to ideological litmus tests. For example, he has proven himself willing to violate anti-tax dogma to undertake investment in infrastructure for the sake of long-term prosperity.

Mr. Huckabee also is good on the environment, contending that the future of the conservative movement depends on embracing conservation and stewardship of the natural world. And he's a compassionate conservative especially in tune with middle-class anxieties in a globalizing economy.

Though his social and religious conservatism puts him on the wrong side of abortion, gay rights and other key issues, that same deep-faith commitment inspires his dedication to helping the poor and to racial healing. He truly is representative of the next wave of evangelical chieftains and, if nothing else, will emerge from this primary season the leader of one of the most influential factions in the GOP coalition.

We look forward to having him around to help shape and lead the Republican Party beyond November. That's why we encourage Texas Republicans to mark their ballots for Mr. Huckabee in the GOP primary: to demonstrate to the party's elite that Mr. Huckabee and his vision have a solid constituency.

True, a Huckabee vote today won't do much to determine the 2008 GOP presidential candidate. But it's a good investment in the Republican Party's future.

Mike Huckabee, Phyllis Schlafly, and the Conservative Movement

I have been wanting to write a post on the conservatism of Mike Huckabee for some time. As should be obvious to readers of this blog, I truly believe he is a very important and articulate leader of the conservative movement in this country, and will be more so in years to come.

Unfortunately, he has been the victim of calumny by a rich, ambitious charlatan who, when preparing his business plan for capturing the White House, determined that espousing conservative positions contradicting everything he previously stood for, would be the surest route to capturing the Republican nomination for President. In this pursuit, he was backed by the White House and his friends at the Club for Growth, the very people that have done the most damage to working American families through international trade agreements, the export of American jobs, open borders, and the failure to enforce US immigration laws.

The following reflection from the Catholics for Huckabee blog affirms that Mike Huckabee is the authentic conservative, standing on the shoulders of conservative pillars like Russell Kirk, Phyllis Schlafly, Pat Buchanan and Ronald Reagan.

When the debacle of the 2008 presidential election is over, authetic conservatives will begin the task of rebuilding the party and the conservative movement that this President and the internationalists at the Club for Growth have done so much to destroy.

The Schlafly Connection

Huckabee's CPAC speech last Saturday was clearly a watershed moment, revealing Huckabee as an authentic, old-school conservative. It was a crucial speech which managed to hit all the right buttons with his conservative audience, and finally connected the rest of the dots around this most intriguing candidate.

In a brief summary of the various factors forming his political conservatism, the former Arkansas governor mentioned his humble working-class background, his staunch Republican employer as a teen (a rare commodity in Arkansas), his desire for order amidst the growing mayhem of the '60's, and his struggle to implement conservative policies in his gubernatorial career.

Along with his personal experiences, Huckabee included some serious discussions of political issues, displaying a wide-ranging and well-developed political philosophy in the process.

Particularly comforting and a personal highlight of his speech for me, was Huckabee's reference to Phyllis Schlafly's 1964 book, A Choice, Not An Echo, which he read as a teenager. A bestseller at the time, this groundbreaking book called for the unification of the conservative movement under the leadership of Barry Goldwater, against the liberal Eastern Establishment wing of the Republican Party, whose wealth and media influence had controlled the presidential elections for years.

Phyllis Schlafly has always been a heroine of mine. A lawyer with a Master's in Political Science from Harvard, this Catholic mother of six became famous for her articulate and impassioned opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment and the feminist movement in the '70's.

It was truly heartwarming to hear Mike mention the name of this gracious and eloquent defender of traditional values, still writing columns and speaking on the radio today, at the age of 81. Her name brought back memories of all the conservative Catholic giants of two decades ago: James Likoudis, Frank Morriss, Jean Kirkpatrick, Russell Kirk, and a young Joe Sobran and Pat Buchanan. It also reminded me of pro-life Marches to our Denver capital building on windy January days, of the Eagle Forum, Gloria Steinem, Pat Schroeder, Richard Nixon and ERA bumper stickers.

