None of The Below

 

None of The Below

By George F. Will
Sunday, December 2, 2007; B07

...

On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee's candidacy rests on serial non sequiturs: I am a Christian, therefore I am a conservative, therefore whatever I have done or propose to do with "compassionate," meaning enlarged, government is conservatism. And by the way, anything I denote as a "moral" issue is beyond debate other than by the uncaring forces of greed. His is a moralist's version of the intellectual vanity once ascribed to Oxford's Benjamin Jowett:

My name is Jowett

Of Balliol College;

If I don't know it,

It is not knowledge.

Many Iowans think it would be wise to nominate a candidate who, when the Republicans were asked during a debate to raise their hands if they do not believe in evolution, raised his. But, then, Huckabee believes America can be energy-independent in 10 years, so he has peculiar views about more than paleontology.

Huckabee combines pure moralism with incoherent populism: He wants Washington to impose a nationwide ban on smoking in public, show more solicitude for Americans of modest means and impose more protectionism, thereby raising the cost of living for Americans of modest means.

Although Huckabee is considered affable, two subliminal but clear enough premises of his Iowa attack on Mitt Romney are unpleasant: The almost 6 million American Mormons who consider themselves Christians are mistaken about that. And -- 55 million non-Christian Americans should take note -- America must have a Christian president.

Another pious populist who was annoyed by Darwin -- William Jennings Bryan -- argued that William Howard Taft, his opponent in the 1908 presidential election, was unfit to be president because he was a Unitarian, a persuasion sometimes defined as the belief that there is at most one God. The electorate chose to run the risk of entrusting the presidency to someone skeptical about the doctrine of the Trinity.

If Huckabee succeeds in derailing Romney's campaign by raising a religious test for presidential eligibility, that will be clarifying: In one particular, America was more enlightened a century ago.

Joe Klein’s Macca Moment

I included the entire paragraph in order to avoid the claim that I took this out of context.

Last night, for example, it was apparent from the get-go that Rudy Giuliani was having a very bad night. Mitt Romney clearly got the better of him in the opening debate about illegal immigration. Romney's dial numbers hovered in the 60s (on a scale of 100) while Giuliani (40s) seemed defensive, members of the focus group later said...and they thought Romney seemed strong, even when defending his Sanctuary Mansion. (I mean, if you care about illegal immigrants--which I don't understand in the first place, because I don''t--shouldn't you check the people working your lawn and, if you have doubts, hire another company?)

It’s going to be hard for Joe Klein to claim that what he meant was to check their state ID or citizenship status, because he went on to write, “if you have doubts, hire another company?” What would you be “checking”, that might make you suspect your yard work company is using illegal immigrants, but would leave doubts?

Confronting Radical Jihad

CHALLENGE: Jihadism – violent, radical, fundamental Islam – is this century's nightmare. It follows the same dark path as last century's nightmares: fascism and Soviet communism. Many still fail to comprehend the extent of the threat posed by radical Islam, specifically by those extremists who promote violent Jihad against the United States and the universal values Americans espouse. Yet the Jihad has been with us for some time.

Radical Islam has one goal: to replace all modern Islamic states with a worldwide caliphate while destroying the United States and converting all nonbelievers, forcibly if necessary, to a fundamentalist form of Islam.

Merely closing our eyes and hoping that Jihadism will go away is not an acceptable solution. U.S. military action alone cannot change the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of Muslims. In the end, only Muslims themselves can defeat the violent radicals. But we must work with them. The consequences of ignoring this threat – such as a radicalized Islamic actor possessing nuclear weapons – are simply unacceptable.
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "Today, we face a new generation of challenges, globally and here at home. We will do as Americans have always done: we will rise to the occasion. We have all that we need. We have technology, technology that would have been beyond the imagination of our grandparents. We have national wealth. And most important, we have the heart and passion of the American people - always the greatest source of our strength as a nation." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The George Herbert Walker Bush Presidential Library, 4/10/ 2007 )

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "I think many of us still fail to comprehend the extent of the threat posed by radical Islam, by Jihad. Understandably, we focus on Afghanistan and Iraq. Our men and women are dying there.We think in terms of countries, because we faced countries in last century's conflicts. But the Jihad is much broader than any one nation or nations. Jihad encompasses far more than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For radical Islam , there is an over-arching conflict and goal - replacing all modern Islamic states with a caliphate, destroying America, and conquering the world." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The George Herbert Walker Bush Presidential Library, 4/10/ 2007 )

• "Romney wants the public to know that Jihadists] are not an 'armed group of crazed maniacs in the hills of Afghanistan.' Rather, Romney says the United States is facing a 'far more sinister and broad-based extremist faction' with a 'very 8th century view of the world.'"
  • ABC News, April 30, 2006

• "The Jihadists] are waging a global war against the United States and Western governments generally with the ambition of replacing legitimate governments with a caliphate, with a theocracy."
  • GOVERNOR ROMNEY, Omaha World Herald, January 23, 2006

The Romney Plan: To meet today's challenges, we must mobilize and integrate all elements of national power in unstable areas where traditional civilian agencies cannot operate effectively and traditional military power alone cannot succeed.

