huckabee finn
by Brian Thomas
Published: January 1, 2008
As the Iowa caucus grows near and the amount of mudslinging increases, Mike Huckabee (Rep. Governor from Arkansas) has become a major target of criticism of both the Left and Right sides of the political spectrum. The differing parties have taken notice of the Governor’s rise in the polls and have sought to take him down a few notches before primaries are initiated. Hard-line Republicans view his economic and tax agendas as a major weakness whereas Democrats have been attacking his religious mindset, something that the Democratic National Committee has become synonymous in doing. Unfortunately for Governor Huckabee, his recent remarks on current international issues have brought with them accusations of incompetence and lack of attention.
The death of a great political leader, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, this past week has given American presidential candidates the opportunity to lend their sympathies and to illuminate their attention to foreign affairs, especially those regarding the Middle East. As Mike Huckabee took his turn at the podium to speak on Bhutto’s assassination, he made several erroneous remarks and these mistakes are beginning to flood the media. The Associated Press (AP), Fox News Channel and the New York Times are all taking turns in releasing the “Huckabee Report.”
The Governor was asked to share his feelings on the explosive transnational issues that potentially could arise from the mounting Pakistani unrest. Huckabee first gave his condolences to Bhutto’s family and to the sorrowful nation, but then incurred that the United States has to do more to lessen the amount of Pakistani illegal immigrants entering the country. Wait a second. Lessen the amount of Pakistani illegals? Did Huckabee really say this? According to the AP, the not so humorous answer is, “Yes!”
During questioning Governor Huckabee stated that, “We have more Pakistani illegals coming across our border than all other nationalities except those immediately south of the border.” Though this does seem to paint him as a fool, in all honesty, his information was not false, just out of date. Huckabee was quoting an article from The Denver Post which stated that from 2002 - 2005, Pakistani illegal immigrants were second to Mexican illegals. But more recent reports have clearly shown that other foreign nations have taken that second place standing for the marathon to reach the U.S.
The Governor also falsely stated that Afghanistan borders the eastern side of Pakistan when in fact it borders the west. Again, in all fairness most American’s do not have a perfect map of the world in their minds; however, if you are making public statements about a nation and criticizing them, you should know the correct information.
The third statement made by Huckabee has become a dagger in the back of his campaign. According to Fox News Affiliates, after giving his sympathies to Benazir Bhutto’s family, the Governor “incorrectly condemned” Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for his institution of martial law. The media’s criticism of Huckabee’s comment stemmed from the fact that about two weeks ago, under pressure from the U.S. and the U.N., Musharraf relieved some restrictions imposed by martial law.
But despite this small relief, there are many restrictions left in place. The curfews and military mandates have not been renounced and the recent riots over Bhutto’s assassination have given Musharraf a “legal window” to institute more control over the already captive Pakistani people. Pakistan is in peril and the iron rule that Musharraf wishes to emplace will most likely continue before the nation’s elections. So while Mike Huckabee does have some foreign affairs homework to do before his next pop quiz, he has not entirely failed the class.
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