In conceding South Carolina to John McCain, Mike Huckabee nonetheless declared his intention to keep on in his quest to be our 44th president. (He was the 44th governor of Arkansas, by the way.) But it’s far more likely that Huckabee will be our 47th vice president. It’s obvious he likes McCain, and it was smart of him to praise McCain’s (un-Romney-like) campaign and his character, though he did so to excess. Huckabee is relatively young (he’s 52) as presidential candidates go. And knowing that he’s yet to expand his support much beyond evangelicals, and probably can’t, he’s got to be thinking about the vice presidency. Huckabee has served as a number two before, as lieutenant governor of Arkansas. In his victory speech, McCain said not a word about Huck. But he’s known to like him. Maybe that’s because McCain sees in Huckabee someone like himself – a politician willing to buck (and keep bucking) the Republican establishment. An early Huckabee profile perceived Huckabee as a more likely choice for the veep slot. I’m sticking with that assessment, especially since Huckabee might strengthen McCain’s appeal to religious conservatives, without whose support George W. Bush wouldn’t have been elected.