Create A Special Partnership Force (SPF). The SPF will integrate all elements of national power under a new force with leadership drawn from a core group of our Army Special Forces trained to work with civilian governments and intelligence personnel to form a new capability that is:

• Focused on locally-targeted efforts to win support in the community while identifying, isolating and eliminating terrorist elements.
• Highly integrated and able to mobilize all elements of national power, including humanitarian and development assistance and rule of law capacity building.
• Closely coordinated in partnership with local governments.
• Intelligence driven.
• Agile and flexible in its operations.
• A sustainable effort in contested areas and sanctuaries of Jihadist groups.
• Launch A New Type Of Marshall Plan Unifying Nonmilitary Sources Of Power To Support Moderate Muslims. As President, GOVERNOR ROMNEY will call together our Middle East allies and the major nations of the developed world to establish a "Partnership for Progress and Prosperity."

This Partnership will assemble the resources of all developed nations to assure that threatened Islamic states have public schools, micro-credit and banking, the rule of law, human rights, basic health care, and competitive economic policies. Resources would be drawn from public and private institutions, and from volunteers and NGOs.

Strengthen Global Alliances. The failure of efforts such as the United Nations Human Rights Council has given multilateralism a bad name. America's strength is amplified when it is combined with the strength of other nations.

We need to expand alliances such as NATO and efforts among the world's leading nations to face the new threat of radical Jihad and increase our homeland security. We need to build global and regional capacities and networks of law enforcement and intelligence officials to confront Jihadists and other transnational threats.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "This Special Partnership Force would work hand-in-glove with local host governments. Together, they would seek to target and separate terrorists from the local population, and to disrupt and defeat them. They would have the authority to call in all elements of civil assistance and humanitarian aid. Where they felt it was necessary, they could call in Delta and SEAL military resources. Their goal would be to build national institutions of stability and freedom, and to promote the rule of law and human rights." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At AEI World Forum, 6/21/ 2007 )

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "And further, if I were fortunate enough to be elected your President, I'd call for a National Summit of Nations to create a new partnership – a Partnership for Progress and Prosperity."

"This Partnership would assemble the resources of all the nations of the world to work to assure that Islamic states that are threatened with violent Jihad have public schools that are not Wahhabi madrasas; that they have micro-credit and banking, the rule of law, human rights, basic health care, and competitive economic practices." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At Yeshiva University, 4/26/ 2007 )

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "The inaction, if not the breakdown, of many Cold War institutions has made many Americans skeptical of multilateralism... But such failures should not obscure the fact that the United States' strength is amplified when it is combined with the strength of other nations. Where institutions are fundamentally incapable of meeting a new generation of challenges, the United States does not have to go it alone. Instead, we must examine where existing alliances can be strengthened and reinvigorated and where new alliances need to be forged." (Governor Mitt Romney, "Rising To A New Generation Of Global Challenges," Foreign Affairs, July/August 20 2007 )

Governor Mitt Romney and the Jihadists]

[http://mittromney.com/img/Photo_Gallery/4.3. 2007 _KeeneNH/202007 0403_NH024_LRG.jpg]

Key Romney Speeches

2007

• July/August; Gov. Mitt Romney, "Rising To A New Generation Of Global Challenges ," Foreign Affairs
• Apr 10, [2007; Governor Mitt Romney's Remarks at the George Bush Presidential Library Center
• 01-23-07; Excerpts from Governor Mitt Romney's Remarks at the Seventh Annual Herzliya Conference

2005

• 09-07 -2005]; homeland security: Status of Federal, State, and Local Efforts

2006

• 09-05-2006; ROMNEY DENOUNCES KHATAMI VISIT TO HARVARD, Declines to provide escort, or offer state support for trip

2004

• 05-24-2004; Grading Progress on homeland security: Before and After 9/11
• 05-04-2004; Lessons Learned from Security at Past Olympic Games

2003

• 05-15-2003; Investing in homeland security: Challenges facing state and local government.
• 06-17-2003; "First Responders: How States, Localities and the Federal Government Can Strengthen Their Partnership to Make America Safer"

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Quotes from Governor Mitt Romney on the Jihadists]

• "The defeat of this radical and violent faction of [Islam|The defeat of this radical and violent faction of Islam must be achieved through a combination of American resolve, international effort, and the rejection of violence by moderate, modern, mainstream Muslims. An effective strategy will involve both military ] and diplomatic actions to support modern Muslim nations. America must help lead a broad-based international coalition that promotes secular education, modern financial and economic policies, international trade, and human rights ."

• "State taxpayers should not be providing special treatment to an individual who supports violent Jihad and the destruction of Israel ."
  • Governor Mitt Romney, 09-05-2006 Press Release

• "Romney wants the public to know that Jihadists] are not an 'armed group of crazed maniacs in the hills of Afghanistan.' Rather, Romney says the United States is facing a 'far more sinister and broad-based extremist faction' with a 'very 8th century view of the world.'"
  • (ABC News, April 30, 2006)

• "The Jihadists] are waging a global war against the United States and Western governments generally with the ambition of replacing legitimate governments with a caliphate, with a theocracy."
  • GOVERNOR ROMNEY, Omaha World Herald, January 23, 2006

• "We're under attack by Jihadists]," Romney said. "They're not simply a band of lunatics in the hills of Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is a worldwide effort by a small slice of Islam to subjugate all the nations of Islam to a caliphate."
  • http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2404312,00.html

• "The Jihadists] are waging a global war against the United States and Western governments generally with the ambition of replacing legitimate governments with a caliphate, with a theocracy."
  • Governor Mitt Romney, 01-23-2006, Romney tours area with an eye on '08, By Robynn Tysver, The Omaha World Herald

