Huckabee clueless on Reagan/Keyes pro-life Mexico City Policy

RenewAmerica.us ^ | September 22, 2007 | Helen Valois

[EternalVigilance]

Bill Clinton knows about the Mexico City Policy. Immediately upon taking office as President, on behalf of his virulently pro-abortion base of support, Clinton rescinded Ronald Reagan's prohibition on U.S. taxpayer funding of abortions overseas.

George W. Bush knows about the Mexico City Policy. When he became our country's Chief Executive, one of his first acts was to restore the policy's protections afforded to the innocent unborn around the world, and to American taxpayers.

But in last Monday's Values Voter debate in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, candidate Mike Huckabee proved that he doesn't have a clue about this landmark pro-life foreign policy.

Here's the relevant portion of the debate:

JANET FOLGER: The Mexico City Policy states that as a condition for a foreign organization to receive federal funds, they will neither, quote, "perform nor actively promote abortion." Would you work to apply this Mexico City Policy to organizations within the United States, as well as abroad?

MIKE HUCKABEE: I just want to clarify, and I'm not trying to be difficult, but I want to make sure we're not being asked to apply a Mexican law to United States law. Is it the principle you're after, or the law itself?

FOLGER: It's the principle of not giving our tax dollars to organizations within our country that actively promote or provide abortions.

HUCKABEE: OK. I just want to make sure that we were not in essence agreeing to abide by a Mexican law.

FOLGER: No. It's an American law.

HUCKABEE: OK. All right.

SAM BROWNBACK: This is a policy that Ronald Reagan put in place — that we wouldn't use federal funds to support abortion or organizations that promote abortions overseas.

DUNCAN HUNTER: It's actually a U.N. policy.

ALAN KEYES: Well, actually, it was a policy of the Mexico City Population Conference. I was the deputy chairman of the delegation. I actually negotiated the language into the final resolution at that conference.

This exchange raises a huge red flag about Governor Huckabee's standing as a serious pro-lifer on the national level.

I was so troubled by this that I called a number of pro-life leaders and asked them their opinion of a candidate who lacks this basic understanding of our decades-old battle to save the lives of the innocent unborn — without telling them who made these remarks, so as not to bias their answers due to some preconceived notion about any particular candidate.

Here is a representative sampling of their remarks:

"I have an idea of what the Mexico City Policy is, yes," said Joe Scheidler of Chicago's Pro-Life Action League. "Pro-life presidential candidates should have it down cold. They ought to be much better-versed in the particulars than we are."

Peggy Hamill, State Director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, said, "There has been much discussion of the Mexico City Policy over the years, and a candidate should certainly have heard of it. You don't have to be a leader to know about it. The average pro-lifer would know."

Joan McKeegan, a homeschooling mom from Ohio, one of those "average pro-lifers," agreed. "Well, I've certainly heard of the Mexico City Policy," she reflected, "but I'd be hard-pressed to give you the specifics off the top of my head. Then again, I'm not running for high office. A candidate, I would definitely expect to be on top of it. After all, that is precisely the type of thing that we would be electing him to take care of."

Huckabee came in first in the post-debate straw poll involving 340 hand-picked delegates, followed by Ron Paul and newly-announced Alan Keyes — the man who, as the debate showed, wrote and negotiated the language of the Mexico City Policy in the first place.

Perhaps the delegates, and those who have tried to make a case for Mr. Huckabee's candidacy this week, haven't yet had time to reflect on the enormity of the implications of his evident ignorance of the Mexico City Policy. It is critical that they, and all pro-life Americans, think hard before they make a grievous error that would harm our efforts for years to come.

"Well, I think it's obvious that all of us here on this stage are pro-life," Huckabee asserted at one point. While that may be true, it has become obvious that they don't all have an equal depth of knowledge and understanding of where we've been and where we must go as a movement.

Hamill — after the purpose behind the questioning had been revealed to her — said, "There's no way he could have been very deeply involved in the pro-life effort over the last couple of decades. That's for sure."

As Huckabee himself pointed out Monday night, one way to tell what he will do in office is to take stock of what he is known to have done already.

In light of this significant on-screen exchange, Huckabee's attempt to set himself apart from the conservative pack because of his decade of executive experience in Arkansas loses credibility. Governors become presidents, he argued, because many of the same types of agencies need to be managed at both the state and federal levels. Presidents, however, are additionally charged with responsibility for American foreign policy, and therefore those with presidential aspirations can reasonably be expected to be conversant with its most important features.

Another "average pro-lifer," who asked not to be quoted by name, found the Mexico City Policy debacle as revelatory of the brand-new Keyes candidacy as it was of the Huckabee campaign.

"I always knew Alan could talk the talk," he remarked, "but I didn't realize he had these kinds of rubber-hits-the-road credentials as well. Everyone is always saying he can't be elected because he never has been elected, but now I realize that one of the most significant advances of the entire pro-life battle was directly due to his involvement. I mean, it turns out that the very reason that our foreign policy is markedly more pro-life than our domestic situation is that Ronald Reagan put Alan Keyes in charge of it. Just imagine what could be accomplished if we pro-life voters decided to put him in the White House at last!"

