Huckabee's Not Ready for Prime Time

Ross is dead right if the biggest thing people remember about Mike Huckabee from Zev Chafetz' New York Times Magazine profile is the business about Mormons believing Jesus and Satan are brothers (it seems this is real Mormon doctrine) then Huckabee's getting off easy. What really comes away is that he doesn't know what he's talking about. He has no record on foreign policy issues, says his thinking is a mélange of Frank Gaffney, Tom Friedman, Duncan Hunter, and he once chatted with Richard Haas. So it'll be run-amok militarism, plus Friedman-style moralism, plus realpolitik.

Except, obviously, it won't. Huckabee's just kind of making stuff up.

Oddly, as Ross says, Huckabee actually seems perfectly qualified to be president by current standards: we elected a governor of Arkansas President as recently as 1992, and his tenure in office compares favorably with many of the major candidates. But "it's worth making a distinction between being qualified and being prepared" and Huckabee is woefully unprepared. It's not just that he lacks staff, though he does. Lots of people who don't have staffs have a better handle on this stuff than Huckabee does. He just clearly hasn't put any effort into preparing himself to answer serious questions about a whole range of areas of national policy. He's clearly not going to be elected president, so I won't call it a "frightening" lack of preparation, but it is kind of insulting to us, the American people, that he's done so little due diligence.

Comments

> e's clearly not going to be elected president

Are you saying he won't get the Republican nomination? Or that he will, and will lose to any of the Big Three? If the former then who in your opinion will? If the latter, I urge you to consider the case of George W. Bush...

Cranky

Posted by Cranky Observer | December 12, 2007 4:18 PM

Huckabee's Not Ready for Prime Time

But Jesus is, so don't worry too much about Huckabee. His key endorsement comes from a Jewish Carpenter.

Posted by SoCalJustice | December 12, 2007 4:22 PM

He just clearly hasn't put any effort into preparing himself to answer serious questions about a whole range of areas of national policy.

given that most candidates simply quote back parts of their stump speech regardless of the question, i'm not sure you can tell if any of them know WTF they're talking about.

Posted by cleek | December 12, 2007 4:24 PM

He's clearly not going to be elected president

I agree with Cranky. Please never say this again, unless you're applying it to someone who is legally ineligible for the office.

Posted by Cyrus | December 12, 2007 4:25 PM

But "it's worth making a distinction between being qualified and being prepared" and Huckabee is woefully unprepared.

As opposed to Rudy, who is running all but entirely on his ability to manage foreign policy, and who has chosen NPod and Daniel Pipes as advisors? Rudy, who recast the issue as the "Terrorists War on Us"? Who was, a scant two or three months ago, getting pounded on precisely the "unprepared" issue (as Thompson was, as recently as two weeks ago)? That's ready for prime time? Really?

Posted by SomeCallMeTim | December 12, 2007 4:27 PM

If the latter, I urge you to consider the case of George W. Bush...

Bush had the money men firmly behind him; Huckabee very much doesn't. Huckabee doesn't have the resources to mount a national campaign; once he starts fading he'll become yesterday's news.

The interesting question is who he'll take with him in the process.

Posted by Duvall | December 12, 2007 4:27 PM

I have no problem saying that Ron Paul or Denis Kucinich will never be elected President, even though they are technically legally eligible. But Huckabee? Sad to say, but he has a chance.

And Matthew's right to focus on the difference between qualified and prepared. Huckabee has more "qualifications" for office than do any of the three major Democratic candidates. But man oh man is he not prepared.

Posted by Al | December 12, 2007 4:31 PM

Don't worry. He may win Iowa, where his cornpone brand of Jesus-fellating piety and "average guy" know-nothingness may be a plus, but he's toast in NH and beyond. He is only enjoying this "surge" right now because people hate the other candidates, who have been more thoroughly perused thus far. Huckabee is, as I pointed out on Ambinder's blog, essentially a swig of mouthwash: he removes the taste of vomit that the other candidates cause to rise in your throat, but eventually you must spit him out, too.

Posted by tinisoli | December 12, 2007 4:33 PM

He's clearly not going to be elected president, so I won't call it a "frightening" lack of preparation...