• "But number five, the culture of America is under attack. Now some people say wait, when you talk about culture , Governor, that's not of the same order of magnitude as the things you just mentioned: Jihadists] and the emergence of Asia , spending too much money, using too much oil. And I disagree. There was a book written some years ago by a fellow named David Landis; he's a Harvard professor. The book was given to me. It's called The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. The jacket cover included an endorsement by John Kenneth Galbraith. I said, oh boy, this is going to be some liberal diatribe. I read through it and found it pretty scholarly. And after about 500 pages, he concludes with roughly these words: If anything can be learned from the history of economic development in the world, it is this--culture makes all the difference."
  • Governor Mitt Romney, 09-22-2006, Values Voter Summit 2006, Washington, DC, Democracy in action transcript

• "The key issues we face, of course, are first, the conflict with the Jihad ists]. This is a conflict which is going on within the world of Islam, and the Jihadists] are attempting to overcome the moderate, modern factions of Islam and replace them with a caliphate. It's going to require the involvement of the U.S. as a leader of the world to help move Islam away from that kind of extremism and violence. That's one challenge."
  • Governor Mitt Romney, 12-28-2006, Q&A: Mitt Romney Discusses Iraq war , Reagan's Influence and Gay Marriage, by Robert B. Bluey

• "It is also true of our state and community. We imagine that the way things are now will always be. But history teaches that where change is the only constant, a society will either grow stronger or it will decay. Today, we are painfully aware that there are forces that would weaken us: global competitors compete for Massachusetts jobs, innovators look to displace our lead in technology, the very values which underpin our society are challenged, and of course, most alarming, Jihadists] attack our country. As we have always done, Massachusetts will rise to the challenge. We will look first to the strength and character of our people. We will sacrifice complacency to invest of ourselves in our fellow citizens, providing them with better education, better healthcare, and enduring principles of success."
  • Governor Mitt Romney, 2006 State of the Commonwealth

• "Just like Jihadists] who are attacking us economically and militarily, just like the challenge we face competitively from Asia , our culture is under attack, only this time from within."
  • Governor Mitt Romney, October 28, 2006
    • At a fundraiser for Republican congressional candidate Mike Whalen at Thunder Bay Grille in Davenport.

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Debate about Governor Mitt Romney and the Jihadists

1. Romney understands the threat [Jihadists] pose to the United States].
2. Mitt Romney is the most read about the threat of the [Jihadist].
3. "State taxpayers should not be providing special treatment to an individual who supports violent Jihad and the destruction of Israel ." - Governor Mitt Romney, 09-05-2006 Press Release
4. "The president is right to point to an international [Jihadist|The president is right to point to an international Jihadist movement aimed at the collapse of the United States]." - Governor Mitt Romney, 12-31-2005 Press Release
5. Romney was right to denounce Khatami's visit to Harvard, decline to provide escort or other state support for his trip .

---

Also See

1. Terror
2. Terrorism
3. War On Terror
4. Iraq
5. Iran

Iran:

There are few more urgent priorities for our nation than confronting Iran's dangerous nuclear program and support of terrorist groups targeting Americans. GOVERNOR ROMNEY has led efforts to stand up to an Iranian regime that threatens America, Israel, and ultimately the world. At the 2007 Herzliya Conference in Israel, GOVERNOR ROMNEY laid out a comprehensive, five point strategy for dealing with Iran.

Specifically, we must:

• First, continue to tighten economic sanctions.
• Second, impose diplomatic isolation on Iran's Government.
• Third, have Arab states join this effort to prevent a nuclear Iran.
• Fourth, make it clear that while nuclear capabilities may be a source of pride, it can also be a source of peril. The military ] option remains on the table.
• Fifth, integrate our strategy into a broader approach to the broader Muslim world--including working with our NATO allies and with progressive Muslim communities and leaders to build a partnership for prosperity.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY has taken concrete action to confront this threat. As Governor, he denied state police security for former Iranian President Khatami's visit to Harvard. He has personally and repeatedly led efforts and called on numerous private sector and state officials to strategically divest from Iran and cut off the resources Iran uses to fuel terror. No state could have a bigger impact on this effort than New York - the world's financial center, site of the tragic attacks on 9/11, and home of some of America's largest pension funds. After a new state comptroller responsible for New York pension funds was named in February 2007, GOVERNOR ROMNEY wrote New York's Comptroller, Senators Clinton and Schumer, and Governor Spitzer calling on them to join this effort and terminate investments that support the Iranian regime and its nuclear and terrorist activities.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY Discusses Iran:

"In the previous global wars, there were many ways to lose, and victory was far from guaranteed. In the current conflict, there is only one way to lose, and that is if we as a civilization decide not to lift a finger to defend ourselves, our values, and our way of life."

• GOVERNOR ROMNEY, Remarks at the Seventh Annual Herzliya Conference; Herzliya, Israel, January 23, 2007

"The Iranian regime threatens not only Israel, but also every other nation in the region, and ultimately the world. And that threat would take on an entirely new dimension if Iran were allowed to become a nuclear power. And just think of the signal a nuclear Iran would send to other rogue regimes with nuclear ambitions – this could be a tipping point in the development and proliferation of nuclear regimes. . . It is time for the world to plainly speak three truths: One, Iran must be stopped. Two, Iran can be stopped. And three, Iran will be stopped."

