National Review editor Rich Lowry on the magazine's endorsement today of Mitt Romney

National Review editor Rich Lowry on the magazine's endorsement today of Mitt Romney

Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 8:21 PM

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HH: We lead off with a newsmaker today, National Review endorsing Mitt Romney on a cover story that has sent shock waves across the Republican national primary electorate. Joined now by the editor of National Review, Rich Lowry. Rich, good to have you, thanks for joining me.  

RL: Hey, Hugh, thanks for having me.  

HH: Take me inside first the process by which National Review arrived at its endorsement.  

RL: (laughing) I don't know, Hugh. It's a really tightly held process here. It's like selecting the Pope. We can't reveal too much, but… 

HH: How many people got a say in this? 

RL: Well, it's our senior editors, our publisher, our president and our Washington editor and myself. And we've been talking about it the last two weeks or so, just because this is our, through the quirks of our publication schedule, this is our last issue before people vote in Iowa and New Hampshire. So if we were going to have a say, this had to be it. So it really forced us to think about this seriously, as I hope other conservatives now are thinking about it seriously. And I think once you really consider it closely, Mitt Romney is the best choice.  

HH: Now tell me, was there division among the senior members of the board who made this decision? 

RL: You know, there was some. We have a couple of Rudy supporters, most prominently Rick Brookhiser, you know, who's going to, he is for Rudy, has been for Rudy for two years or so, or more, ever since 9/11, and that's where he is, and that's where he's going to stay. But outside of that, we coalesced around a pretty good consensus, because as I said, once you really consider it closely, I think the merits of Mitt Romney become pretty evident.  

HH: And we'll get to those in just a couple more questions. William F. Buckley, does he participate in this? 

RL: Well, you know, technically, he doesn't have a role anymore, because he no longer edits the magazine, obviously, or owns it. But you know, he obviously was clued in on this, and signed off on it.  

HH: And does he approve of Romney as well? 

RL: Yeah, I haven't talked to him in depth, you know, about his feelings about the candidates, but he was certainly on board National Review endorsing Romney. 

HH: Now let's talk a little bit about why. Give us sort of the big three reasons why Romney over everyone else.  

RL: Well, there are a couple of things, Hugh. One, as I think you know very well, the primary vehicle of conservative public policy success in the United States the last thirty, forty years has been this coalition that we have, and that National Review had a big, historic role in helping form, of free market conservatives, social conservatives, and national security hawks. You need all three. If we don't have all three, the Republicans aren't going to win elections, and we're not going to achieve any conservative goals. So I think that immediately takes off the table, even though they have their virtues and merits, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee, who have problems at sort of opposite ends of that coalition. Rudy, obviously, the social conservatives, Huckabee with economic, and maybe even foreign policy conservatives. So then you're down to three, and I think between McCain, Thompson and Romney, I think Romney is the stand out there. He agrees with us on pretty much everything now. Now of course, he changed on some issues, and that's been very emphasized in this campaign, I think somewhat unfairly. Everyone has moved to the right in this race, and that's a good thing. Mike Huckabee, as we speak, is scrambling to the right in this race. So the question is, one, if you look at Romney's record in 1994, when he was running against Ted Kennedy, that was a pretty conservative campaign, certainly in the context of Massachusetts, where he was in favor of welfare reform, and a whole host of other conservative initiatives. The big thing where he changed is abortion. And I think he's very up front about that. And the question conservatives have to have is do you believe him? Do you trust him? And I do. I don't think he's going to switch back. I think he's one of us on that issue now. And if you put that all together, together with his record as a businessman, a family man, a governor in a liberal state, I think he's got a very good package there.  

HH: Now last week, Romney gave a speech, Faith In America. I thought it was objectively a great speech, given who liked it. And the people who he touched with it are the people he needed to reach. Was the speech part of the conversation at National Review? I can't imagine it was, but I want to check, given your deadlines, et cetera. 

RL: Oh, it was. I mean, it wasn't the hugest consideration, but look, that was a big moment for Romney. And you know, if he had stumbled and fallen flat, we, you know, some of us might have said uh, do we really want to pull the trigger on this? But it was a big occasion, and he rose to it. So that did play a role. It wasn't the biggest, but it was a consideration.  

HH: Now what about management experience? A lot of people think technocratic and not connecting with people.  

RL: Yeah. 

HH: How did you guys overcome that concern? 

RL: Well, you know, he obviously does have that technocratic edge to him. I think it's good, because people are looking for competence this time around. And I think when it comes to executive experience, you know, Mitt and Rudy have the most impressive records there, and for reasons we already talked about, I think Mitt is preferable to Rudy, and a better general election candidate than Rudy. But we do, you know, we do have some advice for Mitt in this editorial. And it really is, he has to show people there is a there there. He is not just a hollow robot of a candidate. I believe he does have a political soul, we saw it in that College Station speech where he showed some passion and emotion. And I think he needs to let loose a little bit more. I don't know whether he's over-coached, or whether he's over-cautious, just given we live in a YouTube era, and what happened to his Dad. In this presidential race, he needs to let people see his core a little bit more, because he does care about this country with a passion. And I just think people need to see that.  

HH: Rich Lowry, let's talk about the electoral map. Obviously, to win in '08, Republicans either need to keep everything that Bush won in '04, or they have to add some states. Where does Romney expand the map for Republicans? 

RL: I'm not sure he expands the map much. And you know, I don't know whether there's much map expanding to be had from any of these guys. And that's part of Rudy's argument, of course, is that they can expand the map, or at least make Democrats expend resources in states where they wouldn't otherwise. But if you look at those polls in those kind of states that the Rudy people tout they'll be competitive in, like California, he still loses. It just that he loses by less of a margin than another more traditional conservative might. And at the end of the day, that doesn't get you anything.  

HH: That's right. 

RL: That doesn't get you any electoral votes. So I think Mitt, I'm not sure he expands the map, but he has a much better chance of holding the map. 

HH: I think he does take Michigan and make it competitive. I think he can take Minnesota that extra step that it needs, and Wisconsin the same way, that that Upper Midwestern roots… 

RL: It could be. Yeah, they talk about the Upper Midwest, and that he could have some appeal to that vote, those sort of folks. I haven't thought about that much, whether that's the case. 

HH: Let's talk about Mike Huckabee for a moment. Does…obviously, National Review is going to be delivered by the Romney people to every doorstep in Iowa, I think, over the next couple of weeks, and that will matter to Iowa conservatives. But Mike Huckabee's boomlet, we've got to talk about it. To what do you attribute it? 

RL: Well, it's a couple of things. One, there's obviously a kind of a built-in constituency in Iowa for a real social conservative purist with a religious edge, you know? It's why Pat Robertson got about 25% there, it's why Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer, if you add up their  vote in 2000, you know, running against George W. Bush, a social conservative Evangelical himself, they got about, you know, 25% of the vote. So there's a built-in Huck vote there. Now the thing is, is that he's obviously expanded well beyond that at the moment. And I think it's because he's likable, he's a good campaigner, and he is filling this vacuum that has always been in this race, you know, the Bill Frist, George Allen, Fred Thompson vacuum, you know, that seemed like Fred was going to fill for a while, until he disappointed once he got in. Now the thing is, if he holds that vacuum, he's going to be a real formidable candidate. But it could be, and we've had these boomlets for various candidates as we've gone through, and when people really focus on them, like they did with Fred, it's like oh, maybe I'm not so excited about him after all. I believe, I can't guarantee, but I believe that process will also take place with Huckabee. We just need to see where he hits his plateau, and I think he's going to come off of that.  

HH: Now obviously, there's a Des Moines Register debate tomorrow, and there's also a Meet the Press date for Mitt Romney with Tim Russert on Sunday. After that, given that we're into the two weeks before Christmas and New Year's, does anyone pay any attention to anything after this? 