I'm inlined to agree. And for that reason I'd like him to get the nomination. But the possibility of him in the White House really does give pause. He's truly frightening. Maybe he'd be no worse than Bush -- but if he's only 2/3rds as bad, that's still pretty bad. And maybe he'd actually be worse. I'd rather have a McCain or Romney as the GOP nominee, because I'm risk averse, and you never know...

Posted by Japer | December 12, 2007 4:40 PM

How much money has Huckabee raised? I'm pretty sure it's next to nothing. If he does win the nomination, and runs against anyone other than Edwards in the general, I'd bet the usual republican big money people will throw their weight behind the democrat in an effort to gain influence. Still don't think he'll win the nomination though.

Posted by mad6798j | December 12, 2007 4:40 PM

Here's my two cents: Huckabee will likely place further back in the pack in New Hampshire but he'll definitely win South Carolina handily and the rest of the Old Confederacy will fall in line. The race will congeal into a contest between Huck and an anti-Huck and could last into the late winter, with states like Florida and New York and Ohio and New Jersey having a say in the final decision. Nonetheless, Huck is on the ticket, probably as Veep -- without him, the evangelicals will stay home. And that would be disastrous for the GOP.

Posted by BryklynLibrul | December 12, 2007 4:42 PM

The thing about those gaffes is that a) his lack of knowledge won't hurt him with his base, b) his attacks on Romney will solidify his base, and c) both will limit his appeal to anyone outside of his base.

Posted by Tom Hilton | December 12, 2007 4:43 PM

His key endorsement comes from a Jewish Carpenter.

A Jewish Carpenter? I hope it's not Irving Schlectmann of Brooklyn. The dude built a roof deck for me a couple years ago, and it was totally warped and half-rotten after a single winter. Nice enough guy, though, aside from that.

Posted by James Gary | December 12, 2007 4:49 PM

I'm praying to Mike Huckabee's god that he gets the nomination. Could you see that empty suit trying to stand up to any of the big three Dems in a debate? Obama and Edwards can out preach him any day of the week, and Hillary would just make him look like a moron. Bring on the Huckleberry

Posted by Jack | December 12, 2007 4:52 PM

You'd almost think Ross and Matt weren't alive during Reagan's wins.

Posted by keatssycamore | December 12, 2007 4:53 PM

Apparently, Huckabee directy copied his immigration plan - almost word-for-word - from Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies. He came up with the Fair Tax Plan after reading a book by John Linder and Neil Boortz and found it convincing. This is not the stuff of an intellectually deep man.

By the way, can anyone explain to me why the founder of the Minutemen endorsed Huckabee? That totally came out of left field.

Posted by Peter H | December 12, 2007 4:54 PM

At least Reagan was willing to address the issue of tree pollution.

Posted by SomeCallMeTim | December 12, 2007 4:56 PM

The guy is running for VP, different rules apply.

Huckabee's main job is to knock Romney off the Iowa springboard and to make sure social conservatives know he's one of them. Neither task requires a great deal of seriousness.

Posted by southpaw | December 12, 2007 5:22 PM

At least Reagan was willing to address the issue of tree pollution.

If only we'd listened back then - then we wouldn't need to bother with all this nonsense in Bali...

Posted by McKingford | December 12, 2007 5:30 PM

"Huckabee's main job is to knock Romney off the Iowa springboard and to make sure social conservatives know he's one of them"

Being a Mormon, it's nice to see the that the republican party has become so tolerant that they will now let Rosa Parks sit at the front of the Bus. Not because of Race, but because she's a Baptist.

Posted by Elbeau | December 12, 2007 5:32 PM

I hope it's not Irving Schlectmann of Brooklyn.

I hear Irv's voting for Giuliani.

Posted by SoCalJustice | December 12, 2007 5:33 PM

He just clearly hasn't put any effort into preparing himself to answer serious questions about a whole range of areas of national policy. He's clearly not going to be elected president, so I won't call it a "frightening" lack of preparation, but it is kind of insulting to us, the American people, that he's done so little due diligence.

I take the approach of some of the other commenters: there's just about nobody running I would count out. Given the media's general ineptness, it isn't like his "lack of preparation" is going to be exposed - not to mention, the media evidently *loves* this guy, which is, sadly, a major qualification for president...I could definitely see a win in Iowa and S. Carolina giving him the kind of media momentum that overcomes his lack of resources.

