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Back Down in Little Rock Eugene Fields and an old familiar feeling. By David J. Sanders I t's just like old times. National reporters are again scouring Arkansas. Except this time it is Republican Mike Huckabee's record, not Democrat Bill Clinton's, that is the subject of interest. Over the course of more than a decade as governor, Huckabee granted over 1,000 commutations and pardons, and they're currently being examined closely by journalists. The latest to draw national attention is a commutation of Eugene Fields , who had multiple drunk-driving convictions. The question is if there was there a connection between his wife Glenda Fields's five-figure political donations and Huckabee's action. On April 14, 2004, then-Gov. Huckabee commuted the sentence of Mr. Fields — then a four-time driving-while-intoxicated offender — granting him early release from prison. Fields, a resident of the western Arkansas town of Van Buren, was a habitual offender. He had alrea...

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12430     Tin Mike By Philip Klein Published 12/12/2007 12:09:42 AM As he surges in polls, Mike Huckabee has come under increased scrutiny for granting an excessive number of clemencies during his time as governor of Arkansas. While it is tempting to glaze over the details of what seem like old controversies, his past actions need to be considered within the context of Huckabee's desire to be the nation's commander in chief during a time of war. Quite simply, his disturbing penchant for giving second chances to violent criminals raises serious questions about whether he has the steely resolve required to stand up to rogue regimes and carry on the fight against Islamic terrorists. Much of the discussion about Huckabee's record on clemency has centered around the release of convicted rapist Wayne Dumond, who went on to murder a woman in Missouri after being let out of prison under Huckabee's watch. While there is pl...

My husband is a liar and a cheat. He has cheated on me from the beginning, and, when I confront him, he denies everything. What's worse, everyone knows that he cheats on me. It is so humiliating. Also, since he lost his job six years ago, he hasn't even looked for a new one. All he does all day is smoke cigars, cruise around and hangout with his buddies while I have to work to pay the bills. Since our daughter went away to college he doesn't even pretend to like me and hints that I may be a lesbian. What should I do? Signed: Clueless Dear Clueless, Grow up and dump him. Good grief, woman. You don't need him anymore! You're a United States Senator from New York running for President of the United States. Act like one!!!!

Romney Week in Review December 14, 2007   This week, Governor Mitt Romney displayed the experience, vision, and values needed to lead our country forward at the Univision Presidential Forum in Miami, Florida and the tenth Republican presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa.   Fox News' Frank Luntz conducted a focus group during the Iowa debate, which declared Romney the winner. "[ Romney] united both elements of the Republican Party. And not only was his language effective, but they thought that the job that he did was very well-communicated," said Luntz. Check Debate Central for highlights from the debate and the focus group's reaction. Also this week, Governor Romney was honored to receive the endorsement of the National Review , the leading journal of conservative thought . "Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited governmen...

Huckabee and criminals: It's worse than just Wayne DuMond Convicted rapist Wayne DuMond , right, is released from prison on parole in Tucker, Ark., Oct. 22, 1999. Huckabee and criminals: It's worse than just Wayne DuMond The former governor's feckless, faith -based clemency policies in Arkansas continued for years after the convicted rapist was released. By Joe Conason Dec. 14, 2007 | Responding to accusations that he caused a rapist and killer named Wayne DuMond to be set loose from the Arkansas prison system -- leading ultimately to the murder of at least one and probably two women in Missouri -- Mike Huckabee has long denied any personal responsibility for that profoundly stupid decision. In the past he has tried to blame DuMond 's parole on both Bill Clinton and Jim Guy Tucker, who preceded him as governor. More recently, he has denounced the charge that he pressured the Arkansas parole board into freeing DuMond , who has since died, as ...

Rich Lowry (born 1968 in Arlington, Virginia ) is editor of the conservative biweekly magazine, National Review . Lowry regularly appears on the Fox News Channel , including on The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity and Colmes , and has guest hosted in place of Sean Hannity in the latter program. Lowry, a 1990 graduate of the University of Virginia , where he edited The Virginia Advocate , is known as one of the youngest and most influential conservative commentators and analysts in the country. He joined William F. Buckley's brainchild, National Review , in 1992 and has been the magazine's editor since 1997 . His first book, Legacy, Paying the Price for the Clinton Years ( ISBN 0-89526-129-4 ) was published in 2003 and is a critical account of President Bill Clinton , his character, and his tenure in office. He also has a syndicated column with King Features and sometimes appears as a guest host on the Fox News show, Fox & Friends , usu...

