Cross posted at the Partisan Report
In his book, which was released this week, chronicles the events of the campaign as well as his thoughts, feelings and opinions on it and his former rivals. In fact, his opinions are a little too forthcoming to some and many are saying he is settling old scores, or is attempting an early campaign against possible challengers. He flatly states that many of those that ran are partly to blame for the GOP’s lack of success in ‘06, ‘08 to include the presidential election. That, of course, means John McCain. During the course of the interview with CNN, Huckabee said that he would have ran a different campaign than McCain did and (lightly) criticized the Senator for suspending his campaign only to support a $700 billion dollar bailout that most in the GOP abhorred.
Here are a few excerpts from the CNN interview
On Romney: “I didn’t dislike him,” Huckabee told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview on The Situation Room. “It was a matter of [Romney] taking positions on issues that he had never taken before and at the same time, he was bashing people like me who had been consistent in our own views.”
[On Romney shifting positions once he became a candidate] “His record was anything but conservative until he changed the light bulbs in his chandelier in time to run for president.”
Huckabee also takes issue with Romney for not giving a congratulatory call to him after winning the Iowa caucus.
On Fred Thompson: “Fred Thompson never did grasp the dynamics of the race or the country, and his amazingly lackluster campaign reflected just how disconnected he was with the people, despite the anticipation and expectation that greeted his candidacy.”
Huckabee said this book was not a hit job on anyone but was trying to “tell it in the narrative of the campaign. This book says if we’re going to try to hit the reset button on the Republican Party, move forward, bring us back together and really become a majority party again…we’d better change things.”
One can only imagine had Fred Thompson dropped out before South Carolina (he received 16% of the vote) Huckabee would have more than likely carried South Carolina with the wind at his back heading into Florida. Good money is on Huckabee running again in 2012. This time, he will hardly be cash-strapped and with low national name recognition. Two things that plagued him tremendously during the primaries.
Is Huckabee grinding his ax or just being brutally honest about the GOP?
Why Hillary Clinton should decline the Secretary of State position.
Indy Mind Guest
Credible sources indicate that Obama will offer Hillary Clinton the SoS nomination after Thanks Giving. However in my personal and certainly humble assessment, is that she should decline based on her own personal desires.
Although I have not read Hillary's It Takes a Village, I do know a bit about her. Even before she became first lady, Hillary's ambition was to acquire power and make meaningful change. This is based on her thesis and speeches. Specifically she focused on children and health care as can be demonstrated by her efforts during Bill's tenure, but even then her sight was on the presidency. Her senate position was also a jockeying position for the highest position in the world. Therefore despite her failed run in 2008, based on her writings and implied ambitions one would reasonably assume that her sights are still focused on that much desired spot.
So why is declining the position prudent? The way I see it, Hillary is an a lose lose situation if she accepts.
First scenario and the one I am favoring; Obama administration will be a failure. His wealth distribution policies, anti-corporation stances, heavy taxation and obsession with "global warming" will prolong our economic plight. Although I have full trust in Obama supporters to blindly follow their fearless leader regardless of the economic landscape, enough moderates free of kool-aid in their blood will be quite remorseful of casting their vote for this man. Therefore in 2012, everything and everyone associated with the administration will be tainted and if Hillary runs then, she will be doing so from under a failed administration .
Second scenario; Obama will be a reasonable success. Despite all his ideas and plans, most of them do not materialize and the economy slowly recovers on it's own (like it should always do) and while we do not experience a full blown recovery, things improve. Because Obama is just as power hungry as Hillary - demonstrated by his hyperbolic run from community organizer to president-elect, he runs again. If he decides to run again, then it becomes virtually impossible for Hillary to challenge a sitting president.
Lastly, it takes several years for a presidential candidate to fully mount a reasonable campaign. This would mean that around 2010, Hillary will need to plan for her 2012 run. This task will be impossible to perform if she our Secretary of State.
That being said, I think she will make a fine Sos and because she has more balls than Obama, I welcome this particular move. However I am equally sure that this move by Obama is to neutralize and eliminate a Hillary Clinton 2012 run.