That said, it is unfortunate that his lack of money means that he basically has no qualified staff advising him on these matters. I say this because, as Matt has pointed out on other occasions, the "experts" who gravitate towards a particular candidate help give us some insight into that candidate's philosophy. With Huckabee, we are flying blind.

Posted by McKingford | December 12, 2007 5:40 PM

Has Huckabee released his medical records yet?

Because I want to know if he got his stomach stapled.

Posted by lambert strether | December 12, 2007 5:56 PM

And IIRC, Huckabee is running off a mailing list with 71 million names on it (says OpenLeft), developed from people who went to see Mel Gibson's Christianist snuff flick, The Passion.

If Huckabee does respectable in Iowa, and those Christianists hear the right dog whistles, he'll hae plenty of money.

Best to start propagating our oppo now, I would say.

Posted by lambert strether | December 12, 2007 6:01 PM

Here's Huckleberry at today's presidential debate: "I'm still in awe that this country would afford kids like me the opportunity to be a president"

Why in awe? All you had to do was flash "Christian Leader" in your TV add, then go to Salt Lake City to preach that "we need to reclaim this nation for Christ", then claim that God was making your poll numbers go up, then tell the media that Romney needs to explain whether or not his religion is a cult, then start spewing anti-Mormon talking points today.

Then there's my favorite part when he apologized to Mitt today saying that he "really doesn't know much about Mormons". Sure. Did he miss that day when he was getting his theology degree? Or when the Baptist Convention sent tens of thousands of "cult-kits" to the various Baptist congregations, did his get lost in the mail? When he was pastor at two churches, did the issue really never come up?

Ok...sure. I mean, he must be right, how could he be wrong...he's a minister.

Posted by Elbeau | December 12, 2007 6:07 PM

Being a Mormon, it's nice to see the that the republican party has become so tolerant that they will now let Rosa Parks sit at the front of the Bus. Not because of Race, but because she's a Baptist.

I don't think Huckabee and the party are in mind meld yet. He's naturally going to attack Romney because they're quite alike as candidates, and for that reason Romney is least likely to pick Huckabee as his running mate.

Posted by southpaw | December 12, 2007 6:35 PM

I've got to agree with you on that. I can't imagine Mitt running with Huckabee. At the White House dinners they would have to say the prayer on the food to both of the Jesus Christ's that they worship.

Posted by Elbeau | December 12, 2007 6:46 PM

For the casual reader, that last post of mine was a dig at the whole debate about whether we Mormons have permission from the Protestants to call ourselves "Christians".

Posted by Elbeau | December 12, 2007 6:49 PM

The whole Jesus-and-Satan are brothers thing is a pretty stupid thing for Huckabee to note when you consider that the LDS church comes down squarely against Lucifer. It's also the plot of

That Romney comes from a church that is often criticized unfairly but still embraces the GOP narrow-mindedness is not to his credit. That Huckabee is basically the source of this narrow-mindedness is further to his detriment. Time was, the SBC talked about Catholics this way, and sometimes stll do. No wonder Huckabee thought Giuliani would need his help answering a bible question.

Posted by David B. | December 12, 2007 6:57 PM

This is an appropriate time, I think, to quote some of the OTHER things Huckabee said in that NYT interview:

"The governor was especially happy that morning about an impending endorsement he expected (and
received the following day) from Tim LaHaye, the author of the apocalyptic ‘Left Behind’ series of novels. 'Left Behind' is wildly popular among evangelicals, who have bought more than 65 million copies, making LaHaye a very rich man and one of the few writers who is also a major philanthropist. Recently he donated a hockey rink to Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, although some members of the faculty there deride 'Left Behind' as science fiction. Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, has no such reservations. He considers the 'Left Behind' books, in which the world comes to a violent end as Jesus triumphs over Satan, a ‘compelling story written for nontheologians.’...

"Huckabee’s affability and populist economic and social views have sometimes been misinterpreted as a moderate brand of evangelical Christianity. In fact, as he wrote in his book ‘Character Makes a Difference,’ he considers liberalism to be a cancer on Christianity. Huckabee is an admirer of the late Jerry Falwell (whose son, Jerry Jr., recently endorsed his candidacy) and subscribes wholeheartedly to the principles of the Moral Majority. He also affirms the Baptist Faith and Message statement: ‘The Holy Bible . . . has truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.’...