Recalling the name of Phyllis Schlafly and her example of courage and resistance against the popular liberal tide was no accident. Curiously enough, Huckabee did not mention the other conservative hero whose name has been on everyone's lips these past few weeks. Instead he chose a leader whose legacy is very close to Reagan's, and who is really his feminine counterpart. A significant choice in more ways than one, perhaps.

In this momentous speech, Mike boldly planted his own conservative banner on the hilltop, an invitation for traditional conservatives to rally around. His speech is a declaration of war against the secular liberalism of McCain and a call for true conservatives to unite.

The classic conservative positions Huckabee outlined in his speech, as well as the name of Phyllis Schlafly, signalled his personal connection to the same well-grounded, consistent conservatism which has been tested and proven over the last few decades and which lives on in many corners of this nation. This kind of conservatism may not be exactly thriving in country clubs, corporate offices and the halls of Congress, but it is alive and well in the middle and working classes, in labor unions, volunteer fire departments, middle-class neighborhoods, farms, small businesses, churches and in homeschooling families and small private colleges and schools.

In other words, the conservatism of Phyllis Schlafly et al., has been kept alive by all of us who have been busy making hard choices, going against the grain, and not merely echoing the lies and empty promises that have been thrust upon us from almost every side for all these years.

Dr. Dobson Endorses Mike Huckabee

Dr. James Dobson issues the following statement tonight, speaking as a private citizen.

I am endorsing Gov. Mike Huckabee for President of the United States today. My decision comes in the wake of my statement on Super Tuesday that I could not vote for Sen. John McCain, even if he goes on to win the Republican nomination. His record on the institution of the family and other conservative issues makes his candidacy a matter of conscience and concern for me.

That left two pro-family candidates whom I could support, but I was reluctant to choose between them. However, the decision by Gov. Mitt Romney to put his campaign "on hold" changes the political landscape. The remaining candidate for whom I could vote is Gov. Huckabee. His unwavering positions on the social issues, notably the institution of marriage, the importance of faith and the sanctity of human life, resonate deeply with me and with many others. That is why I will support Gov. Huckabee through the remaining primaries, and will vote for him in the general election if he should get the nomination. Obviously, the governor faces an uphill struggle, given the delegates already committed to Sen. McCain. Nevertheless, I believe he is our best remaining choice for President of the United States.

(NOTE: Dr. Dobson made these statements as a private citizen. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a reflection of the opinions of Focus on the Family or Focus on the Family Action.)

A Sin Not to Vote for the Godly Man

Dr. James Dobson:

"If you can find a politician who understands the institution of the family, who wants to protect children from immorality, who understands that we are at war with those who want to destroy us, and who understands that liberal judges are undermining us and need to be reined in...and if you can find a politician who lives by a strong moral code and believes in Jesus Christ ... if you can find such a person, it would be a sin not to vote for him."

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2008/02/is_not_voting_a.html

And thus a sin not to vote for (or endorse) Gov. Mike Huckabee?

Or if not, on which standard mentioned above does Huckabee fail the test?

Let Huckabee Speak, Let Huckabee Run… and Check His Pockets

David Slaying Goliath

by Peter Paul Rubens

From Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

By Deacon Keith Fournier

I arrived home late from Washington D.C. Thursday evening. So, I could only watch a portion of the Republican debate which was held in Florida only days before its 'winner takes all' primary.

I will leave to others to summarize who said what and why the Republican candidates did not attack one another this time. After all, we have to be kind to the chattering class these days; they need to make a living and their numbers seem to be growing.

I simply want to call attention to one dimension of the event, the allotment of time given to the candidates. Perhaps someone can tell me why Mitt Romney, the newest favorite of the Republican Party establishment and elite since Giuliani made his strategic error, got 22 minutes to present his positions and Mike Huckabee, the new whipping boy of the same group, only got 11 minutes?

