Posted on 12/10/2007, 5:55:23 PM by pissant
Mike Huckabee’s extraordinary rise in the polls means he deserves to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate in a way he hasn’t been all year long. Serious candidates have well-formulated views on foreign policy. What are Huckabee’s?
He hasn’t been asked about them much - reporters prefer to inquire after his views on evolution-but Don Imus, on his resurrected radio show, queried Huckabee the other day about his foreign-policy experience. Huckabee not so humbly invoked Ronald Reagan, who also, according to the former Arkansas governor, ascended to the presidency with no foreign-policy experience. As Powerline’s Paul Mirengoff has pointed out, this is - to say the least - an inapt analogy. Ronald Reagan lived and breathed the global fight with the Soviet Union for decades, and had been an important voice on the right on foreign policy long before he was president.
Mike Huckabee, by contrast, cut his teeth on typical state-level fare in Arkansas and on weight-loss and wellness programs. This is probably why he felt compelled to quip to Imus, “And the ultimate thing is, I may not be the expert that some people are on foreign policy, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.” (Powerline also points out that he used the exact same line on Imus a year earlier when foreign policy came up.) This won’t do.
Huckabee did give a long speech on foreign policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in September. It combined a superficial rendering of conventional foreign-policy wisdom - which of course included many unfair criticisms of President Bush - with Huckabee’s inimitable folksy delivery. The former governor’s bottom line was that we should be nicer to other countries.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
The foreign policy experience is really not much of an issue when you think about it. Even members of Congress can’t claim too much experience unless they’ve said on the Foreign Affairs Committees.
Two words: Joe Biden. If that’s the measuring stick, Huckabee is safe.
I prefer Sergeant Carter (Fred) over Gomer Pyle (Huckster).
Huckabee ‘08!
** NO foreign policy!
** Pro-illegal aliens!
** Pro amnesty!
** Pro class warfare!
** Soft on crime!
** Pardons for murderers and rapists!
** Hard on personal freedoms!
** The HIGH TAX candidate!
** The HIGH SPENDING candidate!
** Pro Big Government!
** Supports International Carbon Credit Trading!
Why isn't he placing an emphasis on that? (snort!)
sw
The Huckster was terrible on Fox New Sunday yesterday. He sounded like Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Not good enough to be our nominee by a long shot.
One good rule of business is that a good leader does not have to be an expert on everything. He hires (or, in this case, nominates for the Cabinet) competent people for the positions to be filled (which thus ought to preclude Huck from being SecState, too.)
What's not to not like?
Giuliani is part of a law firm that does international business. As Mayor of New York he dealt with foriegn dignitaries, and foreign policies issues. He was for better or worse deeply involved in 9/11, and focused on international terrorism. He also served albeit barely on the Iraq Study Group, and was a federal lawyer in the 80s with the Reagan administration which could well have given him some foreign policy experience.
Mitt Romney has run international corporations. He was heavily involved in the Olympics, which was an international operation. Frankly, Mitt isn’t the strongest person on foreign policy, but he’s dealt with it a lot more than Huckabee.
Fred Thompson was a lawyer in the federal government, which may or may not have given him experience. He serves on the Council for Foreign Relations, which is international experience although maybe not what people have in mind. As Senator, he was on committees that dealt with foreign policy (I think), but he also clearly dealt with foreign policy as part of his senatorial duties, much more so than the Governor of Arkansas might have.
Even George W. Bush had some “foreign policy” rub off on him from his father — although he was clearly weak on the subject, so much so he had to pick Dick Cheney to provide him cover.
“I stayed at a Holidy Inn Express” — isn’t that the line from the commercial where clearly unqualified people are explaining why they should be trusted with things they have no experience about?
Frankly, the entire Republican slate is weak on foreign policy. Not nearly as weak as the Democrats. Frankly, I’d trust Biden more than Huckabee to, in the end, not completely screw up our foreign policy. Biden is stupid, but at least he has some grasp of the issues. I don’t know how smart Huckabee is but he doesn’t seem to have ANY facts yet.
Duncan Hunter is probably the strongest guy we have in the area.
I believe Mitt Romney lived in France for two years and speacks French fluently. Considering Sarkozy is now turning out to be a major American ally, Romney’s background may be an asset. Romney also is an international businessman who knows the business climate overseas and has frequently made the argument that we should be focusing more on the competition from India and China and how we are going to deal with it and remain the top dog economic superpower. I don’t hear the other candidates even mentioning it, particularly Huckabee who thinks his cheesy little jokes and quips are enough to make him president. I’m thorougly sick of him.
Fred Thompson’s foreign affairs resume:
-United States senator from Tennessee, 1994-2003 (chairman, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, 1997-2001)
-Special counsel, Senate Committee on Intelligence, 1982
-Special counsel, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1980-1981
As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Thompson focused on the threat of nuclear proliferation and technology transfers that could damage American industrial and national security.
While a vocal supporter of free trade, Thompson has also fought to link free trade to our national security interests. For example, when voting to grant full-trading status to China, Senator Thompson fought unsuccessfully to include an amendment in the bill that would have required the president to impose sanctions against China if it violated nuclear-nonproliferation agreements.
Thompson also served on the Intelligence Committee at a time when it examined the failings in intelligence and analysis leading into the September 11th terrorist attacks, as well as the reforms needed to better prepare for future threats.
I’m yet to read a thread on Free Rebulic where anyone supports this turkey.
Remember everyone, you are voting for Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, not the person who gives you the most warm fuzzy feelings.
You apparently never have read Fred Thompson's resume. Outside his Senate experience, he also was Chair of the International Security Advisory Board. You don't get to that by 'playing one on TV.'
They do if you can believe the FR polls. Also I note that many of his supporters have registered in 2007 (for what it's worth).
“’I stayed at a Holidy Inn Express’ — isn’t that the line from the commercial where clearly unqualified people are explaining why they should be trusted with things they have no experience about?”
These kind of lines would be great if he was running for president of the one-liners. But something as serious as the safety and security of our country and its people shouldn’t be taken so lightly.
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