"Charles Dunn, dean of the school of government at Regent University...offers a possible explanation for the resistance [to Huckabee's candidacy] from [other] born-again leaders. ‘Mike Huckabee isn’t just another politician,’ he told me. ‘He is an evangelical minister. If he does well in Iowa, as he appears to be doing, he will become a national figure no matter what happens after that. He could wind up eclipsing all the other evangelical leaders in this country in one fell swoop. And you know what it says in the Book of Proverbs. "Envy is the rottenness of the bones." ’...

"His father brought him up with biblical spare-the-rod-and-spoil-the-child ferocity. ‘I feared him,’ Huckabee told me. ‘Even though I know today that what he did, he did out of intense love.’...

"In his home state, Huckabee has a reputation for an elephantine memory for slights and criticism. ‘The local cliché about him is that he is thin-skinned,’ says Prof. Janine Parry, who teaches Arkansas state politics at the University of Arkansas. ‘And he can be mean. The national press hasn’t seen much of that. So far he’s kept it under control.’...

"Assailing Hillary Clinton for failing to denounce MoveOn.org’s attack on Gen. David Petraeus, he said, ‘If you can’t get your lips off the backside of George Soros long enough to use those lips to say it’s wrong to declare a sitting general... guilty of treason, how would you ever expect to have the support of the very military you might have to send into deadly battle?’...

"Casey Van Weelden summed up local sentiment [in one Iowa small town]: ‘Huckabee’s a moral man. He’s a preacher. And he lost a hundred pounds. He’s going to do all right in Iowa. What I don’t know is how he’s going to go with the rest of the country.’ "

__________________________________________

Note: one of the main themes of the "Left Behind" books -- stated and restated in lengthy passages -- is that it is a very serious mistake to think that ANY degree of morality will by itself save you from the Fires of Eternal Hell; you absolutely have to be a Christian to escape that. (At the end, Jesus sends all his opponents "screeching" into those fires with "a mere wave of his hand", at which point the earth opens up and swallows all of them.)

Personally, this guy is much too similar to the villain in Robert Heinlein's "If This Goes On..." for my comfort. (For those who don't remember that 1940 book, said villain is "a backwoods Bible-shouter" who becomes dictator of the US during a period when the nation is in a particularly panicky mood.)

Posted by Bruce Moomaw | December 12, 2007 6:59 PM

Even Huckabee as VP worries me. Also from the piece, he took over Arkansas by coup:

The crisis in question took place on July 15, 1996. Governor Tucker was supposed to resign, and Huckabee was scheduled to be sworn in at 2 p.m. But at 1:55, Tucker called to say that he had changed his mind. He wasn’t quitting.

This was ‘‘arguably the greatest constitutional crisis in Arkansas history,’’ Huckabee writes, as though his state never seceded from the Union or had its capital’s high school forcibly integrated by the 101st Airborne. Still, Tucker’s change of heart was a big moment. As Huckabee recalls it, the Arkansas State Legislature fell into chaos. ‘‘Many of the old-time Democrats all but fell on the floor and ripped their garments in twain. . . . Keeping your word is a sacred thing in Arkansas.’’ When it became clear that garment-rending wouldn’t get Tucker to go away quietly, Huckabee took direct action. He addressed the people in a statewide telecast, informing them that he was now in control; he threatened impeachment proceedings against Tucker; state troopers were mobilized to protect the capital. All this activity had the desired effect. Tucker re-resigned. In fact, the whole affair was wrapped up by the 6 o’clock news.

Posted by Larry | December 12, 2007 7:27 PM

He's clearly not going to be elected president

Allow me to quote Toby Ziegler: "Write down the exact date and time you said that."

Posted by FearItself | December 12, 2007 8:03 PM

I wonder if the writer of this article has bothered to go to Huckabee's website and read his positions on a whole host of issues? It seems to me that the WRITER was "woefully unprepared" to write this article. Huckabee has all of the talents necessary to both be elected and to govern effectively. His positions are well thought out, logical and born of deeply held and sound core principles. Besides these things, he is a GREAT communicator. He is clearly the "CREAM" of the republican crop and that is why he has risen without money or name-recognition to the top of the republican field. I welcome his continued ascension- all the way to the presidency!

