Huckabust

Swiftboard ad

I take it this is the one in which a CIA officer claims that it took only 35 seconds for Abu Zubaydah to save American lives.

What perfect timing!

I was looking for an example of the hypocritical nature of Evangelical 'values'.

Frankly, I think I deserve credit for not calling Huckabee a cynical, morally bankrupt politician. I am far too good a person to sink to the level of such name-calling.

Who do you think is behind the fake Romney Christmas card dirty trick in South Carolina?

Joe still doesn't understand the Huckabee dynamic.

His base consists of true believers -- people who will praise Huckabee for not responding to attacks because he is following the biblical command to "turn the other cheek", and will praise him for responding to an attack at because he is acting on the "eye for an eye" bible verses.

These are people who think its a good idea to make homosexuality illegal in order to save souls, but who also think its a good idea to cut taxes on the rich despite the fact that the odds of a wealthy persons getting into heaven are the same as those of a camel passing through the eyes of a needle.

In other words, once someone has 'prayed over' their decision to support Huckabee, they aren't changing their minds.

Oh, cmon...this is just like when Hillary sends out Shaheen and Kerrey to say their pieces and then backtrack once its out there.

It's called Nixonian plausible deniability.

And it seems to be very popular with politicians from Arkansas.

Folksy Implosion, if you will.

but if we hadn't shown the ad, you would have said we didn't make it."

It actually makes sense in a perverse sort of way. Needless to say I'm not surprised.

for those of us who won't be voting republican, it's hard to decide which candidate is worse: huckabee or romney.

as bad as huckabee is, i think romney is much more dangerous. his positions on executive hepower and the constituion are abhorrent. romney is also a habitual liar and a charlatan.

huckabee is grossly misguided and poorly informed, but at least he's being himself, something romney couldn't do if his life depended on it.

I wonder what would have happened if a candidate the Villagers feel more comfortable with had pulled a similar stunt. Would the reaction have been the same? I bet if McCain had pulled this particular stunt, the press would be praising him for how cleverly he slipped this one in there.

You should have used this post as an opportunity to tell us how much of a loser John Edwards is. He's raised pretty good money today and I think another Joe Klein/Washington insider attack could really top off the day for him

No offense, Joe, but this seems like *exactly* the sort of thing the voters won't give a sh*t about, and 95% probably won't even hear about.

I don't doubt that the press were laughing their heads off (justifiably), but this seems hardly the sort of thing to cause a campaign implosion -- unless of course it's flogged on the air relentlessly for the next 48 hrs a la the "dean scream."

Hi Joey,

What's Pete Hoekstra's take on all this?

You think Rush and Ann Coulter will be upset and turn on Huckabee despite his role in letting a serial rapist get another turn at bat?

What's on for New Year's Eve this year. You guys getting together and Ben and Sally's? I understand Dean Broder makes the New Year's toast over there about not letting any more white trash destory the house of Reagan and Bush.

Or is at Andrea and Al's again? I understand Judy and Al are going to try to make it to both places.

One hopes that the Huckabee campaign will counter Romney attacks by pointing out how he used offshore corporations to avoid U.S. taxation, and fee-milked acquired businesses before firing workers and taking them into bankruptcy, to amass his great $250,000,000 wealth. (I have heard nothing about this until I discovered it quite by accident this evening.)

So, when you compare how Mr. Huckabee's visionary FairTax advocacy compares to Romney's interest in the current tax system, it's pretty easy to see who will lead us out of tax slavery - the $265 billion annual tax code compliance costs representing 5 billion wasted hours, annually.

Joey,

When do the latest Republican talking points come out?

Does Grover discuss them at New Year's Eve? Or do you get them from Rush and Ann after they recover?

I understand the thought is to try to make Bush a combination of Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Joe DiMaggio. If anyone can pull that off, it is you guys in DC.

Also, Joey, when you get a chance, can you regale us with the latest Al Bore jokes from Pete Hoekstra.

I know you are too busy to discern the difference between truth and lies -- deadlines are deadlines -- but I understand you are up for the Steno Sue award for 2007. Best of luck, old boy.

"Huckabee said, "Well, you can be cynical about this...but if we hadn't shown the ad, you would have said we didn't make it." '

...And if you're trying to show that your the sweet and kind sort of person who doesn't run negative campaign ads, why would you want to go out of your way to let the press know that you'd made such an ad?

It's a bit worrying that he doesn't even know how a decent person thinks.

On January 4th Ed Rollins "resigns" to spend more time wearing his Friday night yarmulke in his wife's luxury apartment.

Five days later he tells Chris Matthews (as who else is gonna listen to him?) that if Huckabee had implants he'd be Katherine Harris.

Joe and the reporters (notice I didn't say "other" reporters) are mightily annoyed because Huckabee thought they were stupid.
Since the vast majority of journalists haven't been doing their jobs since September 11, 2001, why are the reporters surprised?

"appears to be a monumental implosion"

Precient as ever Joe. Huck imploded into a landslide in Iowa.

About that rumbling. . . "implosion"? That's what it may have 'appeared' to be; but other senses identify it as punditry flatulence. A bipartisan phenomena.

Dear Time:
The implosion was all Joe's (again). When are you going to realize how out-of-touch, insider spoon-fed, and completely lacking in original thought this guy is? Get someone who has some principles and thinks for himself.