December 13, 2007
Hotline After Dark -- Don't Bore The Pundits!!!
Mike Huckabee continues to make the TV rounds:
Asked about the NYT's mag piece: "The reporter was actually telling me things about the Mormon faith that I didn't know, and I was asking and even said in the story, it was innocent. I went up to Mitt Romney today. I apologized because it was not a question of his faith. It's been blown totally out of proportion. I'm glad we're going to be able to move on past this and now start talking about things that really matter to the people of this country and that's why I think I'm doing well in the polls. It's not these little dumpster diving incidents."
Asked what he said to Romney: "Well, I told him that it was absolutely just amazing to me that that was lifted out of an 8100 word story. I told him that I deeply regretted it, that I personally wanted to look him in the eye and apologize, that I never would intend to question his faith, and that I wanted him to know from me face-to-face, and his being a Mormon was neither a reason that people should vote for or against him for president. And I believe that. ... No more than people ought to vote for or against me because I'm a Baptist" ("Tucker," MSNBC, 12/12).
More on the NYT's mag story: "Actually if you'll talk to the reporter, because he was shocked that that was characterized out of an 8,100-word story, as we were, we thought, good heavens. We were having a conversation. It was over several hours, and the conversation was about religion, and he was trying to press me on my thoughts of Mitt Romney's religion. And I said I don't want to go there. I don't know that much about it. I barely know enough about being a Baptist. And I really didn't know. Well, he was telling me things about the Mormon faith, because he frankly is fairly well-schooled on comparative religions. And so as a part of that conversation, I asked the question, because I had heard that, and I asked it not to create something -- I never thought it would make the story. After the debate today I went to Mitt Romney and apologized to him, because I said, I would never try, ever, to try to somehow pick out some point of your faith and make it, you know, an issue, and I wouldn't. I've stayed away from talking about Mitt Romney's faith. And I told him face to face, I said, 'I don't think your being a Mormon ought to make you more or less qualified for being a president.' That has been my position. ... Everybody I've talked to just about wants me to come out and say something about Mitt Romney's faith. I've not taken the bait, but if I don't say something, they say that my avoiding it is really an underlying statement. If I do say anything, then I'm attacking him. So I'm not sure how to deal with that, but I certainly am not in any way getting into that. And as I said to him, I say to you, I don't think his particular religion is a factor in whether or not people should vote for him or against him."
More: "I'm trying to stay away from everything I can say. I'm being much more cautious now, because everything is being parsed. And heck, not just the things I'm saying now, but, you know, we have got a lot of people dumpster-diving right now in the political process, and they're going through every old wastebasket they can find to dig up anything I have ever said, but I understand. I went through this in Arkansas, it's part of the political process. It's not something I'm shocked by, not something I wasn't expecting" ("Situation Room," 12/12).
Huckabee also did the morning show rounds this a.m. Details will be in today's Hotline.
STILL GETTING ASKED ABOUT THE OTHER GUY
Mitt Romney was on "Hannity & Colmes":
On the debate: "This was a debate where we got a lot of discussion about issues, not a lot of peripheral things."
Asked about Huckabee in IA: "I think in Iowa Mike is the chief rival. He leads in the polls here. And so it's important to me to talk about our differences on issues. And by the way, if they like his positions, people will support him; if they like my positions, they'll support me. But then, of course, I'm also battling in New Hampshire, where it's a different array. There it's probably Rudy Giuliani and John McCain and Fred Thompson, So I've got different leading foes at each of those two early states."
Asked about Huckabee's apology: "Mike Huckabee apologized for that, if you will, sort of traditional smear on our faith. And the church also put out a statement and said that this kind of thing comes up from time to time, and that it's not an accurate perception of our faith. And Mike apologized for that. I, of course, accepted his apology. But look, we face real challenges in this country. We have different experiences among the different candidates. We have different views on issues. And we really shouldn't be attacking a person's religion in this nation. We shouldn't be dividing America based on religion. We should come together by virtue of our common belief that this is a nation of diversity and diverse personal beliefs. And I think Americans are going to ultimately shy away from any effort to define candidates based on their faith, and instead will decide who they're going to support based on their experience, and their vision, and their values."
