There are many, many reasons I cannot support Huckabee in a primary situation, regardless of his being an “Evangelical Christian” (remember, so was Jimmy Carter). I have included several links as well at the bottom of this note.

1) Governor Huckabee is NOT well versed in foreign policy

“I may not be the expert that some people are on foreign policy, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.”

This is NOT the time for a neophyte in foreign policy

· Huckabee stated in a major foreign policy speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies:

o “American foreign policy needs a change in tone or attitude”

o “This administration’s bunker mentality has been counterproductive”

o “[The administration has] done a poor job of communicating and consulting with other countries”

o He compared the US to a bully

o “Our strategic interest as the world’s most powerful country coincide with our moral obligations as the world’s richest country” (tax here and spend abroad)

o He accuses the administration of “proceeding down only one track with Iran: armed confrontation.” This is the kind of rhetoric you’d expect from DailyKos bloggers, not a
Republican presidential candidate

· Huckabee supports shutting down Guantanamo Bay to placate international critics of it

· From an editorial in National Review: (emphasis added)

“This is the kernel of Huckabee’s foreign policy. He wants to anthropomorphize
international relations and bring a Christian commitment to the Golden Rule to our affairs with other nations. As he told the Des Moines Register
the other day, ‘You treat others the way you’d like to be treated. That’s to me the fundamental issue that has to be re-established in our dealings with other countries.’

“This is deeply naïve. Countries aren’t people, and the world is more dangerous than a Sunday church social. Threats, deception, and — as a last resort — violence must play a role in international relations. Differences cannot always be worked out through sweet persuasion. A U.S.
president who doesn’t realize this will repeat the experience of President
Jimmy Carter at his most ineffectual.”

2) Governor Huckabee is NOT a fiscal conservative

“[Huckabee] says he’s pro-family. If you’re raising taxes on the families of Arkansas, causing wives to go out and get jobs to make ends meet, that’s not pro-family.” - Former Arkansas State Representative Randy Minton (R)

Can we say tax and spend conservative?

· The Cato Institute gave Huckabee an “F” for his final term as governor on its Fiscal Policy Report Card—lower than 15 of the 21 Democrat Governors: “Huckabee’s leadership has left taxpayers in Arkansas much worse off.” His overall grade as governor was a D.

· In 2003, Huckabee called a special session of the legislature to push for a tax increase to make up for spending shortfalls.

· Huckabee refused to consider a Republican proposal to cut spending and use general improvement funds (i.e., legislative pork) to make up for the budget shortfall.

· Huckabee called a 2^nd special legislative session in 2003 to pass a nearly one-cent state sales tax increase—also expanding the sales tax to include previously exempted services

· During Huckabee’s term, Arkansas showed a net tax increase of $505 million

· During Huckabee’s term, the average Arkansan’s tax burden grew over 47%

· Governor Huckabee raised more taxes in 10 years in office than Governor Bill Clinton did in his 12 years

· During Huckabee’s term, state spending more than doubled (from $6.6 billion to $16.1 billion)

· During Huckabee’s term, the state added about 8,000 full-time workers, a 19% increase

3) Governor Huckabee is NOT strong on immigration laws

"I would say that Huckabee comes from the same perspective on the issue that George W. Bush came from — that out of a strong sense of compassion, he tries to identify with someone who comes to the United States, even if they came illegally," said Steven A. Camarota, research
director for the Center for Immigration Studies.

Compassion is a wonderful Christian principle; however, it should not be an excuse for ignoring our laws

· Huckabee’s human services liaison Robert Trevino pushed for legislation to provide driver’s licenses for illegals—it was understood by legislators that he acted with the governor’s blessing

· Huckabee opposed a measure to require proof of citizenship to vote

· Huckabee supported a bill that offered illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates and made them eligible for the same merit-based scholarships to Arkansas state colleges and universities as legal citizens

· Huckabee opposed a bill that denied some state benefits to illegals and required proof of citizenship to vote—he called the measure “un-American….inflammatory….race-baiting and demagoguery.” He added that the bill “inflames those who are racist and bigots and makes them think there’s a real problem. But there’s not.”