Posted by Michael Litz | December 12, 2007 8:37 PM

Growing up the fundamentalists lived next door in a house that looked like a church.

They only ate health food and took vitamins.

They treated their son like a slave.

We played Star Wars but TV at his house sucked.

So he came over instead.

His mother said Mormons believed they were from another planet.

Or something like that.

She was whispering.

What she meant was you and I are normal but those people who lived in the big Tudor house at the top of the street and had immaculate teeth and happened to be Mormon may seem respectable and have the right views about some things (fetuses, queers, Mexicans) they shouldn't go trying to be president or something.

The fundamentalists had a yard full of Bermuda grass like a gold course.

Eventually they retired to Palm Springs with the gays.

Posted by Linus | December 12, 2007 10:00 PM

tinisoli - He may win Iowa, where his cornpone brand of Jesus-fellating piety and "average guy" know-nothingness may be a plus, but he's toast in NH and beyond.

I'm not a Huckabee supporter, but this is just rank, bigoted Lefty Christian-bashing of a sort that would have them swooning in self-righteous anger if the same was said of a black minister like MLK preaching to his less educated black kinfolk.

Nor would tinisoli be caught dead smearing "Talmud-licking manipulative Jews" in the same way, and, as some Lefties still have a lick of common sense, would not dream of going into a majority Muslim country and talk to the people about the Prophet Mohammed being a cocksucker of Allah duping the primitive Arab barbarians.

tinisoli - He is only enjoying this "surge" right now because people hate the other candidates, who have been more thoroughly perused thus far.

Uh, Cochise....this is the Republican primaries!
You may find Republicans that are disappointed with Fred Thompson, those suspicious of Romney, some dismissive of Huckabee as too down South to head a broad ticket. Some that dislike Rudy for his many flaws, and those convinced that Ron Paul is a pleasant nut. But I don't see a lot of hatred of other Republican candidates. (Except a faction that has hated McCain for years for acts of what they think is treachery, and those that hate Bush's actions without hating the man)

What rancor is there is about Hillary as duplicitous and evil-ambitious. About Edwards as the all-too-slick, smarmy lawyer. And Obama the articulate Seinfeld who is all about nothing in his past accomplishments - and everything about spouting unlimited drivel about how that makes him the best qualified candidate to be the top Executive and Commander in Chief of the country.

But when you get into hatred, many Dems openly Hate Bush. And hate one another. The Edwards people hate the Obama people, Biden people hate Edwards people and all discretely, resent and fear the Clinton machine, Hillary's! presumptiveness and are leaking like crazy about their skepticism about her actual documented evidence she was a full Co-Governor of Co-President.

Damn, Hendricks! We have to get the Board together immediately to get a new CEO. Smithers, the fat bastard, died on his Gulfstream 5 an hour ago boinking some Playmate. We have a 42 billion dollar company and have to save our stock equity with a good pick.

Well, we could go with a proven executive....but how about this, Hawthorpe? Why not go and say we are committed to real change and a new way of management and pick that bright young intern, Barry O, who speaks so well!

But Barry O has never managed anything! Not even a lemonaide stand as a kid. You're fucking nuts!

===============================
Jack - I'm praying to Mike Huckabee's god that he gets the nomination. Could you see that empty suit trying to stand up to any of the big three Dems in a debate?

I think you have the "empty suit" + the pantsuit roles reversed. The Democrats are very weak on executive management experience compared to Romney, McCain, Giuliani, AND Huckabee. Edwards was a one term Senator about to be rejected by voters when he bailed and became Kerry's pretty boy sidekick. Hillary claims she was Co-Governor and Co-President. No documentation, though. A Potemkin in Pantsuit? Obama never served in the military, never held a private sector job, and has an undistinguished record as state senator and as a 1 year Senator before he left to campaign almost all the time - and oh so articulately - for President.
Contrast the 3 with Huckabee. Leader of 3 church congregations, one with over 1,000 members with staff, bufgets and payrolls. Then 10 and one-half years as governor of Arkansas, almost as long as Clinton was, and more popular. McCain commanded a full Navy fighter squadron of men in one of the most difficult, elite jobs in the public or private sector. Giuliani also had executive experience as #3 in the Reagan DOJ, then as US Attorney for 6 years - as well as 8 years as a successful Mayor. Plus private legal practice. Romney, of course, is a phenomenal success story as an executive - which begins at 19, when leaders of his church had such confidence in his ability they appointed him leader of almost 200 Mormon missionaries overseas at 19 rather than replace the adult elder who was in a car crash and had to go back to the USA to recuperate with an elder of similar church standing.

