Posted on 02/22/2008 11:42:36 PM PST by Kurt Evans
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee met with conservative Christian leader James Dobson Friday as he vied to pick up the Colorado delegates pledged to Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race. Huckabee's visit comes two weeks after Dobson endorsed him for president.
"Personally it was a great encouragement," Huckabee said of the endorsement. "I think it also was an extraordinary boost for our campaign because Dr. Dobson is seen as such a true national leader when it comes to issues of life, marriage and family."
Huckabee is an ordained Baptist minister and a former governor of Arkansas. His campaign has been kept alive in part by support from conservative Christians who don't want to back Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Appearing without Dobson at a podium on a lawn outside the campus of Focus on the Family, Huckabee declined to describe what he and his friend of 14 years discussed.
Huckabee, who was in Colorado Springs to speak Friday night to the conservative group, Leadership Program of the Rockies, said the meeting was "personal" in nature and "not a meeting that I was having with him in his capacity as the leader of Focus on the Family."
Although Huckabee said Dobson's backing has helped him, he doubts the Focus on the Family founder will be campaigning for him.
"I think it would be very difficult for him to go on the campaign trail," Huckabee said. "I did not ask for that, and I would not expect that."
Through a spokesman, Dobson also declined to describe the conversation and cautioned against reading into why he didn't appear with Huckabee.
"This was a long-planned private conversation between two friends and Dr. Dobson wanted to keep it that way," said Gary Schneeberger, a Dobson spokesman. "It's certainly not meant to temper his support of the governor."
He said Dobson would not comment on a private meeting. Schneeberger also said Dobson was sensitive to IRS rules that restrict tax-exempt groups like Focus on the Family from getting involved in politics. When Dobson endorses political candidates, he emphasizes he is speaking as an individual and not for the group.
Many political observers believe Huckabee, with 254 delegates, doesn't have a chance of catching McCain, who has 958 delegates of the 1,191 needed to win the nomination. Romney, who dropped out of the race earlier this month after picking up 280 delegates, has endorsed McCain.
That hasn't discouraged Huckabee.
"There's 46 delegates at stake in Colorado that could be mine," Huckabee told dozens of cheering supporters.
Dick Wadhams, Colorado chair of the Republican Party, said that that the Feb. 5 caucus—where Huckabee came in third after Romney and McCain—was a "preference poll" and that delegates are still up for grabs.
Huckabee also commented about a New York Times article Thursday alleging that McCain's staffers were concerned about a relationship with a female lobbyist during his first presidential run eight years ago. McCain and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, have denied they had a romantic relationship.
"My only experience with (McCain) as a fellow candidate the past 14 months is a positive one," Huckabee said. "I see him as a man of integrity. He's denied the allegations in the New York Times article. I have no reason to doubt him."
Mimi Hailes, 50, of Colorado Springs has been working on Huckabee's campaign in Colorado and it was thrill to meet him and see him person.
"I told him that I've been praying for him and that I pray for him every day," Hailes said. "I'm very hopeful that he's still going to be our candidate."
The cheerful, lighthearted Huckabee cracked some jokes with his supporters and talked about his upcoming guest appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday, saying that if he couldn't make it they might get Brad Pitt to portray him.
LOL. Talk about self delusion! The nominating contest is over. The Huckster is like a boxer who lost the fight and yet stays in the ring shadow boxing with an imaginary opponent.
He's done. The only reason he stays in the race is to get publicity for himself.
Which is fine by me. It just amuses the heck out of me that some deluded fools continue to believe he's actually competing in something real.
“Which is fine by me.”
============================================================Your posts don’t seem to support that.
LOL! How would it be described if Huckabee had a chance? He's on an ego trip--that's all!
One is in the race, one was forced to drop out and bemoan his 45 million dollars that he wasted.
Huckabee addressing the Mormonism question:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DzzWFbHfbg4
“It was clear that stratgically he, along with Rollins, decided to stray from that template to play the “Wacky Religious Beliefs” card knowing it will both get attention and play to the fears of skeptics and bigots.”
Refer to the video link in post #85. Governor Huckabee is an honest man. You’ve been brainwashed.
I think that the FairTax is also conservative as is opposing the treaty of the seas. There are plenty of issues that Huckabee is conservative on. The claims that Huckabee is a populist/socialist are based on his support of the FairTax which makes anyone who makes such accusations less than credible. In Iowa, where the voters had the most access the the candidates, Mike won.
You are correct. This statement above is wrong. However, that is the perception of Hucksterbee supporters because they have been duped by his identity politics. So any criticism of Hucksterbee's bad history on taxes, his foreign policy stances, his big government ideas is viewed by his supporters as an attack on Christianity itself!
LOL! Yeah, Romney’s delegates are going to flock right to Mike “Mormons believe Jesus is the Devil’s brother” Huckster.
“I don’t suffer fools gladly, you glittering jewel of ignorance, and its late, and I am not in the mood to be lied to, jerky.”
Actually the “glittering jewel of ignorance” here is you.
“This guy can never be straight with the public. And to you Mr Evans: Huckabee still *****.”
Governor Huckabee is an honest Christian man.
“You are a blatant LIAR.”
Actually I’m not a blatant liar, and you are.
“identity politics trumps conservative principles again”...
Supporting a candidate because of his or her belief in the Bible isn’t mere identity politics. Such faith is directly relevant to a person’s ability to govern effectively.
bump
“You’d better take care of those Islamofascists first if you want to have babies later.”
As I said above, God isn’t going to bless us on an international scale if we continue to slaughter the death-toll equivalent of 9-11 in their mothers’ wombs every single day.
“His people sent out greeting cards in SC featuring Romney endorsing polygamy.”
I hadn’t heard that. Do you have a source?
“So, if I wrote: ‘Aren’t you the FReeper who liked to play with little boys?’ you wouldn’t call it a smear?”
I’d probably just answer.
“Right, and I didn’t address this post to you, but if I did, this is what it would look like, LOL!”
Governor Huckabee didn’t smear Mormons. The New York Times smeared Governor Huckabee by suggesting he was trying to do so. You’ve apparently been brainwashed.
ROFLMAO, my goodness how dizzy you must get!
LOL!
I’m curious...Are you an idiot or an apologist for Gov. Huckabee?
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