• GOVERNOR ROMNEY, Remarks at the Seventh Annual Herzliya Conference; Herzliya, Israel, January 23, 2007

Keeping Americans Safe at Home and Abroad

Keeping Americans Safe at Home and Abroad

We must strengthen our Military by increasing the size of our Military by 100,000 troops and dedicating at least four percent of our gross domestic product to defense. We must transform our domestic civilian international efforts to meet a new generation of global challenges and ensure that our intelligence and law enforcement efforts are able to address threats before they reach out shores.

CHALLENGE: After President George H.W. Bush left office, in 1993, the Clinton Administration began to dismantle the Military, taking advantage of what has been called a "peace dividend" from the end of the Cold war. We took the dividend, but we did not get the peace.

Meanwhile, we lost about 500,000 Military personnel and about $50 billion a year in Military spending. The U.S. Army lost four active divisions and two reserve divisions. The U.S. Navy lost almost 80 ships. The U.S. Air Force saw its active personnel decrease by 30 percent. The Marines' personnel dropped by 22,000.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "They took the dividend, but didn't get the peace. It seems that we had come to believe that war and threats and evil men were gone forever. As Charles Krauthammer observed, we took a 'holiday from history.'" (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The George Herbert Walker Bush Presidential Library, 4/10/ 2007)

CHALLENGE: In our civilian agencies, a more pervasive problem exists: bureaucratic inaction. Today, there is no unity among our international non Military resources. There is no clear leadership and no clear line of authority. Too often, we have to struggle to integrate our nonMilitary instruments into coherent, timely, and effective operations.

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: " We removed barriers to unify efforts across the services. This included establishing 'joint commands' with individual commanders fully responsible for their geographic region...
Our non Military resources enjoy no such jointness, no such clear leadership, no such clear lines of authority and responsibility. Too often we struggle to integrate our Military and civilian instruments of national power into coherent, timely and effective operations." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The George Herbert Walker Bush Presidential Library, 4/10/2007)

CHALLENGE: During the Clinton Administration, our intelligence community was critically weakened. The CIA workforce was slashed by almost 20% and recruitment was reduced dramatically, undermining effective human intelligence. Unfortunately, Washington's response has focused on creating a new, expanded and duplicative bureaucracy in the Directorate of National intelligence.

The Romney Plan:

A Stronger Military. We must increase the size of our Military by 100,000 troops. In addition, we should increase to at least four percent of our gross domestic product to defense. This kind of investment will make up for critical gaps in the modernization of our equipment, personnel and health care efforts. However, as we invest in our Military, we must ensure that funds are used to address critical needs of the men and women of our Armed Forces, not political or contractor interests.

Transform And Strengthen Our Domestic Civilian International Efforts To Meet A New Generation Of Challenges. Building on the Goldwater-Nichols Military reforms of the 1980s, we need to ensure that our civilian instruments of national power have the ability to build joint efforts among our civilian agencies and empower Regional Deputies with clear lines of authority, sufficient budgets and the responsibility to develop and execute regional plans and strategies. We must also constantly challenge bureaucratic "group think" and revitalize our national security structures so we have the capabilities needed to meet 21st century challenges.

Strengthen Strategic Planning. Many of our civilian national security and foreign policy structures were created decades ago. Today we need strengthened capabilities to strategically integrate all elements of national power. National Security Council staff must be empowered and accountable for reaching out to divergent viewpoints and challenging policies and proposals.

Protect The Homeland. While there has been much emphasis on protecting facilities and responding to attacks, a key priority must be prevention. Today, protecting the homeland must begin far from home. Intelligence and law enforcement efforts able to address threats before they reach our shores must be a priority for U.S. and international action. This will demand new U.S. capabilities, stronger international alliances and integration of our federal actions with international, state and local efforts.
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "We need to increase our investment in National Guard. This means adding at least 100,000 troops and making a long-overdue investment in equipment, armament, weapons systems, and strategic defense. We are going to need at least an additional $30-$40 billion annually over the next several years to modernize our Military, fill gaps in troop levels, ease the strain on our National Guard and Reserves, and support our wounded soldiers. The next president should commit to spending a minimum of four percent of GDP on National Guard." (Governor Mitt Romney, "Rising To A New Generation Of Global Challenges," Foreign Affairs, July/August 2007)

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "We need to fundamentally change the cultures of our civilian agencies and create dynamic, flexible, and task-based approaches that focus on results rather than bureaucracy. ... For every region, one civilian leader should have authority over and responsibility for all the relevant agencies and departments, similar to the single Military commander who heads U.S. Central Command." (Governor Mitt Romney, "Rising To A New Generation Of Global Challenges," Foreign Affairs, July/August 2007)

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "The key to effective homeland security, in my view, is intelligence, finding the attackers before they attack, gathering and analyzing tips, monitoring suspects, wiretapping, surveillance, all of the tools associated with intelligence work. It's aided measurably by the Patriot Act, perhaps our most effective new tool. It is also dependent on effective delineations of responsibilities between and among federal agencies, across federal and state lines and state and local lines." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The National Press Club, 7/14/ 2004)

How often do candidates do stuff like this without the press around?

 

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

How often do candidates do stuff like this without the press around?