RL: Yeah, you know, I think people will. I just think people will be doing some multi-tasking, obviously. That's preparing for the holidays, and shopping, and all the rest of it. So I don't think it goes totally dark. And I do think people will still be paying attention. But we're in uncharted territory. And I don't think anyone really knows the answer to your question.  

HH: And in terms of the economic instability we have around us, the Dow plunged 300 points today, because they wanted a half basis point, not a quarter basis point. And people are, the Wall Street Journal wrote a big story yesterday about this could be another S&L situation, or a tech boom bubble bust sort of thing. Does that play to Romney… 

RL: It does. 

HH: …and to his economic experience? 

RL: I think it does, and that's something that people haven't talked a lot about. The war on terror was obviously, and it deserves to be, a huge issue in this campaign, but it dominated the…and until a couple of weeks ago, it dominated this race. Now we're in kind of this sort of religious war, social conservative fight. But the thing that may be animating the average voter more when we get into next year is those kind of economic issues. And this is, you know, this is, I think, one of Romney's strengths, not just because he was an effective businessman, but you know, he was an effective manager of the Olympics. This is something he cares a lot about, economic growth, that he has very strong views on, and I think he has much more credibility than some of the other candidates on this stuff.  

HH: Quick last question, Rich Lowry, did Romney have a tough time selling the National Review editorial board on his chops on the war on terror?

RL: Well, we were a little concerned about some of the wiggle he demonstrated every now and then on Iraq. But at the end of the day, I think his views on foreign policy, on the war on terror, are right in the conservative mainstream. I think that's true of the three other major candidates. I might except Mike Huckabee. And the question then becomes how do you execute? Do you have skills to do this job? 

HH: And obviously, you think National Review thinks he does. Thank you very much, Rich Lowry.  

End of interview.

Huckabee's 1992 words get new attention

By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer

The U.S. shouldn't try to kill Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Mike Huckabee
declared when he first ran for office. No women in combat anywhere. No
gays in the military. No contributions in politics to candidates more
than a year before an election.

His statements are among 229 answers Huckabee offered as a 36-year-old
Texarkana pastor during his first run for political office in 1992. In
that unsuccessful race against Sen. Dale Bumpers, Huckabee offered
himself as a social conservative and listed "moral decay" as one of
the top problems facing the country.

Now that he's a front-runner for the Republican presidential
nomination, he's being asked anew about some of the views and comments
he expressed in the survey by The Associated Press. Over the weekend,
he said he wouldn't retract answers in which he advocated isolating
AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased funding for
finding a cure and said homosexuality could pose a public health risk
-- though he said today he might phrase his answers "a little
differently."

Some of the words in his answers to the questionnaire are indeed
strong.

Asked about gays in the military, for example, he didn't just reject
the idea but added: "I believe to try to legitimize that which is
inherently illegitimate would be a disgraceful act of government. I
feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle, and
we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."

Earlier this year, Huckabee said, "Nobody's going to find some YouTube
moments of me saying something radically different than what I'm
saying today."

The full questionnaire offers in written form a chance for voters to
see what he was saying as he began his political career.

In the questionnaire, he:

* Called for the elimination of political action committees and
campaign contributions from lobbyists. He also said candidates should
not be allowed to receive contributions until one year before an
election and said there should be limits on the amount of out-of-state
money they could accept., however as Arkansas governor, Huckabee formed a political action committee
based in Virginia to raise money for non-federal candidates that
allowed him to travel and raise his profile for a potential
presidential run. The Hope for America PAC shut down earlier this year
as Huckabee entered the White House race.

* Said he would not support any tax increases if elected to the
Senate. Huckabee's record of raising some taxes as Arkansas' governor
has drawn fire from fiscal conservatives in the presidential race.

* When asked whether the U.S. should take any action to kill Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein, Huckabee replied: "The U.S. should not kill
Saddam Hussein or anyone else." The U.S . military captured Saddam, an
Iraqi court convicted him and he was hanged last December.

* Rejected the idea of women in combat "because of my strong
traditional view that women should be treated with respect and dignity
and not subject to the kinds of abuses that could occur in combat."

 

...

Huckabee's vocal opposition to gay marriage and abortion have
attracted evangelical Christians' support and vaulted him to the top
of the field in Iowa.

But some of his earlier comments offer a harder-edged presentation of
those stances than he has presented as he's tried to portray himself
as a conservative who won't "scare the living daylights " out of
moderates and independents.

"I think the model he saw that had been successful in other Southern
states was this very hard right message and that's what seemed to be
the most natural for him," Hendrix College Political Scientist Jay
Barth said when asked about the AP questionnaire.

"He's become much smarter about successfully using language that
expresses views without being hard-edged," Barth said.

Now that he's a front-runner, Huckabee himself said Tuesday he
expected more attention to be paid to his years in Arkansas.

"When you're a governor for ten and half years you make thousands of
decisions every year," he said. "In office that long you're going to
have a lot of decisions people can pore through. The good thing for me
is a lot of campaigns instead of spending money on advertising or even
campaigning, since they don't seem to have a lot of activity, are
spending an enormous amount of money hiring researchers to dig through
every piece of paper that was filed in Arkansas."

Huckabee's 1992 comments on isolating AIDS patients run counter to a
statement he released last month calling for increased federal funds
to find a cure. Huckabee says the earlier remarks came at a time when
there was confusion about how AIDS could be transmitted.

He said Tuesday he would be willing to speak with the family of Ryan
White, an Indiana teenager who died of AIDS in the 1980s and whose
mother has objected to the 1992 Huckabee comments.

"It's so alarming to me," Jeanne White-Ginder said in an interview
with the AP.

...

On other subjects in the questionnaire, Huckabee: 

* Opposed passing a law that would give workers time off to care for
an ailing family member. In 1993, Congress passed the Family and
Medical Leave Act, which entitles eligible employees to take up to 12
weeks of unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, to care
for a close relative with a serious health condition or if the
employee could not work due to health problems.

Blast from the past

DEMS HOLD FIRE ON HUCKABEE; SEE 'EASY KILL' IN GENERAL ELECTION
Tue Dec 11 2007 10:27:53 ET

**Exclusive**

Democrat party officials are avoiding any and all criticism of Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee, insiders reveal.

The Democratic National Committee has told staffers to hold all fire, until he secures the party's nomination.

The directive has come down from the highest levels within the party, according to a top source.

Within the DNC, Huckabee is known as the "glass jaw -- and they're just waiting to break it."

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

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

[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)]

In fact, as the story broke over the weekend that Huckabee said he wanted to isolate AIDS patients back in 1992, the DNC ignored the opportunity to slam the candidate from the left.

"He'll easily be their McGovern, an easy kill," mocked one senior Democrat operative Tuesday morning from Washington.

"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."

The discipline the Democrats have shown in not engaging Huckabee has earned the praise of one former Republican Party official:

"The Democrats are doing a much better job restraining themselves than the GOP did in 2003 when Howard Dean looked like he was on the brink of winning the nomination."

A close friend to Huckabee explains: "Look, Mike is Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare. They should be squirming."

Developing...

Huckabee Questions Mormons' Belief

By LIBBY QUAID

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, asks in an upcoming article, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

The article, to be published in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, says Huckabee asked the question after saying he believes Mormonism is a religion but doesn't know much about it. His rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is a member of the Mormon church, which is known officially as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The authoritative Encyclopedia of Mormonism, published in 1992, does not refer to Jesus and Satan as brothers. It speaks of Jesus as the son of God and of Satan as a fallen angel, which is a Biblical account.

A spokeswoman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Huckabee's question is usually raised by those who wish to smear the Mormon faith rather than clarify doctrine.