In case you missed it, Rich Lowry at Townhall.com offers a devastating review of Governor Mike Huckabee, his record and the vulnerabilities such a record presents in a prospective general election. Here’s the key quote:   "Like Dean, Huckabee is an under-vetted former governor who is manifestly unprepared to be president of the United States. Like Dean, he is rising toward the top of polls in a crowded field based on his appeal to a particular niche of his party. As with Dean, his vulnerabilities in a general election are so screamingly obvious that it's hard to believe that primary voters, once they focus seriously on their choice, will nominate him."   And here’s the link and further excerpts:   http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RichLowry/2007/12/13/huckacide   "Huckacide" Townhall By Rich Lowry December 13, 2007   "The ghost of Howard Dean haunts the pundit class. As soon as a candidate of either party spikes up in the polls, he is co...

You'll want to watch this YouTube clip of Mayor Giuliani from 2001 (and to compare this footage to the Mayor's current rhetoric calling for leadership to solve the problem he exacerbated).   www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhS-Ic9JohM   " The city of New York, quite frankly, is quite tolerant of undocumented immigration and this shouldn't surprise you because I've been the Mayor for a long time and outspoken on this issue, even nationally, I happen to agree with that . I think New York City should not deal with undocumented immigrants in a harsh way, I think they make a big contribution to the life of the city and were much better off being sensible and practical about it. And the reality is that restaurants are going to have a certain number of people who are undocumented, you know people that come here to make a living trying to help them selves and their families ." – Mayor Rudy Giuliani (WABC Radio's "Live From City Hall…With Rudy Giuliani,...

Huckabee's Record    [ Andrew Stuttaford ] There's still no sign that Mike Huckabee is going to release the text of the sermons he gave as a pastor — curious behavior, to say the least, from a candidate who has chosen to make his religious beliefs a central part of his campaign.   Other aspects of the governor's record, are however, more easy to ferret out. Here's Cato's Michael Tanner on some of them:   On its annual governor's report card, Cato gave Huckabee an "F" for fiscal policy during his final term, and an overall two-term grade of "D." Only four governors had worse scores, and 15 Democratic governors got higher grades, including well-known liberals like Ted Kulongoski of Oregon, Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, and Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. But Huckabee doesn't just embrace big government in the form of big taxes. He truly appears to believe that if something is a good idea it should be a federal government program. For example...

Below you will find some information about Governor Huckabee’s troubling record on illegal immigration, his key immigration endorser’s assessment of that record as a “disaster,” and the following on the record quote from spokesman Kevin Madden:.   “Mike Huckabee is known as someone who is very witty, but his record of using taxpayer dollars to provide tuition breaks to illegal immigrants is no laughing matter.  At a time when the American people are looking for leadership that will deliver stronger border security, it is clear that Mike Huckabee’s weak posture towards illegal immigration is entirely at odds with many grassroots Republicans who want stronger enforcement.”   -Kevin Madden, Romney for President campaign spokesman     NO LAUGHING MATTER: GOV. HUCKABEE'S TUITION BREAKS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS "A DISASTER"     The No Laughing Matter!:  A serious look at Governor Mike Huckabee's recor...

New Court Battle with FEC over Hillary Clinton Film Washington, D.C. — As it prepares to release its hard-hitting political documentary, Hillary: The Movie, Citizens United, a grassroots advocacy organization, led by election law attorney James Bopp, Jr., today filed suit against the Federal Election Commission, arguing that issue-oriented television ads are protected by the First Amendment and should not be subject to disclosure requirements under McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. At issue are sections of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act ("McCain-Feingold") that imposed a blackout period before elections on television advertisements that mentioned the name of a federal candidate -- "electioneering communications." Earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court, in Federal Election Commission vs. Wisconsin Right to Life, ruled that groups could not be prohibited from running "genuine issue ads" during the blackout period, but the FEC has i...