Today I got an email via my dad that he got from an old high school friend of his. This friend, from Murray, Utah, was forwarding an email from her friend in California, specifically San Diego where fires raged just a short while ago. Apparently, a certain Reed Fisher, whose home and property were damaged by the fire, got a call from someone in the local LDS Church offering to help clean up. After telling them about a burnt tree with 20 year old roots that he had been unable to remove, the brother showed up at 7 AM on a Wednesday morning, along with his father, who turned out to be none other than Mitt Romney...minus the press corp.

See below for the story (note: the email was an excerpt from a journal entry by the individual, and I have not edited it except for length and names, to retain privacy):

Remember that big pine tree right in the front as you walk out the front door. It pretty well got cooked in the fire. In fact Brian *, Steve *, Chris *and Jeremy * cut most of it down the first day we were allowed back in the neighborhood. But the trunk and the stump was too much to handle that day. Last week a brother in the
Del Sur ward sent me and email and said he and some others would like to do something to help. I told him that one of the things on my "to- do" list was to remove a tree stump from my front yard, but it was a pretty big job! He said they wanted to come and do it. I reluctantly said OK, but, "I do not expect you to really get it out because it is a big root. It has been there for over 20 years." So he called me to confirm and said that they were coming at 7am on Wednesday morning and his DAD might come too. I decided to go to Los Prim os and get some breakfast machaca burritos and orange juice for the crew coming to work on my stump..so I was late in arriving. I drove in from Cabela because it gives me a better feeling entering our street as none of the homes at the top of Luz Pl were burned. As I drove up I looked and saw several men down in the hole around the tree.
They were really going at it with power saws provided by the LDS Church. Then I got a Big Surprise. First I saw Matt, then beside him with chain saw buzzing away was a candidate for President of the United States!!! You guessed it!! Matt Romney was there with his DAD, "MITT ROMNEY", former governor of Massachusetts
and republican presidential candidate. He was actually in Levi's and a blue T shirt and tennis shoes, with leather gloves and goggles. He was really sawing away at my stump! Others who were there working were LDS Bishop Jim Davies, Greg Davis and 6 LDS Missionaries. Oh and I almost forgot the Secret Service bodyguards were nearby standing guard. The Mormon Missionaries were there because they have been reassigned to disaster relief projects all over San Diego where the fires burned. They got assigned by their leaders to come to our home at 11372 Luz Place that morning. There were no local news media. Mitt and Matt Romney were just being good neighbors helping neighbors. Mitt was in Southern Calif for some meetings later in the day up in
Riverside/San Bernardino. I can really tell that the Romney's know how to work and to work really hard. I looked over my shovel at one point and sweat was running down Mitt's face. When I suggested we
stop for a breakfast burrito, I got a polite 'maybe later, gotta get this root out." Mitt told me that this reminded him of taking out a stump on the ranch with his father.after it was too much his Dad(George Romney) said get some dynamite! Well, Mitt attacked that old stump, cutting as many of the big roots as he could until it was
well time past for he and Matt to leave for their meetings up north. I put a Machaca burrito in Mitts hand and a glass of O.J. I could tell he didn't like leaving the job partially completed and neither did Matt. But I knew
they had "bigger stumps" elsewhere that day."

Romney bad hair

 

Photos of Mitt

 

 

 

Fwd: Those Who Know Him Best ... Discuss Gov. Huckabee's Tax-And-Spend Record

Criticism of Governor Huckabee's liberal fiscal record from those in Arkansas who know him best, including this zinger:

 'He was pro-life and pro-gun, but otherwise a liberal,' she says. 'Just like Bill Clinton he will charm you, but don't be surprised if he takes a completely different turn in office .'