"We believe, as other Christians believe and as Paul wrote, that God is the father of all," said the spokeswoman, Kim Farah. "That means that all beings were created by God and are his spirit children. Christ, on the other hand, was the only begotten in the flesh and we worship him as the son of God and the savior of mankind. Satan is the exact opposite of who Christ is and what he stands for."

Romney did not respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this month in Iowa, Huckabee wouldn't say whether he thought Mormonism — rival Romney's religion — was a cult.

"I'm just not going to go off into evaluating other people's doctrines and faiths. I think that is absolutely not a role for a president," the former Arkansas governor said.

While he said he respects "anybody who practices his faith," Huckabee said that what other people believe — he named Republican rivals Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton — "is theirs to explain, not mine, and I'm not going to."

He also resisted wading into theology when pressed to explain why some evangelicals don't view the Mormon faith as a Christian denomination.

Hosted by

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Today, Governor Romney has earned the endorsement of National Review, one of the most respected conservative publications in the nation.
 
Here is their endorsement:
 

 
 
Romney for President
 
NATIONAL REVIEW
By the Editors
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmMxYTUyYzA1YTk2YzE5NGVmNjc0OGFjYWJmNzMzNjI=&p=1
 
Many conservatives are finding it difficult to pick a presidential candidate. Each of the men running for the Republican nomination has strengths, and none has everything — all the traits, all the positions — we are looking for. Equally conservative analysts can reach, and have reached, different judgments in this matter. There are fine conservatives supporting each of these Republicans.
 
Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Unlike some other candidates in the race, Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited government, moral causes such as the right to life and the preservation of marriage, and a foreign policy based on the national interest. While he has not talked much about the importance of resisting ethnic balkanization — none of the major candidates has — he supports enforcing the immigration laws and opposes amnesty. Those are important steps in the right direction.
 
Uniting the conservative coalition is not enough to win a presidential election, but it is a prerequisite for building on that coalition. Rudolph Giuliani did extraordinary work as mayor of New York and was inspirational on 9/11. But he and Mike Huckabee would pull apart the coalition from opposite ends: Giuliani alienating the social conservatives, and Huckabee the economic (and foreign-policy) conservatives. A Republican party that abandoned either limited government or moral standards would be much diminished in the service it could give the country.
 
Two other major candidates would be able to keep the coalition together, but have drawbacks of their own. John McCain is not as conservative as Romney. He sponsored and still champions a campaign-finance law that impinged on fundamental rights of political speech; he voted against the Bush tax cuts; he supported this year's amnesty bill, although he now says he understands the need to control the border before doing anything else.
 
Despite all that and more, he is a hero with a record that is far more good than bad. He has been a strong and farsighted supporter of the Iraq War, and, in a trying political season for him, he has preserved and even enhanced his reputation for dignity and seriousness. There would be worse nominees for the GOP (see above). But McCain ran an ineffectual campaign for most of the year and is still paying for it.
 
Fred Thompson is as conservative as Romney, and has distinguished himself with serious proposals on Social Security, immigration, and defense. But Thompson has never run any large enterprise — and he has not run his campaign well, either. Conservatives were excited this spring to hear that he might enter the race, but have been disappointed by the reality. He has been fading in crucial early states. He has not yet passed the threshold test of establishing for voters that he truly wants to be president.
 
Romney is an intelligent, articulate, and accomplished former businessman and governor. At a time when voters yearn for competence and have soured on Washington because too often the Bush administration has not demonstrated it, Romney offers proven executive skill. He has demonstrated it in everything he has done in his professional life, and his tightly organized, disciplined campaign is no exception. He himself has shown impressive focus and energy.
 
It is true that he has less foreign-policy experience than Thompson and (especially) McCain, but he has more executive experience than both. Since almost all of the candidates have the same foreign-policy principles, what matters most is which candidate has the skills to execute that vision.
 
Like any Republican, he would have an uphill climb next fall. But he would be able to offer a persuasive outsider's critique of Washington. His conservative accomplishments as governor showed that he can work with, and resist, a Demo­crat­ic legislature. He knows that not every feature of the health-care plan he enacted in Massachusetts should be replicated nationally, but he can also speak with more authority than any of the other Republican candidates about this pressing issue. He would also have credibility on the economy, given his success as a businessman and a manager of the Olympics.
 
Some conservatives question his sincerity. It is true that he has reversed some of his positions. But we should be careful not to overstate how much he has changed. In 1994, when he tried to unseat Ted Kennedy, he ran against higher taxes and government-run health care, and for school choice, a balanced budget amendment, welfare reform, and "tougher measures to stop illegal immigration." He was no Rockefeller Republican even then.
 
We believe that Romney is a natural ally of social conservatives. He speaks often about the toll of fatherlessness in this country. He may not have thought deeply about the political dimensions of social issues until, as governor, he was confronted with the cutting edge of social liberalism. No other Republican governor had to deal with both human cloning and court-imposed same-sex marriage. He was on the right side of both issues, and those battles seem to have made him see the stakes of a broad range of public-policy issues more clearly. He will work to put abortion on a path to extinction. Whatever the process by which he got where he is on marriage, judges, and life, we're glad he is now on our side — and we trust him to stay there.
 
He still has some convincing to do with other conservatives. Romney has been plagued by the sense that his is a passionless, paint-by-the-numbers conservatism. If he is to win the nomination, he will have to show more of the kind of emotion and resolve he demonstrated in his College Station "Faith in America" speech.
 
For some people, Romney's Mormonism is still a barrier. But we are not electing a pastor. The notion that he will somehow be controlled by Salt Lake City or engaged in evangelism for his church is outlandish. He deserves to be judged on his considerable merits as a potential president. As he argued in his College Station speech, his faith informs his values, which he has demonstrated in both the private and public sectors. In none of these cases have any specific doctrines of his church affected the quality of his leadership. Romney is an exemplary family man and a patriot whose character matches the high office to which he aspires.
 
More than the other primary candidates, Romney has President Bush's virtues and avoids his flaws. His moral positions, and his instincts on taxes and foreign policy, are the same. But he is less inclined to federal activism, less tolerant of overspending, better able to defend conservative positions in debate, and more likely to demand performance from his subordinates. A winning combination, by our lights. In this most fluid and unpredictable Republican field, we vote for Mitt Romney.

9th Republican Debate

MODERATOR: The next question is for Governor Romney. The same thing: Why has the Hispanic support for Republicans declined?

ROMNEY: You know, I think Republicans went to Washington with the expectations of the whole world that we would change Washington.

And in many respects, as has been said by many people, Washington changed Republicans. And when Republicans act like Democrats, America

loses.

Republicans spent too much money, and we let down our ethical standards. And so, Hispanics, along with other people in this

country, want to see change. I (inaudible) the Republican Party can connect with Hispanic

voters, like other Americans, because there are some peculiar connections between our party and the Hispanic people.

One, Hispanic Americans serve in the military and care about our military. We salute them for their service right now. And we'll

strengthen the military. If I'm president, I'm going to add at least 100,000 troops to our military.

Secondly, Hispanic Americans are entrepreneurs and business people. And I know how to build our economy. I'm going to keep our

taxes down and make sure that our economy grows and thrives.

ROMNEY: And, third, Hispanic Americans are family-oriented and people of faith. I'm going to strengthen America's families. And so

my platform, this Republican platform, connects with Spanish -- Hispanic Americans from across the country.

(APPLAUSE)

MODERATOR: Governor Romney, (inaudible) to be here and (inaudible). Do you think that you're taking a risk to come here to

lose support from the more conservative base in your party?