Asked to explain Huckabee's surge: "I think he always had a good base here among evangelicals who are very interested and supportive of a Baptist minister. That gave him a good start. But, you know, I've seen some surges here before. We had the McCain surge, and that came down, as people took a closer look at his positions. And then we had the Giuliani support, and that's come down. And then the Fred Thompson surge, and that's come down. And now we have the Huckabee surge, and, I must admit, I think that as people take a close look at his record, for instance on pardons and commutations -- a thousand pardons and commutations, including 12 murderers? I gave out none as governor. And so I think as people look at our records -- spending, for instance; he went from 6.7 billion in spending up to 16 billion. My growth in spending was just over 2.2 percent, according to the Club for Growth. So, these differences, I think, will give me the support in the final analysis. I sure hope so."
Asked if he plans to run any ads on Huckabee's pardons as GOV: "You know, time will tell. There are a number of things." More: "We're going to keep our options open as to what our ads are going to look like. I haven't got any ad like that in my pocket or in the can."
On Obama: "I must admit: I find it a little surprising that a guy who has virtually no experience of an executive nature, leadership nature, never run anything, no experience of any significance in the private economy, as a state legislator. He was not doing a lot of heavy lifting in the United States Senate. He hasn't been the champion of a major piece of legislation. And somehow, because he can talk well, why, we think he can be president. I have to shake my head, because I think it takes more to be president than just being able to talk well. I think you have to show that you have a record of demonstrated success in leadership in a number of ways. And I've got to tell you, if we're going to select our nominee in the Democratic side based on the number of celebrities they know, like Oprah, it's a pretty frightening of course" (FNC, 12/12).
THIS COULD GET INTERESTING
MSNBC's Carlson: "Sources tell the program that former Vice President Al Gore ... has been talking with New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg about the possibility of a run for president." More: "I have heard from someone on, I think, fairly good authority that they are, in fact, talking and that Bloomberg has, in effect, offered Gore a spot on a ticket as an independent with him, presumably as president, and offered to bankroll to the tune of $1 billion" ("Tucker," 12/12).
"BORING" DEBATE
WashingtonPost.com's Cillizza: "I wrote that it was a debate only in the loosest definition of that word. It was really a discussion of their policy proposals and their statements on the stump, delivered one by one by one by one" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 12/12).
GOP strategist Roger Stone: "This was overall a pretty boring debate" ("Tucker," MSNBC, 12/12).
MSNBC's Carlson: "The moderate was -- she's not a great moderator. Completely overwhelmed, I thought at times" ("Tucker," 12/12).
FNC's Cameron: "This was a tame a bit of a different kind of a debate. Mike Huckabee went in the Iowa front runner and he came out virtually unscathed" ("Special Report," 12/12).
CBS' Greenfield: "Everyone expected Mitt Romney to go after the new frontrunner Mike Huckabee. Instead it was an extremely civil exchange and as far as Mike Huckabee was concerned, he used his time to inoculate himself against attacks by sounding a little bit like Barack Obama" ("Evening News," 12/12).
Columnist Charles Krauthammer: "That was not just the worst debate of 2007, that was the worst debate in western history, and that includes the ancient Greeks" ("Sprecial Report," FNC, 12/12).
CNN's Dobbs: "Today's moderator tried to eliminate two of the most important issues from that debate, Iraq and illegal immigration" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 12/12).
CNN's J. King: "Several of the campaigns complained after that the format was too restrictive, saying a little bit more interaction would help voters make their choices. No more debates, but safe to assume over the next three weeks there will be no shortage of fireworks" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 12/12).
CNN's Crowley, on Thompson refusing the hands show question: "Rebellion in the ranks. ... I think they all hate those questions where they raise their hands, first of all because they think it is really un-presidential and second of all, it doesn't really give them a chance to explain why they feel yes or no. ... I do think that Fred Thompson kind of came alive in this debate" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 12/12). [EMILY GOODIN]
Posted at 09:05 AM
Comments
Post a comment
The Watergate · 600 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-739-8400 · fax 202-833-8069
NationalJournal.com is an Atlantic Media publication.