· Huckabee criticized federal agents for a recent crackdown on illegals, saying that it wasn’t fair to the
innocent family members of those targeted in the operation.

· Huckabee promoted an “open door” policy on immigration as he addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens

4) Governor Huckabee is NOT tough on crime

"I would not deny that my sense of the reality of redemption is a factor," the former Baptist pastor said in a radio interview with KUAR in Little Rock. "And I don't know that I can apologize for that because I would hate to think of the kind of human I would be if I thought people were beyond forgiveness and beyond reformation and beyond some sense of improvement."

Redemption is also a wonderful Christian principle, but it should not override the proper punishment given out by a jury and a court

· Huckabee granted over 1,000 clemencies and commutations of criminals as governor

· Huckabee released more criminals than the combined total of every border state to Arkansas

· Huckabee issued more than double the clemencies of his three predecessors combined

· Huckabee ignored the requirement to notify victims’ families and explain the reasons for those clemencies. He said to fully explain his reasoning would cost millions of dollars and “take money away from education and Medicaid and other things.”

· Prosecutors say Huckabee was more inclined to release or reduce the sentences of prisoners if he had direct contact with them or was lobbied by those close to him

5) Governor Huckabee is NOT a strong supporter of public school reform

The New Hampshire chapter of the National Education Association (NEA) has endorsed Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee for the upcoming Primary elections. This is the first time in memory that they have recommended a Republican (in 2004 they endorsed Howard Dean)

This is worrisome as well

· Huckabee has consistently opposed virtually all proposals for education reform, including school choice vouchers

· When the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that Arkansas’ public school funding was “inequitable,” Huckabee took the ruling as a mandate to raise taxes in order to once again increase school funding…which he did

6) Governor Huckabee may have questionable ethics

Judicial Watch, a non-partisan group dedicted to fighting government
corruption, listed Huckabee among their Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians of 2007. Huckabee was one of only three Republican politicians to make the list.

Another potential problem

· During his term, Huckabee accepted 314 gifts valued overall at more than $150,000

· The Huckabees set up “wedding registries” at local department stores as he was leaving office—State ethics laws prohibited Huckabee from receiving gifts of more than $100 with an exception for “wedding gifts”

7) Governor Huckabee is seen as very beatable by the DNC

Democrat National Committee officials have already been quoted as saying that they see Huckabee as “easy kill” and refer to him as “the glass jaw — and they’re just waiting to break it.”

Can you still support him?

· The DNC has issued over 200 attack press releases on Republican candidates—only 4 on Huckabee, the last one coming 10 months ago

· From the Drudge Report 12/11/2007:

o Democrat party officials are avoiding any and all criticism of Mike Huckabee

o The DNC has told staffers to hold all fire, until he secures the party's nomination

o In the last three weeks since Huckabee's surge kicked in, the DNC hasn't released a single press release criticizing his rising candidacy

o The last DNC press release critical of Huckabee appeared back on March 2^nd

o DNC Press Release Attack Summary:

§ Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) – 37% (99 press releases)
Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) – 28% (74)
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) – 24% (64)
Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) – 8% (20)
Governor Mike Huckabee – 2% (4)

o "He'll easily be their McGovern, an easy kill," mocked one senior Democrat operative. "His letting out murderers because they shout 'Jesus', his wanting to put 300,000 AIDS patients and Magic Johnson into isolation, ain't even scratching the surface of what we've got on him."

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12430

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/NATION/111300094/1002

http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2005/06/30/News/323746.html

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8838

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZjM3Zjg5NWYxOGRkNzdmOWY3ZTU4ODQ2OGEyMzRkZmU

http://defeathuckabeeinva.wordpress.com/2008/01/03/from-a-conservative-evangelical-politically-active-father-of-four-in-arkansas/