Why I Decided to Support Mitt Romney By Michael Novak   National Review beat me to it, alas, but I have been deciding to come out publicly for Mitt Romney for some days now. I have been supporting him privately for weeks, though I was trying to avoid supporting anybody publicly.   But the attacks upon Romney's religion have been a last straw. They are just not fair. I remember his father's campaigns and what an upright man he was — and no one even breathed a word against him because of his religion. ... Over two public generations now, the Romney family has given us examples of upright, decent, warm lives, given to public commitment even though they did not have to be. ... Someone has to protest, in the name of Christianity itself, that spreading bigotry and hatred for the sake of winning a political campaign is wrong. I for one don't want to let this issue of bigotry and suspicion pass by without protest — and without open support for its victim. The least America...

Fox News' Frank Luntz: "When we do these debates, usually there is some sort of a split in how people react in terms of winners or losers. We do not have a loser this time, but clearly, Mitt Romney was the winner." (Fox News' "Live," 12/12/07)   ·        Luntz: "When Mitt Romney talked about education, it was an absolute home run. Romney's communication of education talked about his background and it was very effective in his presentation." (FOX News' Post-Debate Coverage, 12/12/07)   ·        Luntz: "[Romney] united both elements of the Republican Party.  And not only was his language effective, but they thought that the job that he did was very well-communicated." (FOX News' Post-Debate Coverage, 12/12/07)   ·        Luntz: "It was a very good day for Mitt Romney – very effective." (FOX News...

Frank Luntz at Fox News reviews Governor Romney's answer on education and deems it "an absolute home run" according to his focus group's dial testing.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AchGxcvPbQ4   FRANK LUNTZ: When Mitt Romney talked about education, it was an absolute home run. He united both elements of the Republican party, and not only was his language effective, but they thought that the job he did was very well communicated.  Let's take a look:   GOV. MITT ROMNEY: We've made the same effort in our state, actually before No Child Left Behind was passed. We test our kids. We have high standards. We teach them in English, English immersion. We say to be successful in America, you've got to speak the language of America. We also put in place incentives for kids to do well. For those that take the graduation exam, which you have to take to get out of high school, we say that you're going to get, if you score in the top 25 percent of the test, a four...

DESCRIBE HUCKABEE'S RECORD ON EDUCATION   RHETORIC:   Huckabee Claimed To Have The Most Impressive Education Record. HUCKABEE: "I had also the most, I think, impressive education record." (Iowa Public Television/The Des Moines Register, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Des Moines, IA, 12/12/07)   REALITY:   According To The National Assessment Of Educational Progress, Arkansas Ranked Below Average In All Four Major Criteria In 2007 – Mathematics And Reading In Both Grade 4 And In Grade 8. (U.S. Department Of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, http://nationsreportcard.gov , Accessed 11/23/07)   In 2007, Massachusetts Ranked 1st With An Average Score Of 252 By Fourth Graders On The National Assessment of Educational Progress Mathematics Exam. ( U.S. Department Of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, http://nationsreportcard.gov , Accessed 11/23/07)   ·      ...

Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Hitting Huckbottom Posted by: Hugh Hewitt  at 8:41 AM Huck asks in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?" No word yet on whether the former Arkansas governor asked if the Jews killed Jesus or if Catholics pray to Mary as a god. When your campaign is in trouble, it is better to focus on the trouble and fix, not set it ablaze. If asked about this I hope Governor Romney responds that "It is unfortunate that Governor Huckabee wants to turn a Republican primary into a theological shout down, but I won't be participating.  Questions about Mormon doctrine can be addressed to Church officials.  I'm not sure what kind of endorsement he is seeking with that sort of remark, but I am content to get the endorsement of the editors of The National Review." Update : Dan Riehl has more.   As does Article VI Blog.

  Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007 THE WASHINGTON TIMES TAKES A LOOK AT GOVERNOR HUCKABEE'S RECORD "Mike Huckabee" The Washington Times Editorial December 11, 2007 ... "Now that Mr. Huckabee has reached first place in Iowa polls, those days are over. His 10 ½ years as Arkansas governor and his conservative credentials are now relentlessly scrutinized, and Mr. Huckabee is under fire for substantial increases in taxes and spending by the Club for Growth and the CATO Institute. Numbers USA, a research and advocacy organization which opposes illegal immigration and monitors politicians' records on the issue, is sharply critical of his record as governor." ... "But the overall thrust of his record appears to be big-government liberalism. As governor, this included such things as: signing a sales-tax increase; supporting an Internet sales tax; opposing repeal of a sales tax on groceries and medicine; signing bills raising taxes on gasoline and cigarettes; an...