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Huckabee_Best_11.30

…DISCUSS GOV. HUCKABEE'S TAX-AND-SPEND RECORD

FACT:  Arkansas Conservatives Have Widely Criticized Gov. Huckabee: Betsy Hagan, Arkansas Director Of The Eagle Forum: "He Was Pro-Life And Pro-Gun, But Otherwise A Liberal" "Nor am I alone. Betsy Hagan, Arkansas director of the conservative Eagle Forum and a key backer of his early runs for office, was once 'his No. 1 fan.' She was bitterly disappointed with his record. 'He was pro-life and pro-gun, but otherwise a liberal,' she says. 'Just like Bill Clinton he will charm you, but don't be surprised if he takes a completely different turn in office.'" (John Fund, "Another Man From Hope," The Wall Street Journal , 10/26/07) Former Republican State Rep. Randy Minton Said That Gov. Huckabee's Record Will Turn Away Economic Conservatives. "Also that year, the state grappled with an economic downturn and a resulting budget shortfall. 'Republicans that believe in limited government and lower taxes and fees, they'll look at his record, and they won't be satisfied with it,' said former Republican state Rep. Randy Minton of Ward." (Daniel Nasaw, "Home Turf Not Rock Solid For Huckabee," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/4/07) Huckabee Has Been Called "A Treacherous Liberal On Taxes, Social Welfare Spending And Illegal Immigration." "Mr. Minton voices the concerns of many conservatives that while Mr. Huckabee governed as a social conservative in opposing abortion and same-sex 'marriage,' he was a treacherous liberal on taxes, social welfare spending and illegal immigration." (Ralph Z. Hallow, "Huckabee Stirs Up Third Party Fear," The Washington Times , 10/29/07) Phyllis Schlafly Said That Huckabee "Destroyed The Conservative Movement In Arkansas." "Mrs. Schlafly, one of the most respected leaders in the social-conservative movement, has accused Mr. Huckabee of 'destroying' the conservative movement in Arkansas and leaving the GOP 'in shambles.' She says many of the evangelical Christians who 'sold' social conservative voters on President Bush in 2000 are now 'trying to sell us on Mike Huckabee.'" (Ralph Z. Hallow, "Huckabee Stirs Up Third Party Fear," The Washington Times , 10/29/07) FACT:  Newspapers In Arkansas Have Lambasted Gov. Huckabee And His Liberal Fiscal Record: In An Editorial, The [Arkansas] Leader Called Huckabee "One Of The Most Liberal Governor's In Arkansas History." "His record has been both Huckabee's strength and his Achilles' heel, as we have had occasion to observe. He is one of the most liberal governors in Arkansas history, having accounted for more tax increases than any other and having enlarged state government more than any other. He has exorbitantly inflated his record as a tax-cutter on the stump and now that will catch up with him. But we continue to believe that if he will shoot straight with the Republican constituencies, his record and his moderate views on such things as immigration and government health assistance could make him the party's best opponent to Sen. Hillary Clinton, the expected Democratic nominee. That is not the conventional wisdom, but it will be his best pitch." (Editorial, "Huck Keeps Moving Up," The [Arkansas] Leader, 10/31/07) Huckabee's Tax Increases Were Mockingly Called The "Tax Me More Fund." "What a banana-splitting riot Gov. Mike Huckabee has conjured with his 'Tax Me More Fund' campaign. Those of us who don't feel we are being adequately peeled by government now are free to send our tax-deductible contributions to the state." (Mike Masterson, Op-Ed, "Bananas And Taxes," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 12/6/01) "I don't know about you, but I could hardly wait to get my additional tax dollar in the mail this week. It's becoming increasingly obvious to me, in light of Huckabee's enlightened leadership, that we should acknowledge how we are not being taxed enough in Arkansas today. Why, just this week I found myself complaining to an underpaid Quickie Mart attendant that I didn't feel the 33 cents or so a gallon I am paying for highway construction and maintenance is nearly enough. It certainly wasn't enough to keep us from enjoying the two worst interstates in America, so I left an extra quarter on the counter." (Mike Masterson, Op-Ed, "Bananas And Taxes," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 12/6/01) Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Huckabee Is "Economically Illiterate" And Needs A "Refresher Course In Basic Economics." "The time to investigate the wisdom of this tax was before the Guv signed it into law. A refresher course in basic economics might have helped, too. Only the economically illiterate believe that businesses can be taxed without their passing the costs on to those who buy their goods and services--in this case, nursing home patients. To pretend otherwise is to ignore not just economics but human nature." (Editorial, "In Shock," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 6/20/01) Huckabee Was Widely Criticized For His Record Budgets. "Beware of rosy budgets submitted by governors addicted to easy money. We're not just talking tacos and pantyhose anymore. We're talking about the biggest state budget ever proposed. We're talking billions, three of them and change. And that's just general revenue; it doesn't count those other hundreds of millions Gov. Mike Huckabee apparently wants to raise by going in debt for highways based on federal money to come." (John Brummett, Op-Ed, "Huckabee's Easy-Money Budget," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/17/98) "For perspective: Huckabee's budget is more like one submitted by Bill Clinton than Jim Guy Tucker. Clinton sometimes overbudgeted, which meant that when tax collections lagged he was required by the Revenue Stabilization Act to order across-the-board reductions in spending levels to keep the budget balanced. Tucker, who governed during periods of growth, was notorious for stingy budgeting that produced end-of-year windfalls. " (John Brummett, Op-Ed, "Huckabee's Easy-Money Budget," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/17/98) The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Said Huckabee's Grocery Tax Allowed The State "To Grind The Faces Of The Poor." "Yes, There have been failures, too. Mike Huckabee has shown a growing weakness for the easy, politically savvy solution rather than real reform. Instead of eliminating the tax on groceries, he fiddled and compromised and finally caved in to the Legislature. And so the state continues to grind the faces of the poor, and the working poor, and just those on a tight budget, every time they buy their bread and milk." (Editorial, "For Mike Huckabee," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/29/98)

From peter

Mitt was right to mistrust CNN and the Snowman. The Youtube clips
selected were from LOONS (the Bible one was especially bad), and
please don't tell me there aren't liberal loons out there as well -
CNN just keeps them off TV. What makes CNN's choice of question
especially egregious is that Anderson Cooper was bragging on how CNN
had gotten 2,000 MORE requests than they had to choose from for the
Democrats! Yet NONE of them were about education, environment, health
care, child care, etc? Just Guns 'n Taxes (the GOP punk rock band)?

Here is a link from Michelle Malkin, demonstrating the bona fides of
four of the GOP YouTube questioners -

http://michellemalkin.com/2007/11/29/digging-out-the-cnnyoutube-plants-abortion-questioner-is-edwards-supporter/

This is also all over Druge, Politico.com (Politico actually had the
General's involvement with the Kerry campaign up before the end of the
debate - and since Anderson Cooper used the site as the source of a
non-You Tube question to Rudy, he can't claim he doesn't READ it...)

Nightline reported Gen. Kerr's involvement with Clinton's campaign
last night, but no other MSM seems inclined to report it. Me, I want
Condi Rice and Karen Hughes at the next Democrat debate asking foreign
policy questions.