I suggest it may be for the same reason that Huckabee continues to be treated by so many party pundits, such as Charles Krauthammer, with condescension.

He is a threat to their long standing hold on power within that Party.

How often have we been told by one pundit after another that the former Governor from Arkansas is the “Evangelical” candidate with little chance of winning?

How many times has he been savaged by radio commentators for not being a “true conservative” because he does not carry the water of those who for so long have ruled the roost of a Party which rebuilt itself on the backs of pro-life religious voters but never really found a “place at the table” for them.

The annoying condescension directed toward Huckabee in the columns of conservatives and neo-conservatives and the inane comments from television pundits and panels are getting old.

The latest example of this condescension was Charles Krauthammer’s Jan 25th piece in the Washington Post. He came right out and told the readers that the former Governor from Arkansas was not going to win. He then offered him the written equivalent of a demeaning pat on the head and saying that he ‘meant well’:

“Mike Huckabee is not going to be president. The loss in South Carolina, one of the most highly evangelical states in the union, made that plain. With a ceiling of 14 percent among nonevangelical Republicans, Huckabee's base is simply too narrow. But his was not a rise and then a fall.

He came from nowhere to establish himself as the voice of an important national constituency. Huckabee will continue to matter, and he might even carry enough remaining Southern states to wield considerable influence at a fractured Republican convention.”

Frankly, I am tired of hearing the same talking points from the pundits against Governor Huckabee. It is no accident that the real opposition to his candidacy has come, not from Democrats, but from Republicans.

Perhaps they are afraid of him because he presents a fresh vision and a coherent worldview which calls into question their own confused approach. Perhaps he is also perceived as a threat to their control over the future agenda of the Republican Party at a critical time in its history.

Huckabee’s manner and his message, when he is allowed to speak, strike a chord with many people from a broad spectrum of increasingly disillusioned voters. Because of that, the elites try to marginalize him through condescension, like Krauthammer did.

Or , worse yet, they unleash vitriol against him, such as what Mark Levin stooped to in his Thursday talk radio program when he made himself small by crude remarks against this good man .

The attacks against the Governor from Hope, Arkansas, have followed a predictable pattern.

First, there was the way in which his “Evangelical appeal” was treated by these media personalities. I have been around for a long time, and I never accepted the idea that evangelical Protestants were ever really welcome in the ruling ranks of the Republican Party.

As a pro-life, pro-marriage and family, pro-freedom and pro-poor Catholic, I found myself by their side many times, simply because I had to leave the Democratic Party when that once great party of working men and women stopped up their ears to the cry of the poor in the womb.

I was never under any delusion that I was welcome in the Republican Party. However, I actually think that some evangelical Protestants really thought they had found, to use the rhetoric of Ralph Reed, one of the architects of the “religious right”, a “place at the table” among the party elite.

The way that Huckabee and his evangelical supporters are now being treated by the Republican establishment should expose the truth and calls this judgment into serious question. It also exposes the weakness in the garment which was hastily sewn together by combining pro-life religious people and the old blue blood fiscal conservatives of the old Republican guard.

The strategy against Huckabee’s candidacy emanating from what calls itself conservativism today has been an evolving one.

Second, he was attacked for being a “populist”, as if that is a bad thing. Frankly, I found his concern for real people, in their real struggles, a refreshing wind in a party filled with hot air and empty promises.

In addition, his genuine concern for the poor and his plans to help expand opportunity and make sure that the market economy was at the service of the person and the family and not the other way around, seems to this Catholic to be an example of good Catholic social teaching, even if it comes from a former Southern Baptist minister.

Finally, he was accused of being a “progressive”. Once again, as if “progressive” is a bad word. I would welcome a debate on just what really constitutes progress with those on the left, and particularly with those within the lunatic nihilist fringe who have usurped the word “progressive” using it as a banner under which to parade their increasingly bizarre social and cultural vision.