ROMNEY: I don't think so at all. I think Americans across the country of all ethnicities recognize that we are a great, pluralistic society. That statue you have on the screen behind us, that light that shine out for the entire world said, "This is an unusual land. This is a land that welcomes people of all backgrounds, of all ethnicities, of all nations; welcomes them here to this great land."

(APPLAUSE)

And she said that God gave to the individual certain inalienable rights. And that changed the relationship between the state and the citizen.

It said that the citizen was the sovereign and the state was not. And that changed the entire world. People came here for opportunity.

And our party is a party of opportunity. We stand for strength in our home. We stand for strength in our economy. We stand for strength in our military, so we defend our values, and so of course Republicans are going to come and speak to Hispanic Americans in the language they understand best, so we can get their votes and they can understand that we are the party of strength and the party of freedom.

ROMNEY: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Governor Romney, the question is: Why not legalize some undocumented aliens if they comply with the requirements, if they meet certain requirements?

ROMNEY: You know, I have the occasion to talk to people who have loved ones that are hoping to come to this country, to be reunited with family members. And they're staying in their home countries applying legally. I believe that those people ought to be the first

ones to get to come to this country. Those who have come illegally,

in my view, should be given the opportunity to get in line with

everybody else, but there should be no special pathway for those that

have come here illegally to jump ahead of the line or to be come

permanent residents or citizens. They should be treated like

everybody else who wants to come to this country.

ROMNEY: I think we ought to secure our border, we ought to have

an employment verification system to know who's here legally and

illegally, and recognize that legal immigration is an extraordinary

source of great capability and vitality for our country. We welcome

the cultures that come here, the education, the work ethic, the family

values. We're going to protect legal immigration. At the same time,

we're going to enforce the law, show that we're a nation of laws, and

welcome the people who have been standing in line first.

Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Governor Romney, some days ago you fired a company that used to

take care of your landscaping because supposedly they were hiring

undocumented workers.

The question is this, did you report, officially, that the people

or the company to immigration authorities? And do you think that

should others report undocumented aliens, the people that you suspect

are undocumented?

ROMNEY: You know, we're a very compassionate people. We're also

a people who follow the law. And the landscaper at my home is an old

friend, and when he made a mistake the first time, I told him in no

uncertain terms, you have to make sure that anybody that works on my

property and walks on my property is a legal individual.

And he did his best, but he made a mistake. And apparently, two

people he had there were not legal. And I told him that's it, and we

terminated that relationship. And I think everybody in the country

understands who those folks are. It became a big news story.

But let's underscore something here, which is that employers like

this landscape company, and he's Hispanic American, he doesn't have a

way to determine whether the people he's hiring are legal or illegal.

Isn't it amazing in this country, with the fact that American Express

or Visa or Mastercard can tell you that fast whether the card is

authorized or not.

We don't know who's here legally or not. That's why we need an

employment verification system to identify the fact that legal aliens

that come here are legal, are entitled to work. And that's something

I'm going to get done so our employers know who's here legally and we

welcome people who want to come work in this country.

Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

MODERATOR: Governor Romney, we would like to know -- see what

your opinion -- what's going to happen to the children who are being

separated from their families?

ROMNEY: We're going to finally have a system that welcomes

people here legally, and that says that those that have come here

illegally are invited to get in line with everybody else.

And the Constitution, as Senator Thompson has indicated,

indicates that those that are born here do become United States

citizens by virtue of being born here.

But if they're born here from parents who come across the border

illegally and bring them here illegally, in my view, we should not

adopt, then, these chain migration policies that say, you've got a

child here that's a U.S. citizen, and the whole family can come in.

ROMNEY: That, in my opinion, is a mistake.

We are a nation of laws. And you're correctly going through each

part of immigration policy here. But let's underscore this one more

time: We are, in this audience, almost every person here, an

individual who came to this country because it's a land of opportunity

and liberty.

We also, because we have laws, can have opportunity and liberty.

We're going to enforce the laws. Welcoming people here -- we're not

going to cut off immigration; we're going to keep immigration alive

and thriving.

But we're going to end the practice of illegal immigration. It's

not inhumane. It's humanitarian. It's compassionate. We're going to

end illegal immigration to protect legal immigration.

MODERATOR: Thank you.

ROMNEY: Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

MODERATOR: Governor Romney, what would you do differently that

has not been done so far?

ROMNEY: Well, first of all, you've got to think about who Castro

is, and who Raul Castro is as well.

ROMNEY: We call them strongmen -- dictators, authorative

totalitarian leaders. And yet these are individuals who are not

strong. Look at what they have done? Brothers to the rescue. They

shoot a small aircraft out of the sky. People wearing a wristband

that says "change," are arrested -- 25 of them just for wearing a

wristband; a Catholic church is edited and people are terrified

because a priest is just speaking his sermon.

These people, these Castro brothers are cowards, and we have to

recognize they are cowards.

(APPLAUSE)

And for that reason, the course for America is to continue our

isolation of Cuba. It is not to say, as Barack Obama on the

Democratic side said, that he would dignify the Castros with a

personal visit to Cuba. That's not the way to go. Instead, it's to

bring our friends together to isolate Cuba, to put together a strategy

that helps all of Latin America, weakens Hugo Chavez who is propping

up Castro.

ROMNEY: We need a Latin American policy that frees Cuba and that

eliminates a threat of people like Hugo Chavez.

(APPLAUSE)

MODERATOR: Governor Romney, for how long would we need to leave

our troops in Iraq?

ROMNEY: Let's talk about our mission there. This is not just

about strategy and allies. It's not about oil. It's not about just

the economy. It's not just about standing up for the fact that we've

been there for a long time.

It's about human lives.

ROMNEY: What we're doing in Iraq relates to protecting the lives

of American citizens, here, around the world. It relates to lives

throughout the world. It relates to dignity and freedom.

We're in Iraq because we want to make sure that Iraq does not

become what Afghanistan was. What Afghanistan was under the Taliban

was a place that they could recruit and train and launch attacks

against us on 9/11, and other attacks throughout the world.

The Khobar Towers, our embassies in Africa, the USS Cole -- they

were launching attacks. The last thing America could stand for, the

last thing we could do with the human lives that are so precious,

would be to have Iraq become an Afghanistan. Fortunately, the surge

is working. It's going to keep that from happening. We're going to

have stability and security there and American lives will be saved by

virtue of the extraordinary sacrifice of American servicemen.

(APPLAUSE)

MODERATOR: Governor Romney, what should we do with all the

millions of people who are not insured?

ROMNEY: Well, I think I'm probably the only person on the stage

and the only governor that actually stopped talking about getting

health care for everybody and actually got the job done.

Working with people across the aisle, we said: Enough is enough.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, we're up here talking about all sort of ideas about tax

credits and deductions, and my program has a deduction as well. We

talk about prevention and people being health.

But, look, the best kind of prevention you can have in health

care is to have a doctor. And if someone doesn't have a doctor,

doesn't have a clinic they can go to, doesn't have health insurance to

be able to provide the prescription drugs they need, you can't be

healthy. And you need to have health insurance for all of our

citizens.

And I found a way to do that without requiring raising taxes,

without a government mandate, without a government takeover. Instead,

I didn't want to have a -- when I said government mandate, I meant

employer mandate. Instead, we have personal responsibility. We

allowed individuals to buy their own policies.

ROMNEY: Those that couldn't afford them, we helped them buy

their policies. And you know what? It cost us no more money to help

people buy insurance policies that they could afford than it was

costing us before, handing out free care.

We Republicans can get everybody insured. Let's get it done.

(APPLAUSE)

Governor Romney, how can we improve education -- public education

in this country?

ROMNEY: Well, we've got a pretty good model. If you look at my

state, even before I got there, other governors and legislatures

worked real hard to improve education. And they did a number of

things that made a big difference.

