We snot-nosed elite media types may not be too high on Mike Huckabee, but it’s not like the governor lacks for fans. He’s apparently knocking them dead in Iran. Iran’s Fars News Agency highlighted Huck’s infamous “bunker mentality” comment, and went on to note his insatiable appetite for diplomacy. Under the headline “Top Republican Candidate Wants Dialog With Iran,” Fars reports:
Regarding the conduct of Huckabee in the White House, there is a lot we do not know. Like another governor from the same state, Bill Clinton, Huckabee has little experience in foreign affairs. Nonetheless, last week he dropped a bomb in an article he published in Foreign Affairs, where all the other candidates have contributed articles. He wrote of “urgent concerns” regarding Iran’s nuclear program and its support for militants, saying that he does not discard the military option. But he was critical of the Bush foreign policy, which he described as “arrogant bunker mentality.” In the Iranian context, his policy is being interpreted as a change, calling for bringing to the table non-military options as well. Huckabee is of the opinion that relations with Iran deteriorated following Bush’s “axis of evil” speech. In many points his message on Iran is more akin to that of the Democrats: there is a need for dialogue with Iran, and more diplomacy is needed. He quoted the Chinese strategist Sun Tzu, who authored The Art of War 2,500 years ago: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Incredible. Even in sophisticated Persia, they don’t know the difference between Sun Tzu and Michael Corleone. On another Huckabee related front, I’ve noticed a trend regarding the hate-mail that Huck-a-bashing generates. A mere mention of Ron Paul tends to trigger an avalanche of angry emails from the amalgam of left wing cranks and right wing cranks (not to mention Andrew Sullivan) who think Paul would be a great president. By the way, my dear Ronulans, did you catch Paul’s latest salute to federalism in which he blasted Abraham Lincoln for fighting the Civil War? Regarding Huckabee, the mail that comes in from his supporters is every bit as detached from reality as the typical Paul email. Allow me one example for your edification:
I thought very highly of THE WEEKLY STANDARD and other conservatives until I saw how they treat a Republican not in the “in” group. Everything Mike Huckabee stands for is almost identical to Ronald Reagan. We could turn back the clock and hear the same Reagan is unqualified crap back then. First you call Mike the village idiot and then talk about what a slick person he is. Make up your mind is he stupid or smart. If you actually studied him instead of just attacking him because he is not mainstream you would know that 90% of the thinks being said about him are not true or distorted and the other 10% he fully admits were mistakes. Boy how odd a person running for president who will admit when he is wrong. When you attack Mike you attack the last good president we had. You attack Reagan. But then again when he first ran he was getting the same kind of attacks. You remind of the people that are calling Mike Gomer Pyle. We want one of us for president and not one of the upper class snobs.
So much for my nascent “Draft Goldfarb” movement. Anyway, my point here is that the amount of pro-Huckabee emails has slowed dramatically. I think this phenomenon buttresses the theory I put forth Monday–that most Republican voters are deciding that Huckabee’s not the fella they’re looking for. All he’s going to be left with is a bunch of folks who think a tax-raising, clemency giving, foreign policy wimp is the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan. In other words, he’ll have people who operate on their own little planet where reality doesn’t much figure into the equation. And since Ron Paul has already locked up the crazy vote, the Huckabee supporting segment ultimately can’t be very large.
