December 29, 2007
Huck Hearts McCain ... For Good Reason
If Mike Huckabee can defeat Mitt Romney in Iowa and John McCain dispatches the former Massachusetts governor in the Granite State, the one-two punch could knock Romney right out of the race. And Huck, by expressing his admiration for McCain last night in Ottumwa, shows plainly that he hopes the two men can do just that. Read on for the details of Huck's praise for the Arizona senator, per NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy ...
OTTUMWA, IA – After weeks of lobbing veiled criticisms towards his primary opponent in Iowa, Mike Huckabee finally invoked Mitt Romney's name here Friday night before nearly 500 supporters. Huckabee took advantage of the large crowd's enthusiasm by spending almost 45 minutes succinctly defending his record along with the record of fellow candidate John McCain, who has recently been the subject of Romney's attacks in New Hampshire.
"I'm kind of expecting to be attacked here in Iowa," Huckabee told the crowd. "We've spent one dollar for every twenty that Mitt Romney has spent in this state…and we're leading. We're ahead. And so when people get that far behind having spent that much money they get desperate. Desperate is one thing but dishonest is something else and when you get desperate and dishonest it's not a very pretty sight. But then I saw the ad that [Romney's] using against Sen. McCain in New Hampshire.
"Now folks, Sen. McCain is – I guess by many people's standards he's a rival. He's a candidate for president in the Republican Party like I am, but as I've said on national television and as I would say on any stage in America regardless of the politics John McCain is a true, honest to God American hero, and we should respect him and honor him for who he is."
Although Huckabee didn't discuss McCain's record in his speech, his campaign's senior advisor, Ed Rollins, implied afterwards that Romney's new video attacking McCain was the last straw.
"[Romney] fired on us before Christmas," Rollins said. "We thought okay, we'll finish this thing on a high note. We're winning. He fires off this terrible, distorted ad today on us again tonight. Fires off a terrible distorted ad against McCain – we sort of said, hey, there's plenty of stuff on this guy. He doesn't get to take free shots on everybody … He doesn't want to discuss his record, wants to distort ours, we're happy to discuss his record, and I think that's what the governor did tonight."
(NBC/NJ's ADAM AIGNER-TREWORGY)
Huckabee addressed Romney's criticisms issue by issue, often reiterating lines of defense he has been using for weeks but replacing the passive "my opponent" with the more pointed "Mr. Romney." He cited specific instances to refute Romney's criticisms of his record on taxes, crime, and infrastructure maintenance, even finding some time to throw some punches of his own.
"I know that Mr. Romney has said that he's pro-life, but that's a new position for him," Huckabee said towards the end of his speech. "Just before he left office he signed a health care bill that provides an elective abortion for a fifty-dollar co pay. When he tells you he only signed pro-life legislation, ask him about that.
"I'm not here tonight to be unkind, but I want to set the record straight. And today, when I realized, that it was going to be the time not just attacking me, but even attacking Sen. McCain, I thought you guys have the right to know the truth."
No telling how much of this new "truth" pitch will become a staple in Huckabee's future stump speeches. As Rollins said after the event, "Mike Huckabee runs his own campaign, and at every speech…he stands up and says what's on his mind."
Posted at 10:07 AM
Comments
I can't stand Mitt Flip Flopper Romney. He is running the most negative campaign out of any of the Republicans. Plus he distorts the truth to make himself look good. Just follow this link to see how his latest ad attacking John McCain is full of lies. http://www.factcheck.org/more_mitt_malarkey.html
imwithmmcain | 12.29.07 11:21 AM
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Only Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson and Ron Paul have the right credentials, to stop the disasterous period of red ink. Alas, we cannot trust any Democrats to stop the illegal alien invasion, because their pandering for votes during the occupation of our nation. Even McCain destroyed his chances when he joined up with ultra-liberal Ted Kennedy to pass a mammoth immigration bill. We would have had millions of illegal aliens in our Social Security system, who never paid into it.
Taxpayers must stand with any official, who is willing to go that extra mile; no matter the political consequences. Very few politicians have the backbone to consumate the majority will of THE PEOPLE. They have become panderers to corporate and globalist open-border, unfair free-traders favors. America can no longer afford the $2 trillion dollar a year, to support the pariah contractors and businesses that hire illegal immigrants. They themselves receive all the profit, and the taxpayers gets the bill for hospitals, education and the massive prison appropriations. With between 12 to 20 million illegal aliens already here, with another estimated 17 million turning up on our shores by 2010, we are forced by federal law to subsidise these low income families. Taxpayers fall for this trick all the time, because the government doesn't tell us about food stamps, subsidised housing and a whole cornicopia of other free goodies. Its so easy for the citizen-taxpayer to carry the burden of cost's while the employer walks away. Free trade entities are behind the Bush administration unfettered movement of illegal cheap, foreign labor which is undermining our citizen workers wages. Most U.S. citizens have no concept of tomorrow, with outsourcing of jobs and business to foreign lands, along with the import of millions of people who can't speak our language and most have no wish to assimulate into our society. All but a few of our presidential contenders are not multi-millionaires, that show little interest in proposing laws protect our country from a globalist agenda? Both political parties are to blame, along with the american people for allowing this International globalist plan to continue. Our Industrial base is withering, unless you prefer a service nation? Big business must be held accountable for the destruction of our living standards. Hopefully, THE PEOPLE will show their intentions, starting with the Iowa Caucases and the upcoming New Hampshire Primaries! Are we going to have more of the same, with a depletion of our wealth and an erosion of our society. Or are we going to have fair free-trade and our national borders sealed for security and our prosperity?
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
- - Abraham Lincoln
Dave Francis | 12.29.07 12:47 PM
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Both McCain and Huckabee are disasters. Neither of them are conservative and I hope voters are smart enough to realize that.
Cory | 12.29.07 01:27 PM
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Real Reason, Huckabee is bleeding bad in Iowa, new ARG poll which has a sample size 5 times larger than the latest LA Times poll that had Huckabee ahead says that the race is really Mitt at 32% and Huck at 23%... a 5 point drop for the Huckster..... Looks like his own mouth, not these attack ads is what is sinking his little ship.
SAM | 12.29.07 03:22 PM
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