One is, they started testing our kids to see who was succeeding,

making sure that failing schools were identified and then turning them

around. They fought for school choice. When I became governor, I had

to protect school choice because the legislature tried to stop it.

And then we also fought for English immersion. We wanted our

kids coming to school to learn English from the very beginning. And

then we did something that was really extraordinary. We said to every

kid that does well on these exams that we put in place before you can

graduate from high school, we're going to give you a John and Abigail

Adams scholarship, four years tuition-free to our state university or

state colleges for all the kids that graduate in the top quarter of

their class.

We care about the quality of education. I want to pay better

teachers more money. Teachers are underpaid, but I want to evaluate

our teachers and see which ones are the best and which ones are not.

(APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: And let me tell how our kids are doing. Every two

years, we test the kids across the country, the NAPE exam. Our kids

-- my kids came out number one in English in fourth and eighth grade,

number one in math. In all four tests, our kids came out number one

in the nation.

These principles of choice, parental involvement, encouraging

high standards, scholarships for our best kids -- these turn our

schools into the kind of magnets that they can be for the entire

nation.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Governor.

(APPLAUSE)

We're going to continue talking about education. One our of

three Hispanic students don't finish high school.

Senator McCain, your vision of Hispanics in the future.

ROMNEY: America needs all Americans. We're in a time of real

need. We're the strongest nation on Earth; we're the hope of the

Earth. But we face some extraordinary challenges -- global jihadists,

violent jihadists, who want to bring down our nations and other

nations.

We face, as well, tough new competition coming from places like

China and India, unlike anything we've known before.

We spend way too much money in Washington, particularly on

entitlements that are growing more and more weighty on us.

ROMNEY: We have extraordinary challenges culturally as people

are deciding to have kids without being married. There are all sorts

of challenges in our country. And right now, we need to do what

Ronald Reagan did, which is call on America's strength.

As he faced the difficulties of the last century, he said, let's

have a strong military and a strong economy that can outcompete the

Russians. And let's make sure we have strong values and confidence in

ourselves.

The Hispanic community, like all other communities in this great

nation, need to come together and strengthen America. Because this is

the land of the brave and the home of the free. And Hispanics are

brave and they are free, as are all of the people of this great

nation.

Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Hotair

I leave you with this, from the LA Times's report on the Dumond case. The left wants to believe Huck went to bat for Dumond because one of his victims was related to Bill Clinton. The truth seems to be something different:

[Pastor Jay] Cole, meanwhile, was working to help DuMond. Cole said he talked to "probably a hundred people" about his hope of winning DuMond's release, turning foremost to the evangelical community. He said many evangelicals were encouraged that DuMond had claimed a religious conversion, and that many joined Cole in writing to Huckabee about DuMond's situation.

The clincher, he said, was their belief that DuMond had been "saved."

disturbing evidence

The evidence is mounting and it's becoming clearer and clearer that Huckabee is guilty of religious nepotism to the exclusion of a safe society. You probably saw my post about the fact that rapist turned murderer Wayne Dumond was paroled largely because Huckabee and Dumond's pastor believed that he had been "Born Again"

But now there's more disturbing evidence:

Gov. Huckabee probably never read the confession of a demented killer named Glen Green before he made the monster eligible for parole.

Green's confession is so depraved, its sadistic details so scary that no sane, responsible adult would consider him for parole.

If the governor didn't read the confession, he is guilty of dereliction of duty.

But if he read the confession and still considers Green deserving of parole, he's certainly unfit to hold office. Who would free a madman who beat an 18-year-old woman with Chinese martial-arts sticks, raped her as she barely clung to life, ran over her with his car, then dumped her in the bayou . . .

In usual fashion, Huckabee's office didn't even contact the victim's family about the clemency.

Although he's required to by the Constitution, the governor, as is his custom, won't say why he granted clemency to this crazed killer (over the unanimous objections of the Post-Prison Transfer Board).

Huckabee apparently listened to Green's minister (and a friend of the governor), who thinks the murder was an accident and Green was forced to confess.

The Jacksonville police, who arrested Green in 1974 after a witness linked him to the crime, think the minister and Huckabee are both delusional, which is the mildest epitaph we can print.

This old police reporter knows a genuine confession when he sees one, and Green's depravity has the ring of truth.

The full story has more disturbing details. Another report confirms the veracity of these claims. And the Parole Board's recommendation that this request for Clemency was "Without Merit" . . . but that didn't stop Huckabee from taking the word of this killers Minister over the professionals.

P.S. I'm getting this stuff from a thread at Race 4 2008 where a well-known Fred Thompson Supporter (Tommy Oliver) is posting the links in the following comment thread (Look's like Fred's Opposition Research Team as been working overtime, eh?)

Update: HUCKABEE EVEN ADMITS TO FACTORING IN RELIGIOUS "REDEMPTION" INTO HIS CLEMENCY/PARDON DECISIONS.

Huckabee says redemption a factor in clemency decisions
Thursday, Jul 22, 2004

By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that his religious background and belief in redemption played a key role in the high number of state prisoners he has pardoned or turned loose early.

"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."

. . .

Huckabee two weeks ago issued proclamations granting clemency for Denver Witham, who is serving life in prison for a 1974 murder in Saline County, and for John H. Claiborne, who is serving 375 years in prison for a 1994 kidnapping and armed robbery conviction in Pulaski County. Both men are still in state custody and are waiting parole hearings before the state Post Prison Transfer Board. A board spokeswoman said those hearings probably would be in August.

Jegley said last week that he decided to write Huckabee after talking to the son of the victims who were kidnapped and robbed by Claiborne.

The son said his mother is still alive and is "scared to death" that Claiborne may be released soon, Jegley said.

Based on information from the secretary of state's office, Jegley said Huckabee has granted 669 clemencies since he became governor in 1996. The previous three governors, Bill Clinton, Frank White and Jim Guy Tucker, granted a total of 507 clemencies during their 18 years in office, he said.
I wonder how many of Huck's Clemency's were based on the word of Muslim Clerics that the violent criminals had "found religion" in Islam . . . or did non-Christian or even non-Born Again Evangelical converts face a "need not apply" policy for clemency? Would be interesting to know, eh?

Mike Huckabee: "take this nation back for Christ"

http://www.newsweek.com/id/74472/output/print

The man he is now trailing in Iowa is smooth on the campaign circuit, appealing to conservative Christians without alienating other kinds of voters. How long this will last is an open question. Huckabee the front runner is only now beginning to face new scrutiny. A speech he gave in 1998 is likely to come up again. Addressing Southern Baptist pastors gathered at the Salt Palace Convention Center, Huckabee, then governor of Arkansas, said that he "got into politics because I knew government didn't have the real answers, that real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives … I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ."

More detailed coverage at the time it happened is here:

http://www.ardemgaz.com/prev/jonesboro/afhuckabee08.asp

Side note:  Many will remember that this 1998 meeting of Baptists in Salt Lake City where Huckabee spoke had the intent of proselytizing Mormons to become "Born Again"

That Huckabee, as a Political figure (governor at the time) would participate in a convention in Utah with such anti-Mormon messaging may tell us where he really stands on Mormonism.

More coverage of the convention here.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1998/06/06/MN78538.DTL

http://www.baptiststandard.com/1998/5_6/pages/sbc_groups.html

http://cnview.com/news_service/cnv_may_1998.htm
Two religions are colliding in Salt Lake City. More than 10,000 Southern Baptists are invading the Mormon stronghold during their annual convention June 9-11. The meeting takes place in the Salt Palace Convention Center, across the street from the Mormon Temple.