What, indeed.

RenewAmerica analyst Helen Valois also writes a column for RenewAmerica.

[DoughtyOne]

Well, I didn’t know squat about the Mexico policy. Now, am I pro choice? Am I an advocate of abortion?

Some folks sure have an amusing take on things.

Mike Huckabee is a good man. To infer otherwise soils the messenger.

[AuntB]

Mike Huckabee is a good man. To infer otherwise soils the messenger.

Well, Huckabee is a great preacher, I'll agree with that. He has a TERRIBLE record on immigration, building Mexican consulates with tax $$, giving aliens free college, etc. He's gone so far as to call anyone a bigot who didn't like it. Talk to some Arkansas folks.

[EternalVigilance]

You’re not running for President, are you?

[Paperdoll]

I have always like Alan Keyes, supported him for years, but I am at odds with him joining the Republican roster of candidates at this time when we already have a dynamic, though somewhat more cool, calm and collected candidate running, in Rep. Duncan Hunter.

No doubt the MSM will spotlight the dramatic Keyes over Hunter because they know his chances of winning in the general are far less than that of Rep. Hunter, whatever their reasons may be.

[EternalVigilance]

Mike Huckabee is a good man. To infer otherwise soils the messenger.

I read all the way through the piece, and I didnt see where the writer said that Huckabee isn't a good man.

What I read was a pretty solid case that Huckabee is grossly uninformed, in a way that demonstrates that there isn't much depth when it comes to his pro-life credentials.

[EternalVigilance]

As I have said many times, Congressman Hunter is a good man and a great American.

However, he has had a year to rally the conservative troops, and he’s failed to do so. I know the reasons for that, but I’m not going to be sharing them here.

In any case, God bless Duncan Hunter.

[Paperdoll]

>As I have said many times, Congressman Hunter is a good man and a great American.<

Then stick with your high principles and support Rep. Hunter who has proven many times that he shares them. People are willing to let the Pravda MSM tell them who to vote for? Then we might as well not vote, because they have already won!

[Uri’el-2012]

How about Thompson/Keyes in '08 ?

[AuntB]

As I have said many times, Congressman Hunter is a good man and a great American. However, he has had a year to rally the conservative troops, and he’s failed to do so. I know the reasons for that, but I’m not going to be sharing them here. In any case, God bless Duncan Hunter.

I see. You have 'information' the the voters need to know, but you won't say anything? Don't drop the hint if you can't supply the goods.

Out with it.

[esarlls3]

What I read was a pretty solid case that Huckabee is grossly uninformed, in a way that demonstrates that there isn't much depth when it comes to his pro-life credentials.

I don't see this as a reflection on Huckabee's committment to being pro-life or implementing pro-life policy. It may be an indication that he has not been involved as a pro-life activist. I expect he will be able to answer more detailed questions about the Mexico City Policy next week.

I'm sure all of the candidates have areas of where they are not well versed in the history of the policy. Presidents, too, probably have similar areas of ignorance. That's why Presidents have a Cabinet and advisors.

[EternalVigilance]

I told you. He’s had a year. He hasn’t gotten the job done. Why do you think that is?

[EternalVigilance]

I expect he will be able to answer more detailed questions about the Mexico City Policy next week.

Ya think? lol...

[AuntB]

They’ve ALL had the same year. So what? Is that what your little innuendo was about? WEAK.

[EternalVigilance]

It’s not innuendo at all.

I know the reasons Duncan has not gained any traction, but I choose not to slam him here - because I consider him to be a very good man.

[EternalVigilance]

BTW, I had a nice chat with Duncan this past week. The campaign trail has not affected him in the least. He’s the same great guy he’s always been, and he’s as steady as a rock. He’s someone every conservative should admire and emulate.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Keyes comes across as too angry, and I agree with him on all of the issues. Coming across as too angry will definitely be a turn-off to the majority of the voting general public. Hillary Clinton also often comes across as being too angry, and this can definitely help whoever the final GOP Presidential candidate is. Still, both Keyes and Gingrich, if Newt also decides to enter the race later, can definitely help to improve the overall GOP Presidential debates among all of the GOP candidates, and this is truly a good thing. I just don’t also want the “more leftist” GOP Presidential candidates to succeed in winning the majority of primaries because of the high number of conservatives running for President on the GOP side splitting up too much of the total votes on the conservative side.

[Jim Robinson]

Oh, yeah. And Keyes is going to do a whole lot better. /sarc

What an incredible waste of time, treasure and talent.

[EternalVigilance]

Well, sir, in my opinion, it is never a waste of time, treasure and talent to advocate passionately for the foundational principles that underlie our free republic.

Hearts and minds, Jim, hearts and minds...

[DoughtyOne]

And I don’t agree with that. Now, was that the topic of the thread? I won’t vote for Huckabee if that’s his only stance on illegal immigration.