If Hillary! is not honest about her actually being involved with Bill and his team, in most key decisions, as First Lady - this is one of the weakest fields in terms of proven executive leadership of the frontrunners the Dems have ever fielded.

Posted by Chris Ford | December 12, 2007 10:49 PM

No one ever went broke underestimating the electorate

Yeah, I remember being happy that the Republicans were dumb enough to nominate Reagan in 1980. He was an extremist, and obviously unprepared to be President. He actually thought you could recall ICBMs after launch, which would obviously make the voters soundly reject the idea of having his finger hovering over the red button. Carter was going to beat him running away...

Not that we have to go back 27 years for the lesson. The electorate not only voted for an obviously unprepared Dubya in 2000 (well, almost half of them voted that way), but they voted for him again in 2004, after he had had four years to prove not only how unprepared he remained, but also how totally uninterested he was in remedying that deficiency. Unlike Dubya, Huckabee seems to be at least somewhat intelligent, and to have some sort of work ethic. He's a Rhodes Scholar of preparedness next to Dubya, the most recent twice-elected President.

Posted by Glen Tomkins | December 12, 2007 11:57 PM

Evidently Chris Ford didn't bother to read the NY Times' description above of just what SORT of "church congregation leader" Huckabee has been -- to be precise, the stark-raving-mad variety. As for Romney's "executive experience" as "a leader of 200 Mormon missionaries": boy, what kind of intellect THAT must have taken. And Giuliani's leadership skills we're all well-qcauainted with by now, whether in making the taxpaers foot the bill for his mistress to ignoring his own aides repeatedly when they told him that Bernard Kerik had Mob connections that that it was idiotic to put the city's emergency response center in the building most likely to be attacked by terrorists.

As a side point: the last NC Senate poll -- Research 2000's -- taken just before Edwards decided to run for President instead showed him winning reelection by 8 points over Richard Burr, and a Fox News exit poll on election night 2004 ( http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137521,00.html ) indicated that he would have beaten Burr by 6 points.

Posted by Bruce Moomaw | December 13, 2007 2:20 AM

Huckabee will destroy Hillary in a primary.

No one sees it yet -- there's too much dirt on Huckabee, everyone says -- and besides, he doesn't have good policy positions.

That's what they say, anyway, forgetting that Hillary has higher negatives to start by far (still 50 percent of American public says they won't vote for her) and more years of dirt to be dug. I won't mention any of the scandals that she's been involved in -- the list would be longer than the above article on Huckabee's alleged shortcomings.

But wait. Our next president, and the next in a line of great communicators including Reagan and Clinton (though not either Bush) will be another man from Hope.

Posted by Jon Schroeder | December 13, 2007 2:56 AM

we elected a governor of Arkansas President as recently as 1992, and his tenure in office compares favorably with many of the major candidates. But "it's worth making a distinction between being qualified and being prepared" and Huckabee is woefully unprepared.

Although American anti-intellectualism currently prevents anyone from saying this in public, there is a big goddamn difference in preparedness for national and international leadership between a guy from Arkansas who graduated from Georgetown and Yale, and a guy from Arkansas who graduated from Ouachita Baptist University.

Posted by brooksfoe | December 13, 2007 2:58 AM

Hnnnm I think many of the posters need to have a good look at the President serving now. Any one of the Republican candidates could outshine Bush in a New York minute. I am never sure if Bush is really as dumb as he act, if his idealogy is so ridiculous, or if his handlers are in control and make him look truly stupid with their ideas. Bring on "anyone but Bush" and we will have a greatly improved government

Posted by mari | December 13, 2007 3:10 AM

Don't count on it, Mari:
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=e78992e9-9f90-45c9-871f-3bc5c290d0b4 .

There are even worse things out there than Bush.

Posted by Bruce Moomaw | December 13, 2007 1:17 PM

Nice list, there, Bruce. I don't see anything on it about Huckabee's son killing that dog, though.

Posted by lambert strether | December 13, 2007 11:02 PM