...The convention is almost secondary to what is going on around it. Baptists are evangelizing the city with an extensive campaign before and after the meeting. Some 3,000 Baptists are canvassing 140,000 homes door-to-door in 18 neighborhoods. (Excerpts from Religion News Today)

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9403E3D7163DF937A25755C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

http://www.shields-research.org/Critics/SBC.html

http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RIN%20Vol.1No.2/salt_lake.htm

Mitt Romney's Faith in America

Faith in America

by Mitt Romney

"Thank you, Mr. President, for your kind introduction.

"It is an honor to be here today. This is an inspiring place because of you and the First Lady and because of the film exhibited across the way in the Presidential library. For those who have not seen it, it shows the President as a young pilot, shot down during the Second World War, being rescued from his life-raft by the crew of an American submarine. It is a moving reminder that when America has faced challenge and peril, Americans rise to the occasion, willing to risk their very lives to defend freedom and preserve our nation. We are in your debt. Thank you, Mr. President.

"Mr. President, your generation rose to the occasion, first to defeat Fascism and then to vanquish the Soviet Union. You left us, your children, a free and strong America. It is why we call yours the greatest generation. It is now my generation's turn. How we respond to today's challenges will define our generation. And it will determine what kind of America we will leave our children, and theirs.

"America faces a new generation of challenges. Radical violent Islam seeks to destroy us. An emerging China endeavors to surpass our economic leadership. And we are troubled at home by government overspending, overuse of foreign oil, and the breakdown of the family.

"Over the last year, we have embarked on a national debate on how best to preserve American leadership. Today, I wish to address a topic which I believe is fundamental to America's greatness: our religious liberty. I will also offer perspectives on how my own faith would inform my Presidency, if I were elected.

"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adams' words: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.'

"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.

"Given our grand tradition of religious tolerance and liberty, some wonder whether there are any questions regarding an aspiring candidate's religion that are appropriate. I believe there are. And I will answer them today.

"Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for President, not a Catholic running for President. Like him, I am an American running for President. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith.

"Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin.

"As Governor, I tried to do the right as best I knew it, serving the law and answering to the Constitution. I did not confuse the particular teachings of my church with the obligations of the office and of the Constitution – and of course, I would not do so as President. I will put no doctrine of any church above the plain duties of the office and the sovereign authority of the law.

"As a young man, Lincoln described what he called America's 'political religion' – the commitment to defend the rule of law and the Constitution. When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your President, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.

"There are some for whom these commitments are not enough. They would prefer it if I would simply distance myself from my religion, say that it is more a tradition than my personal conviction, or disavow one or another of its precepts. That I will not do. I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers – I will be true to them and to my beliefs.

"Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience. Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world.

"There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.

"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.

"I believe that every faith I have encountered draws its adherents closer to God. And in every faith I have come to know, there are features I wish were in my own: I love the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass, the approachability of God in the prayers of the Evangelicals, the tenderness of spirit among the Pentecostals, the confident independence of the Lutherans, the ancient traditions of the Jews, unchanged through the ages, and the commitment to frequent prayer of the Muslims. As I travel across the country and see our towns and cities, I am always moved by the many houses of worship with their steeples, all pointing to heaven, reminding us of the source of life's blessings.

"It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it's usually a sound rule to focus on the latter – on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.

"We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They are wrong.

"The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust.

"We should acknowledge the Creator as did the Founders – in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'

"Nor would I separate us from our religious heritage. Perhaps the most important question to ask a person of faith who seeks a political office, is this: does he share these American values: the equality of human kind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty?

"They are not unique to any one denomination. They belong to the great moral inheritance we hold in common. They are the firm ground on which Americans of different faiths meet and stand as a nation, united.

"We believe that every single human being is a child of God – we are all part of the human family. The conviction of the inherent and inalienable worth of every life is still the most revolutionary political proposition ever advanced. John Adams put it that we are 'thrown into the world all equal and alike.'

"The consequence of our common humanity is our responsibility to one another, to our fellow Americans foremost, but also to every child of God. It is an obligation which is fulfilled by Americans every day, here and across the globe, without regard to creed or race or nationality.

"Americans acknowledge that liberty is a gift of God, not an indulgence of government. No people in the history of the world have sacrificed as much for liberty. The lives of hundreds of thousands of America's sons and daughters were laid down during the last century to preserve freedom, for us and for freedom loving people throughout the world. America took nothing from that Century's terrible wars – no land from Germany or Japan or Korea; no treasure; no oath of fealty. America's resolve in the defense of liberty has been tested time and again. It has not been found wanting, nor must it ever be. America must never falter in holding high the banner of freedom.

"These American values, this great moral heritage, is shared and lived in my religion as it is in yours. I was taught in my home to honor God and love my neighbor. I saw my father march with Martin Luther King. I saw my parents provide compassionate care to others, in personal ways to people nearby, and in just as consequential ways in leading national volunteer movements. I am moved by the Lord's words: 'For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me...'

"My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the self-same as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency.

"Today's generations of Americans have always known religious liberty. Perhaps we forget the long and arduous path our nation's forbearers took to achieve it. They came here from England to seek freedom of religion. But upon finding it for themselves, they at first denied it to others. Because of their diverse beliefs, Ann Hutchinson was exiled from Massachusetts Bay, a banished Roger Williams founded Rhode Island, and two centuries later, Brigham Young set out for the West. Americans were unable to accommodate their commitment to their own faith with an appreciation for the convictions of others to different faiths. In this, they were very much like those of the European nations they had left.

"It was in Philadelphia that our founding fathers defined a revolutionary vision of liberty, grounded on self evident truths about the equality of all, and the inalienable rights with which each is endowed by his Creator.

"We cherish these sacred rights, and secure them in our Constitutional order. Foremost do we protect religious liberty, not as a matter of policy but as a matter of right. There will be no established church, and we are guaranteed the free exercise of our religion.

"I'm not sure that we fully appreciate the profound implications of our tradition of religious liberty. I have visited many of the magnificent cathedrals in Europe. They are so inspired ... so grand ... so empty. Raised up over generations, long ago, so many of the cathedrals now stand as the postcard backdrop to societies just too busy or too 'enlightened' to venture inside and kneel in prayer. The establishment of state religions in Europe did no favor to Europe's churches. And though you will find many people of strong faith there, the churches themselves seem to be withering away.

"Infinitely worse is the other extreme, the creed of conversion by conquest: violent Jihad, murder as martyrdom... killing Christians, Jews, and Muslims with equal indifference. These radical Islamists do their preaching not by reason or example, but in the coercion of minds and the shedding of blood. We face no greater danger today than theocratic tyranny, and the boundless suffering these states and groups could inflict if given the chance.

"The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed.

"In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion – rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith.

"Recall the early days of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, during the fall of 1774. With Boston occupied by British troops, there were rumors of imminent hostilities and fears of an impending war. In this time of peril, someone suggested that they pray. But there were objections. 'They were too divided in religious sentiments', what with Episcopalians and Quakers, Anabaptists and Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Catholics.

"Then Sam Adams rose, and said he would hear a prayer from anyone of piety and good character, as long as they were a patriot.

"And so together they prayed, and together they fought, and together, by the grace of God ... they founded this great nation.

"In that spirit, let us give thanks to the divine 'author of liberty.' And together, let us pray that this land may always be blessed, 'with freedom's holy light.'

"God bless the United States of America."

Chris Wallace is wrong.

McCain has voted to give social security benefits to immigrants who were here illegally - even if they are now in Mexico. This was a big deal and I thought FReepers would have a long enough memory not to forget.

