Basically, it depends 100% on whether the press will canonize him or not. I tend to think they won't leap into doing so, but they will be more likely to canonize him than virtually any other Republican if he demonstrates real support from party leaders. They might have leapt into canonizing him already if the Democrats hadn't taken control of Congress, but since that happened the press has been more cautious about claiming that all right-thinking Americans can obviously tell that some Republican or other is in tune with all right-thinking Americans.

Yeah, I could see Huckabee. He, Romney, or Giuliani seems like the most difficult candidate to beat, but I have a hard time imagining the latter two getting the nomination. Thanks for the terror, Becks.

I'm a broken record, but don't worry about Giuliani. People on the left are going to despise him for his politics (and the whole 'being of pure evil' thing). Social conservatives, while they might get past the multiple divorces and public affairs, are going to run aground on the sheer volume of pictures of the man doing the can-can in an evening gown; let alone the actually gay-friendly and pro-choice record. His only constitutency, once people are paying attention, is the kind of conservatives you get on the Internet.

If the election had bene in '02, Giuliani might have been a viable candidate. Now, I don't see him being a threat, either in the primaries or in the general.

Or, what LB said.

I don't need my fears about Giuliani assuaged; I need my fears about Huckabee assuaged. I can imagine him running the same "compassionate conservative" campaign as Bush. Where is my comfort on that matter, LB? Nurture me, woman!

For Huckabee, I got nothin'. I don't know jack about him.

Sorry, not so much with the nurturing.

I blame feminism for my fear of Huckabee.

I can imagine him running the same "compassionate conservative" campaign as Bush.

Hasn't Bush pretty well ruined this, though? It seems like it'd be hard to follow with the same message ("...only I actually mean it...") at this juncture.

The american people will never elect someone named "Huckabee." Nor someone named "Obama Hussein" but let's hope I'm wrong on that one (or "mitt" FWIW).

"Bush", OTOH, just lets people think, "heh heh heh heh, 'Bush' heh heh heh."

What does this mean? Say hello to Pres. McCain.

note that my reference to "mitt" was that the 'merican people wouldn't elect him, not that I was hoping I was wrong about them not doing so.

I'll shut up now.

I don't know how much to worry about him in the general, but yes, he seems like one to watch. Every other candidate has something glaring wrong with them. A governor (thus, not implicated in the Bush administration or Iraq mess, unlike McCain) who's good on TV, who's got far better social conservative credentials than Romney or Giuliani, but hasn't shown signs of Brownback's kookiness...he's obscure, but obscure candidates can move up in a hurry if they fill a niche no one else fills. Look at Dean.

This guy cares about the little people, even including the many rapist murderers whose talents are being wasted in our federal prisons. "As you have done unto the least of these, you have done unto me."

While Huckabee is a for-real candidate -- likelier than the Russert-worshipped to make it through the primary; likelier than the other base-panderers to perform well in the election -- will it make a difference unless the dynamic in Iraq changes? Bush at 28% seems likely to be an anchor around the neck of the national party, although I wasn't around for the Ford-Carter election, so I may be overstating things.

Keep our eyes on Huckabee, yes. I'm not convinced we need to be terribly worried about him, though. The loons at RedState seem divided on him, with the social conservatives liking him and semi-rational anti-government tax-cutters disliking him. The immigration nuts seem to think he's "pro-amnesty"---thank you, lunatic fringe-enabling Tom Tancredo.

This is going to be such a great Republican primary. I just hope nobody succeeds in shoving that bitter animosity back into the smoke-filled room.

The loons at RedState seem divided on him, with the social conservatives liking him and semi-rational anti-government tax-cutters disliking him.

I think the semi-rational form a relatively small part of the Republican Party, and that their size and relevance is decreasing. And at the end of the day, all they want is tax cuts, even in the face of increased govt. spending; they're easy to buy off.

This is going to be such a great Republican primary.

It will be awfully nice to have them busy just fucking each other for a change.

Back in Arkansas, we call him "chucklebee". In fact, if you google that name, google asks if you meant "huckabee". I'm impressed, Google, I'm impressed.

14 - That's what worries me most -- the social conservatives like him but his rhetoric is all warm-and-fuzzy-soccer-mom-liberal-stuff. Makes me worried that, again, we'd get someone radically religious running who claims not to be.

I'm hoping that the American electorate, having once been burned by "compassionate conservatism," will be twice shy about that sort of rhetoric. If not--and hell, even if--let's tie the Shiavo snafu about his neck.

I'm hoping that the American electorate, having once been burned by "compassionate conservatism," will be twice shy about that sort of rhetoric.

Twice was 2004. I would really, really like to believe that our fellow Amurkans have wised up, but....

I do kind of hope the "funny name" clause disqualifies Huckabee, much like it does Vilsack, but that doesn't bode well for Obama.

Basically, it depends 100% on whether the press will canonize him or not.

Speaking of press crappiness, did anyone catch Juan Williams' interview of Dear Leader on NPR today? God, Juan is a fawning tool. I mean, I knew that already, but Jaysus Christ he was so pathetically useless in this interview.

For example, his final question:

One last thing, Mr. President, with the Democrats. You asked the Democrats on a bipartisan basis to form an advisory council and monitor the war, work with you. They haven't responded at all. What do you take from that?

I wanted to propel a Shit Cream Pie into his face almost as badly as I wanted to hit Cokie Roberts with a chair a week or two back when she said that Democrats who oppose "Free Trade" are "on the wrong side of history".

Just watched the clip. Huckabee would make a fantastic variety show host. Just judging by those few minutes, I expect he'll do well, but I expect the subtextual knock on him will be that's slightly deranged; I think his manner lends itself to being caricatured that way. And of course there's his name and bald spot, but those probably aren't insuperable.

Of course, the CBC also has footage of him congratulating the Canadian government on its decision to erect a protective dome to protect the National Igloo--the Canadian capitol building, made out of ice, doncha know--from global warming. So foreign policy cred takes a blow.

(Tom Vilsack is also screwed, as on the same show he congratulated Canada on adopting the 24-hour day rather than continuing with the more cumbersome "metric time.")

he looks like a cardigan wearing gramps. Sorta like carter in that way, but less friendly.