All told - I love the Internet. Nothing stays buried anymore.

Dan - as a media person, what is your take on this
bias/corruption/small minded-ness?

David A. Keene for Romney

David A. Keene, Chairman of the American Conservative Union and long
time Republican strategist, today endorsed the presidential candidacy
of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Endorsement_Keene

In a statement issued today, Keene said that "while I certainly can't
pretend to speak for all or even most conservatives, the road that led
me here today is one that many conservatives find themselves on and it
is my hope that they will end up where I am today – convinced that
Mitt Romney represents our best hope for 2008.

"As this race began, I intended to remain neutral both because there
was no conservative consensus candidate and because I know and admire
several of those running for the Republican nomination who I believe
could win next fall.

"In recent months, however, Governor Romney has emerged as the single
candidate most worthy of conservative support. That's why I'm
endorsing him and intend to spend as much time as possible in the
weeks ahead convincing my fellow conservatives that if we are serious
about electing a conservative president in 2008, it's time to unite
behind his candidacy."

Welcoming today's announcement, Governor Romney said, "I am proud that
David Keene has decided to join our campaign for conservative change
that strengthens our military, economy and families. As Chairman of
the American Conservative Union, he has greatly advanced the
conservative movement. I look forward to working with him as our
campaign moves forward."

Background On David A. Keene:

David A. Keene Has Been The Chairman Of The American Conservative
Union Since December 1984. Keene, a major national conservative
spokesman since the seventies, has worked in the White House and the
Senate, writes a weekly opinion column for The Hill and his articles
have appeared in National Review, Human Events and the American
Spectator. He has held senior positions in the past presidential
campaigns of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and former Kansas Senator
Bob Dole.

ROMNEY AT THE ST. PETERSBURG, FL GOP DEBATE – VOL II

National Review's Kate O'Beirne: "Romney's performance is his
strongest in the series." (National Review's "The Corner,"
corner.nationalreview.com, Accessed 11/28/07)

Michelle Malkin: "So, who won? Quick and dirty reaction: Romney looked
strong and energetic …" (Michelle Malkin, "Liveblogging The
CNN/Youtube," http://michellemalkin.com/, Posted 11/28/07)

Townhall's Mary Katherine Ham: "[Romney] came across serious and
conservative." (Mary Katharine Ham, "Who Won?,"
http://www.townhall.com/blog, 11/28/07)

The American Spectator's Philip Klein: "… I thought Romney got the
better of that [immigration] exchange. It's one thing to use Romney's
illegal immigrant lawn care workers in a joke, but it's another thing
to try and base a serious criticism on that." (Philip Klein,
"Sanctuary Mansion," The American Spectator Online, 11/28/07)

CBS' Vaughn Ververs: "In the opening minutes, Romney and Rudy Giuliani
sparred over illegal immigration… Romney appeared to get the upper
hand in the exchange, challenging Giuliani on his charge and the
sometimes vocal audience sounded a note of apparent disapproval at the
mayor's line of attack." (Vaughn Ververs, "Romney Battles, Huckabee
Shines In GOP Debate," CBS'S Horserace '08 Blog,
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs, Posted 11/28/07)

Captain's Quarters' Ed Morrissey: "Romney gets the edge here,
especially for beating Rudy Giuliani like a bongo drum on
immigration." (Ed Morrissey, "CNN/YouTube Debate – CNN Wins,"
Captain's Quarters Blog, www.captainsquartersblog.com, Posted
11/28/07)

· Morrissey: "Romney has this issue [of interrogations] exactly
correct. We should not start defining these techniques on national
debates for the reasons Romney said." ("Heading Right,"
www.headingright.com, Accessed 11/28/07)

Power Line's Scott Johnson: "Best performance: Mitt Romney." (Scott
Johnson, "Best And Worst Of The Debate," Power Line,
http://www.powerlineblog.com/, Posted 11/28/07)

· Johnson: "Best line of the night: Mitt Romney, on abortion
('I was wrong')." (Scott Johnson, "Best And Worst Of The Debate,"
Power Line Blog, http://www.powerlineblog.com/, Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez: "Romney played it straight and
didn't over explain the abortion change. Seemed a wise and effective
approach, especially in this format." (National Review's "The Corner,"
http://corner.nationalreview.com, Accessed 11/28/07)

Heading Right's Macranger: "Good answer [on life]. People do change."
("Heading Right," www.headingright.com, Accessed11/28/07)

The American Spectator's Philip Klein: "[Gov. Romney] showed more
humility by saying several times he was wrong, that he isn't perfect,
that he hasn't always made the right decisions. It worked a lot better
for him." (Philip Klein, "Romney's Abortion Flip-Flop Answer," The
American Spectator Online, 11/28/07)

Townhall's Hugh Hewitt: "I agree with most of the posters at The
Corner that Mitt is doing very, very well." (Townhall,
www.townhall.com Accessed 11/28/07)

Former Secretary Of Education Bill Bennett: "Mitt Romney talked about
education as the next civil right…Liberals have failed inner city
blacks overwhelmingly in the last 30 years. That's why the question
from the father and son was so pertinent and I thought Romney did a
good job on it." (CNN's, "Post Debate Coverage," 11/28/07)

Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham: "… I grew up in the inner city, in
public schools. The plight of those who live there is real, sad, and
cannot often be solved by the Nanny State. Romney focuses on
families, empowerment, police protection in solving black-on-black
crime, and invokes Bill Cosby. Well done. It addressed the question
directly and treated the questioners' concerns with respect. It was a
serious answer with real application, not a flippant appeal to the
family values crowd that would have made him look disconnected, which
it easily could have been." (Mary Katharine Ham, "Romney's Winner
Answer on Black-on-Black Crime," Townhall.com, www.townhall.com,
11/28/07)

The American Spectator's John Tabin: "Romney's answer is pretty good;
family's important, of course it is" (James G. Poulos, "Black On Black
Crime," The American Spectator Online, 11/28/07)

MITT ROMNEY AT THE ST. PETERSBURG, FL GOP DEBATE

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: "Romney had a strong night, seemed
raring to go, seemed to be willing to take on everybody, anybody, all
comers, seemed to want to pick every fight possible." (Marc Ambinder,
"The Debate In Review," The Atlantic Online Blog,
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/, 11/28/07)

National Review's Seth Leibsohn: "This Is Mitt's Night." (Seth
Leibsohn, "This Is Mitt's Night," National Review's The Corner,
http://corner.nationalreview.com, Posted 11/28/07)

Bill Bennett: "I think that Romney stood out tonight. I think he was
loud and clear. Conservative. He was 'all-in' as you'd say in Texas
Hold 'Em." (CNN's Post-Debate Coverage, 11/28/07)

Bill Bennett: "I thought he came across very strong. I think you guys
are absolutely right. That opening debate between Romney and Giuliani
was, I think, the pivotal point of the evening. And I think points to
Romney. Giuliani came across badly." (CNN's Post-Debate Coverage,
11/28/07)

ABC News Live Blog: "Romney is engaging very, very directly -- and
dare I say he's getting the better of Giuliani in this exchange, funny
accents and all." ("Live-Blogging During GOP Debate," ABC News'
Political Radar, http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar, Posted
11/28/07)

· ABC News Live Blog: "And Romney gets the first applause by
noting that illegal immigrants already broke the law." ("Live-Blogging
During GOP Debate," ABC News' Political Radar,
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar, Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez: "[T]his is Romney's best debate
performance yet. He reminds us he has experience and outside of
Washington, he's tackled difficult issues, and does not let his temper
get the best of him with a New York bully (something that will come in
handy)." (Kathryn Jean Lopez, "So Far," National Review's The Corner,
http://corner.nationalreview.com, Posted 11/28/07)

CNN's Bill Schneider: "A clever answer from former Massachusetts Gov.
Mitt Romney on farming. He says we need food independence like we need
energy independence — keep the farmers on the farm. His reasoning: We
need to be able to compete with other countries that support their
farmers." (Bill Schneider, "Schneider: Romney Scores Points On Farming
Answer," CNN's Political Ticker, http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com,
Posted 11/28/07)

MSNBC's Domenico Montanaro: "While the sanctuary mansion line got good
laughs, Romney's explanation and questions left Giuliani without an
answer." (Domenico Montanaro, "Giuliani Flustered?" MSNBC's First
Read, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com, Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Rich Lowry: "Rudy let his temper get the best of
him—clear winner of the exchange: Romney." (Rich Lowry, "Mitt V.
Rudy," National Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com,
Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Seth Leibsohn: "I'd be surprised after this debate
if Mitt doesn't see national numbers looking more like his Iowa or NH
numbers after tonight's performance. Brilliant response to the black
on black crime questions." (Seth Leibsohn, "Changing Times," National
Review's The Corner, http://corner.nationalreview.com, Posted
11/28/07)

The New York Times' Katharine Q. Seelye: "But finally, a father-son
team, from Atlanta, want the candidates to talk about black-on-black
crime, and while Mr. Romney gets in a nice line about mothers and
fathers and family values, none of the candidates really address the
issue that the young son raised." (Katharine Q. Seelye, "Live-Blogging
the YouTube Debate," The New York Times' The Caucus Blog,
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/, Posted 11/28/07)

National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru: "So Romney did pretty well in the
debate, and won the immigration exchange." (Ramesh Ponnuru, "A Good
Day for Giuliani," The Corner Blog, corner.nationalreview.com, Posted
11/28/07)

Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham: "Mitt makes a good point that
homeowners should not be required to check papers of workers hired for
their and connects it to regular Americans by suggesting that that's
what Rudy wants them to do." (Townhall, www.townhall.com, Accessed,
11/28/07)

The Plank's Isaac Chotiner: "Romney definitely got the best of
Giuliani on their early immigration skirmish (which actually got
rather heated). Rudy's line about Romney's mansion was cheap and
silly. And Romney is more appealing when going negative than any of
the other candidates." (The New Republic's "The Plank,"
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/default.aspx, Accessed,
11/28/07)

National Review's Kate O'Beirne: "Romney's reference point about how
MA liberals reason is effective. Reminds us that he gets them and
fought them." (National Review's "The Corner,"
http://corner.nationalreview.com, Accessed 11/28/07)

Captain's Quarters' Ed Morrissey: Romney and Huckabee had a good spar
over giving better benefits to illegals for school than to citizens.
Romney is absolutely 100% right on this issue. I hope Iowans realize
that Huckabee may very well be worse than Bush on illegal
immigration." (Heading Right," www.headingright.com, Accessed
11/28/07)