Sen. McCain voted in favor of a motion to table the Ensign amendment (SA 3985) to S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 . The Ensign amendment (submitted for himself, Sen. Santorum, and Sen. Inhofe), would have prohibited the payment of Social Security benefits based on quarters of coverage earned by an individual who has not at some point had a valid Social Security number. This would have addressed part of the problem of aliens getting Social Security credit for work performed while they were illegally present in the United States (aliens who came in on temporary work visas, but overstayed their visas, would continue to get credit for all work performed, including after they became illegal). The motion to table the Ensign amendment passed by a vote of 50 to 49, effectively killing the amendment. http://profiles.numbersusa.com/improfile.php3?DistSend=AZ&VIPID=33

The King of Clemency: the Serious Consequences of Huckabee's Leniency

The King of Clemency: the Serious Consequences of Huckabee's Leniency

John Aravosis at AMERICAblog.com has the story.

He's had the story up since Wednesday. I don't know how this has not gotten out!

The author starts with this case of Eugene Fields.

EUGENE FIELDS: JAILED FOR DWI IN 2003, SENTENCE COMMUTED IN 2004, ARRESTED FOR DWI IN 2006:

Eugene Fields Sentenced to Six Years For Fourth-Offense DWI. Eugene Fields was originally sentenced in August 2001 for his fourth DWI and began serving his six year sentence in May 2003, after the state Court of Appeals upheld his conviction.

Previous convictions against Fields were in 1996, 1998 and 1999. [www.myeyewitnessnews.com, 4/13/06; Associated Press, 4/14/06, 2/25/04, 2/27/04]

This guy has a real problem! His fourth DWI! Let him sit it out for six years.

2004: Huckabee Commutes Fields' Sentence, Saying Keeping Fields in Prison "Serves No Further Purpose." Huckabee said through a spokesman, "Eugene Fields requested clemency before going to prison. He deserved to spend time in jail. He has completed an alcohol rehabilitation program and has been a model prisoner. There's a critical shortage of prison bed space. Keeping him there serves no further purpose." [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2/28/04]*

So, he started serving his sentence in May of 2003. And he finished his six-year sentence in early 2004? Come on, Huck.

Huckabee Was Heavily Criticized By MADD and Families of Drunk Driving Victim For Giving Fields Clemency. In 2004, Teresa Belew, state president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, sent Huckabee a letter asking him to change his mind about giving clemency to Eugene Fields of Van Buren.

"It is important that the process begun by law enforcement officers such as those we honored today be supported," Belew wrote in to Huckabee. "As our governor, your decision at this point in the process is strategic to ensuring that the process works." She wrote that Fields was to blame for making "continued choices to drink and drive."

The guy is a dangerous and highly irresponsible.

Paul Leopoulos, whose 17-year-old daughter, Thea, was a youth activist for MADD before her death in a car crash, said he was "blown away" by the governor's intentions in the Fields case. "I'm sorry. That's saying to everybody else ... 'you can continually do it and they'll slap your hand,'" said Leopoulus. [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2/28/04; Associated Press, 2/27/04]*

You're right, Paul. That's all Huck--Mr. Anything But Tough on Crime--did. A little hand slap.

Huckabee's Motives Questioned by Prosecutor. Prosecutor Marc McCune questioned Huckabee's motives in the Fields case. "[Fields] has not served one-sixth of his time, and the governor is already trying to give him clemency," McCune said. "It may be because he's a wealthy businessman in Van Buren or the governor is taking a light stand on DWI's. I don't know." Fields owned a shopping center in Van Buren, Arkansas and was involved in real estate developments in Rogers and in Texas. [Associated Press, 2/25/04, 2/27/04]*

He served less than one year, and got out. Just possibly, his standing as a wealthy guy made a difference. What do you think?

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Editorial: Huckabee Sent An "Unmistakable" Message with Drunk Driving Clemency.: "Drive Drunk And He'll Commute Your Sentence."

According to an editorial in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Governor Mike Huckabee "commuted the sentence of a Van Buren man-Eugene Fields, a shopping center developer-who'd been convicted of drunk driving four times. When the Guv does something like this, his message is unmistakable: Drive drunk and he'll commute your sentence. At least if you're a shopping center developer from Van Buren. It's a message he shouldn't be sending." [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 4/17/04]

Not good, Guv Huck. Bad message to send--especially to young people.

2006: Fields Arrested Again. In April 2006, Eugene Fields pleaded guilty to driving drunk again. Barling Police Chief John Roth said Fields was arrested on a driving-while-intoxicated charge on the evening of April 4 after almost crashing head-on into police officer Kevin Dugan on Arkansas 59.

#5. What a surprise!

When Fields was arrested again in 2006, Huckabee said he was disappointed with Fields' actions. "Mr. Fields has broken all trust and deserves the full penalty the law allows," the governor said. "Not everyone does right, but when a person fails a second chance he forfeits a future one." [www.myeyewitnessnews.com, 4/13/06; Associated Press, 4/14/06, 2/25/04, 2/27/04; Arkansas Democratic-Gazette, 4/14/06]

Finally disappointed, Mike?

Fields didn't fail his 2nd chance, Huckabee. He failed his FOURTH chance. He didn't deserve that FOURTH chance.

Huck was Mr. Nice Guy, handing out clemency like it was candy. This results from bad judgment.

This demonstration of pathetic judgment transcends Wayne DuMond and Mr. Fields. Remember, Governor Huckabee released (on average) one felon every five days !

Update: I googled this Eugene Fields character and found this story at ArkansasTonight.com:

The director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving criticized Gov. Mike Huckabee after a four-time DWI offender to whom the governor granted executive clemency two years ago recently pleaded guilty to driving drunk.

Eugene Fields, 67, of Fort Smith was arrested April 4 (2006) in Barling and charged with DWI and refusing to take a blood alcohol breath test. He pleaded guilty Friday to DWI in Barling District Court.

According to Rebecca Walsh…

… Anyone who says that they believe in Jesus, and doesn't mention atheist along as one of the 3 best parts of America's "faith tradition" is "propping up bigots"…

I know it sounds like I am exaggerating, but that is exactly what Ms (assumption) Walsh says. She uses these two facts 1. Romney mentioned that he believed in Jesus Christ, 2. Romney did not mention atheist in his speech about RELIGION, and so he is "propping up bigots"…

Listen to the hatred directed at Romney for these two unforgivable sins:

1. Romney, "reduced to a faith litmus test"
2. Said; "God bless America" at the end of his speech (which of course Bill Clinton also said at the end of his speeches)
3. Presented an "arbitrary world-religions spectrum" (is their a non arbitrary world-religion spectrum)
4. "dispatched American nonbelievers with a sentence"

Lets think about this logic for a second, because it is the same logic everyone on hot air is using… Romney never said anything bad about atheist… that's the problem, according to Rebecca and Michele Malkin and Rebecca… Romney is "propping up bigots" because he didn't mention atheist in his list of 3 specific religions that he mentioned as examples of contributing to America's "faith tradition".

Lets continue the list of Romney's unforgivable sins…

5.   "made himself a supplicant to Jesus Christ" (they have been asking what Romney believes for 16 months and now that he says he believes in Jesus he has "made himself a supplicant to Jesus Christ)

 

6.   "pandering to the Moral Majority by infusing government with Judeo-Christian values and practices". So this would be bad? Why would this be bad? She does not like "Judeo-Christian values"? The only practices Romney advocated was that we allow god to stay on our currency, and allow Hanukkah and Christmas stuff. See that is the thing. These people are totally distorting what Romney said. No worse than distorting, they are totally lying about what he said.

 

7.   "According to the Romney-Bush version of this country's past and present, the president is "Believer in Chief." Is that what Romney said? Of course Ms. Walsh is going to give you a link to the speech, so you can decide for yourself right? Right? Nope.

 

8.   Made, "no more private prayer in American politics." Have you ever seen Romney pray in private? Is she saying that she is un-aware that the supreme court, and congress have always had "public prayer". See this is how stupid this stuff gets.