I for one believe that true progress passes through the two parent marriage bound family, the first vital cell of any healthy society. Marriage and family are not an antiquated institution. They frame the path to the future. Also, true progress will only occur when we recognize in law the inherent dignity of every human person, at every age and every stage, from conception to natural death. There is nothing progressive about killing children in the womb and failing to care for the disabled and the elderly.

I think a real debate on just what constitutes real and true progress is just what is needed in the arena of public policy.

Now, Huckabee is once again being parodied, painted as some kind of ignorant “fundamentalist” Christian who will force all Americans to believe like he does. This is one more despicable effort to disparage this intelligent and good man by playing on old bigoted stereotypes.

How many times must he be wrongly accused of wanting to amend the Constitution so as to somehow force “the Bible” on people as if he were a theocrat? It happened once again this morning when he made the rounds of the morning talk shows. Again, he handled it with dignity and exposed the lie.

When you read or hear what he actually says about both his support for a human life amendment to the US Constitution and his support of an amendment to protect authentic marriage against encroaching counterfeits seeking a legal equivalency, he is in line with most Americans. I am one of them. And, I am not an Evangelical Protestant. I am a Catholic.

When this new former Governor from Hope, Arkansas is allowed to speak, the words that come out of his mouth make sense, reveal an intelligent set of political ideas, inspire and continue to win the support of many more people than Charles Krauthammer thinks. In fact, Mr. Krauthammer has paid little attention to the growing appeal of this candidate across socio-economic, racial, religious and even party lines.

I have written about the Governor's candidacy at length. He has been kind enough to give me two excellent interviews for Catholic Online. Frankly, I found him to be the most clearly pro-life, pro-family and pro-poor candidate in the current Republican field.

There is no doubt that he does not fit the mold of either the Limbaugh “conservative” wing of the Republican party, or the “neo-conservative” wing of the Republican party. Though, to his credit, Bill Kristol has recently begun to speak well of Huckabee. Finally, he worries the establishment wing of the Republican Party.

I, for one, find all of this quite exciting not disturbing. Perhaps it is time for just such a shake up in a party that has stumbled a lot lately.

I have one request of the media for the rest of this short primary season. Let Huckabee speak. Then, let the American people decide.

Friday morning when he made the circuit of talk shows I once again found myself glued to the screen at his articulate responses. As usual, they revealed him to be a kind, affable man who makes good sense. One of the commentators noted that she had been told that the Governor was training for the Boston marathon.

In response, Governor Huckabee smiled and confirmed that what she had heard was true. He noted that the training was hard, particularly given the schedule he must keep campaigning. Finally, he acknowledged that he did not know how well he would do, but told the interviewer that he knew that he just wanted to finish.

I could not help but think of the current Presidential campaign. I, for one, want to see him continue in this race to the finish. Who knows how it will all turn out? This has been a race which no-one could have even predicted two months ago.

This week, our Old Testament readings at the daily Catholic Liturgy have followed the exploits of David, from his unlikely selection through his anointing and, on Wednesday, we heard of his heroism and triumph against the giant Goliath.

It is all recorded in the Biblical book of Samuel. Wednesday’s reading told of David’s preparations to take on the giant Goliath. The scriptures record that he selected five smooth stones from the Wadi which he placed in his pouch. He would later slay Goliath with those stones and a small slingshot.

The likelihood of the Governor from Hope taking on the Goliath of the Republican establishment and winning the Republican nomination seems minimal.

However, has anyone checked his pockets? Oh, I know, the new line of he media is that his campaign is "running out of money". You hear it from the chattering class. What you do not hear is how, with very little spending, this candidate has stood up against the most well heeled candidates. His campaign seems to be fueled by ideas and helped most by human capital, deeply committed people.

However, while you are checking and commenting on what is in the pockets. Look down deep.

There just might be five smooth stones in there.