Posted on 01/23/2008 12:29:02 PM PST by TitansAFC
This was a surprise. From the Hunter statement:
"I got to know Governor Huckabee well on the campaign trail," said Hunter. "Of the remaining candidates I feel that he is strongly committed to strengthening national defense, constructing the border fence and meeting the challenge of China's emergence as a military superpower that is taking large portions of America‚s industrial base."
"Along with these issues of national security, border enforcement and protecting the U.S. industrial base, I see another quality of Mike Huckabee's candidacy that compels my endorsement. Mike Huckabee is a man of outstanding character and integrity. I saw that character over the last year of campaigning and was greatly impressed. The other Republican candidates have many strengths and I wish them all well. My personal choice is Mike Huckabee," Hunter concluded.
From your keyboard to God’s ears.
From the San Diego Union Tribune (from a press release by Duncan himself)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20080123-1301-ca-huckabeeendorsement-hunter.html
Fox News
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/23/drop-out-duncan-hunter-backs-huckabee/
You’re so right - I hadn’t seen the video before - he explicitly says he’ll be evaluating the candidates over at least a couple more weeks before he might say anything about an endorsement. He said no to Romney and said he liked Huckabee and McCain but he explicitly declined to make any “endorsement” at this time so the headline is a crock.
I’ve taken a second look at Huckabee, and it ain’t pretty.
I’m sorry, but I cannot follow Duncan down this particular path.
I was as surprised as you. I do not understand this, whatsoever.
Usually when you see that type of hate it is from an “Amnesty Lover” and not a Mitt Witt. The Gipper seems to be fond of Mike Pence so by a preponderance of the evidence it is more likely to be ALR-—Amnesty Lover Rage. It could be a Mitt Witt, but I have found them to be polite and respectful for the most part.
Whichever it happens to be, Gipper08 is an obvious doorknob. I am glad I can finally say that. :)
I replied to Antoninus that I had taken a second look at Huckabee, and it was not pretty. There are far too many Christian Conservatives in Arkansas that have no use for Huck.
I’ve recently read (some parts very quickly) Churchill’s last three books in his series on WWII: The Hinge of Fate, Closing the Ring, and Triumph and Tragedy.
Yes, I bet, too, that the Allied air forces would have given their arms and maybe their privates for our guided munions (JDam’s, etc.) that we have today, because Churchill does go into the accuracy of both the German’s V1 and V2, guided and rocket technology and how inaccurate it was, too, for innate reasons and for the perimeters of defense that the English put up against them.
So, the allies had to pick their bombing methods carefully, whether to go with the American air force method and munitions that were less accurate but they had so many of them, or go with the English method and munitions which were more accurate but also costlier to them of pilots and crews initially before they perfected some aspects of it. Frankly, I’ve forgotten the exact details, but if you are interested I recomend reading.
The main reason we weren’t bombing the death camps was that we were bombing strategically in France to bring about less risk for Operation Overlord (Normandy Landing) and also bombing munitions factories and U-boat ports to cut down on our ghastly losses in Atlantic shipping.
Where our bombs went were prioritized by great overall strategies that Churchill goes into in detail.
Even the landings and bombings in Sicily and Italy were not to liberate those areas but to take pressure off the Russians and off our intended landing sites in France.
Pas de Calais was bombed more than Normandy to mislead the Germans into thinking it was to be the landing site. French railroads were bombing to delay German reinforcements getting to Normandy.
And airfields and airplane factories were bombed to give us air superiority on D-Day, without which we would have failed.
As Churchill emphasized a lot, the Allied landing at Normandy became the priority on which all decisions eventually hinged and making that landing a success was vital, or another year or two would have been lost in the war.
The “favoritism” of rich kids for flight school and for becoming officers has some positive things despite the initial reaction of “it’s unfair”. Many of them had a leg up in education, so they could master all the aerodynamics courses, and not wash out in ground school, and many came from backgrounds where they had more innate ability to lead.
When you are dragging into a hot war the 90 day wonders like my Dad was, and cramming them full of information, (for him it was 3 months at Dartmouth in the winter) and then throwing them into war, then the more intelligent who can read and retain are the ones they can churn out faster, even if they don’t get the in depth course to understand overall strategies and indepth details. My dad wasn’t a pilot nor a rich kid’s son, but he had been a flight deck communications officer in a private airline before the war started, and then was a low ranked flight deck communications officer in the Navy for the whole of the war, but doing important and dangerous work all around the Atlantic theatre, and dodging buzz bombs in London at one point.
Sorry to ramble on, but it’s late and I am very tired and now will try to get some sleep.
Still, I don’t see the need to dis men (rich or not) who signed on and were conscientious about their duty until they were no longer needed and then returned to civilian life.
“He has the ultimate good of the country in mind.”
I have always thought so. I sat across a small table from him for lunch, for an hour. He is a good man.
But.... this endorsement surprises me, a lot.
I have a “45” of Little GTO (Ronnie & the Daytonas).
He may not be better than the rest, but he certainly can’t be any worse. I am not sure why people are so surprised. We knew he would endorse someone. Who was Hunter going to endorse? Romney? McCain? Rudy? McCain isn’t very bright and I still would like to know what meds they have him on to keep him so calm for this long. Rudy is a NY liberal. Romney and Huck are basically the same, Romney has a larger checkbook to runs ads pretending he has always been with us. Whichever of those two wins is fine with me as I really couldn’t care less. It is like the choice between a kick in the crotch and a toothache; You don’t want either but you know when it’s said and done you are going to get one or the other. heh :)
Weird, innit? Might be a “lesser of several evils” choice. I don’t understand why he believes a guy who gave freebies to illegals is a good bet for getting a fence built but I’m sure Hunter felt his reasons were good ones. The Paulites must be really upset Hunter endorsed Huckabee over their “only real conservative” candidate.
Strange endorsement. This primary/causus cycle is bizarre. What’s next, Fred endorses Ron Paul??? Oh well, no horse to ride for me as of now.
I’m wondering if he’s bucking for a vp spot too. I’m still kinda disappointed in this decision, though.
I’m wondering if he’ll feel compelled to endorse McCain just BECAUSE Hunter endorsed Huckabee.
how tragic - you’re right, it is real and whatever Hunter said on Neal Cavuto’s show about waiting is now “inoperative”
I don’t think any endorsements from anyone will carry the Huckster to victory, but it certainly lowers my previously high regard for Duncan Hunter somewhat. Anyone can make a mistake but this is a big one, IMHO. Whatever rapport Hunter may feel for the Huckster from the campaign trail, I cannot regard the Huckster as a suitable nominee for President. He’s way too squishy on security and international affairs, not to mention his fondness for illegal aliens, no matter what he may have whispered to Duncan Hunter offstage around the debate venues.......
Re your post 1653: Probably one of the most reasonable comments seen on this thread.
The knives sure did come out FAST once Hunter endorsed another candidate! They would have come out no matter who he endorsed. Part of supporting a candidate is trust in their judgment. We’ve had many die-hard Hunter supporters on Free Republic. Doesn’t that support mean we trust his judgment? I do trust Hunter’s judgment. At least I respect it. I have never ever been a Huckabee supporter. I don’t know if I ever will be. In the months to come, I will have to watch and see what happens. But I won’t denigrate Hunter for his endorsement. At this point, my plan is to write in Hunter in the primaries and, possibly, the general elections.
I thought you had said that Huckabee was the best alternative we had left?
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