 

9. "  Romney seemed to miss the part where he was a victim in all this. He rightly confronted persistent, virulent bigotry against Mormons. At the same time, he propped up the very bigots who forced his speech in the first place." How does Romney prop "up the very bigots who forced his speech in the first place." America can keep "in god we trust" on our money and still elect those who are from religions minorities. Ms. Walsh believes that America must become totally secular in order for religious minorities to have rights. She believes this as a matter of faith. This is her religion, because she never gives any reasons to agree with her, trying to use logical arguments, she just states her conclusion, as if she just came with tablets from the mount. If she actually tried to use logical arguments, instead of stating a list of conclusions, she would eventually bump into the fact that France is a much more secular society, and a much worse place for religious minorities.

Excerpts from "An Open Letter to Iowa Voters"

Excerpts from An Open Letter to Iowa Voters by Matt A.

“There are many issues to be considered in this election, and for many voters, including myself, social issues, including abortion and gay marriage, are high on that priority list. Because of this, many voters in your state have recently turned to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as their favorite candidate, believing that his strong Christian background and Socially Conservative positions would help to make him a capable, strong, and trustworthy leader on these and other important issues. I believe that these voters are making a very serious mistake, and that the results for both the nation and the party could be extremely severe.”

“I don’t dispute Gov. Huckabee’s record or opinions on Social Issues, and, if they were the only issues at state in this election, I can say that he would probably be my first choice as well. However, the reality is that there are other issues that must be considered, issues that are no less important, and, in some cases, far more pressing. And it is on these issues where I find Huckabee to be a poor choice for the Republican Nomination.”

“…in choosing Mike Huckabee as our next President, they would risk returning illegal-friendly policies to the White House with a new mandate. During his term in office, Mike Huckabee supported tuition breaks and scholarships for illegal aliens, and, in a speech to the Arkansas legislature, he called on America to “open our doors and our opportunities” to illegals. What is more, he attacked opponents of Amnesty during a Republican debate, calling them “racist” and “mean-spirited”.”

“Another issue where Conservatives must be wary of Gov. Huckabee is taxes. During his administration, the Governor raised taxes several times, with actual amounts far exceeding other tax cuts during his term.”

“Mike Huckabee has many other dark spots on his record, including reversals on important terror-fighting policies, the pardoning of convicted criminals - who would return to their murderous ways, and ethics problems, and Mike Huckabee is much less Conservative than he appears to be at first glance.”

“As a fellow Conservative who wants what is best for America, I have only one request for those who read this letter: Step back for a moment, avoid getting caught in a snowball that may only lead to disappointment, and, before you vote for Mike Huckabee - or any other candidate - make sure you know their positions.”

Governor Mitt Romney On World AIDS Day

Saturday, Dec 01, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (85) 288-6390

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on World AIDS Day:

"On World AIDS Day, we are reminded of the importance of America's commitment to fighting one of mankind's most deadly infectious diseases. Around the world, over 33 million people are living with HIV/ AIDS. In 2007 alone, 2.5 million people became infected with HIV and another 2.1 million died from AIDS. To strengthen our fight against HIV/ AIDS and bring hope to those afflicted with this disease, we need strong executive leadership that can build on President Bush's groundbreaking efforts.

"As President, I will mobilize our civilian instruments of power to address HIV/AIDS , poverty and other challenges across Africa by empowering a single U.S. official with the responsibility and authority to lead all of America's civilian efforts in the region. I will fundamentally transform our international aid efforts so that more of our assistance goes to those suffering rather than bureaucracy. Today, only one-third of all foreign aid gets to the people it was intended to help. That must change.

"As devastating as HIV/AIDS has been around the world, we must not forget that over a million Americans are living with the disease here at home. We should do all we can to ensure that America continues to lead the world in cutting-edge research and development into new medicines. I believe in supporting policies that foster innovation and get every American access to affordable, quality health insurance. I also believe that government should work in partnership with our nation's pharmaceutical researchers and manufacturers to advance the HIV/ AIDS research agenda and move us toward a cure."

More Romney and AIDS

July 23, 2003

ROMNEY CELEBRATES NEW CHAPTER IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Signs legislation that provides flexibility in meeting housing goals

Governor Mitt Romney today celebrated the signing of a new law that will allow MassHousing to continue to make loans to finance affordable housing in the Commonwealth.

Within weeks, the quasi-public agency was poised to come up against its legal debt cap for rental housing, which would have prevented it from making any new loans for mixed-income rental housing developments.

"This new law will allow MassHousing to finance mixed-income homes without interruption," said Romney. "We must work harder, and be smarter, to increase the state's housing supply and have it affordable to those across a broad range of incomes."

While MassHousing had additional lending capacity to make loans to first-time home buyers, the measure signed by Romney allows MassHousing to combine two separate debt limits for rental housing and home ownership into one. No new funds are being made available. Rather, the action allows MassHousing to make better use of its existing resources.

Romney signed the bill at the Providence House in Brighton, which will become a 102-unit assisted living complex for the elderly. Adjacent to the Providence House will be the rehabilitated Seton Manor, an existing 20-unit building that houses people with HIV/AIDS.

Romney and AIDS

A GENERATION'S LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP

Today's challenges are daunting. They include the conflict in Iraq, the resurgence of the Taliban, and global terrorist networks made even more menacing by the threat of nuclear proliferation. While Iran's leaders relentlessly pursue nuclear weapons capabilities and spout genocidal threats against Israel, the world largely stands silent, unable to agree on effective sanctions even as each day the danger grows. Genocide ravages Darfur even as the world stands frozen. In Latin America, leaders such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez seek to reverse the spread of freedom and return to failed authoritarian policies. AIDS and potential new pandemics threaten us in an interconnected world. The economic rise of China and other countries across Asia poses a different type of challenge. It is easy to understand why Americans -- and many others around the world -- feel so much unease and uncertainty. Yet although we face fundamentally different issues today, the United States has a history of rising to meet even greater challenges. Indeed, we need not look to ancient history, but only to the courage and determination of our parents and grandparents to see a stark contrast with the confusion and infighting of Washington today. Just over 60 years ago, we were in the midst of a global war that would take the lives of tens of millions. The outcome was far from certain. General Dwight Eisenhower drafted a short note before the D-day landings at Normandy accepting full responsibility "in case of failure."

The invasion did not fail. Yet no sooner had we defeated fascism than we were engaged in a 50-year struggle with communism. Those whom the journalist Tom Brokaw memorialized as "the greatest generation" made the tough choices that allowed us to prevail in these struggles. And it was not just our Washington leaders who were decisive. In the 1940s, Americans rationed and saved, and mothers and daughters enlisted to work in factories. Together with the GIs who returned home, they built this country's prosperity and fueled a sense of optimism. In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, America pursued learning and innovation to lead the world in space, technology, and productivity -- outcompeting the Soviets and driving them to an economic bankruptcy that matched their moral bankruptcy.

In the aftermath of World War II and with the coming of the Cold War, members of "the greatest generation" united America and the free world around shared values and actions that changed history. They unified U.S. military and security efforts, creating the Department of Defense and the National Security Council. They rethought U.S. approaches to the world, building the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the Peace Corps. They forged alliances, such as NATO, that magnified the power of freedom and created a world trading system that helped launch the greatest expansion of economic and political freedom and development in history. Our times call for equally bold leadership and for a renewed sense of service and shared sacrifice among Americans and our allies around the world.

Romney and AIDS

"In this era of fiscal belt-tightening, we need to ensure that Massachusetts continues to lead the nation on public health issues - from AIDS prevention to bioterrorism preparedness ."

• Governor Mitt Romney, 01-16-2003 Press Release

"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague.... It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."

• Governor Mike Huckabee, 1992 Questionnaire for The Associated Press