I suppose we should congratulate Mike Huckabee for winning in Iowa.  The truth is, I’m not much of a Huckabee fan.  I know what some of you are thinking: “Bob, Huckabee is an Evangelical Christian.  How can you as an Evangelical minister and Christian apologist not like him?”

Well, maybe it takes an apologist to say it so let me break the mold.  Allow me to challenge your stereotype view of Christians.  Contrary to popular opinion we’re not a bunch of mindless robots who follow the first joker who says “Praise the Lord.”

Shortly before the Iowa caucus, I wrote an article about Huckabee and posted it to my blog.  I have updated it just a little, acknowledging that Obama is now as much, if not more, of a concern for Republicans than Hillary.  Since integrity is important to me, I have left that post up exactly as I wrote it: It was entitled: I Actually  Liked Huckabee Until He Learned How To Win.  You can still read this  post in the original words.  Below is a reprinted, slightly updated version:

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I used to like Huckabee. I even defended his name. So what if it sounds like one of Mom’s Pies in Julian?  I still liked the former Governor. But now I’m starting to get frustrated with him.  Don’t get me wrong. If he win’s the nomination I’ll still vote for him ahead of Obama or Hillary.  That should be a no brainer. I mean, this isn’t rocket science. I'd vote for Donald Duck before Obama or Hillary. Still, let’s be honest: It’s not that hard for a Republican candidate to be better than those two candidates who don't really stand for anything and it would be nice to see one or two other items on a Republican's res'ume' (His losing one hundred pounds was impressive but does that really qualify him to be President?  I ask that question rhetorically for thinking people and directly for the many others who seem to be spellbound and mesmerized by the accomplishment.  In fact, an extra hundred pounds might just come in handly if he, as our President, had to some day sit across the table from some two-bit dictator.)

I’ve given this a lot of thought. Why did Huckabee at first make a good impression on us?  The answer is rather obvious:  When we heard him speak in the debates, he sounded honest, blunt, refreshing and interesting, but then, the candidates who don’t have a chance of winning usually do sound that way. When the only seemingly attainable goal is an exciting new public platform, candidates feel an exhilarating freedom to reject talking points and simply speak their minds. The public loves it when politicians figure out how to not act like politicians for at least five or ten minutes.

And then it happened. The stroke of midnight hit! Huckabee actually caught on, surprising the pundits and beating the odds. Evangelical Christians (of whom I am one) felt that they now had a better choice. They liked Rudy’s bluntness and strength but he was Pro-Choice.  They liked just about all of Romney’s positions but many of them were newly attained and resulted from (supposedly) disingenuous, flip flopping.  Also, Romney is a Mormon and Evangelical concerns about this religion are even less of a secret than Victoria’s. They also liked Thompson and his values but they got tired of waiting for him to finish his nap.  As for Ron Paul?  Well, I’ll just mercifully restrain my comments.

Riding in from the sunrise, Huckabee seemed to have it all: The fierceness, the values and the “more theologically sound” credentials.  Only one problem: Now that he has a chance of winning, the politician spirit within is taking over faster than Mr. Hyde eclipsed the loveable, meek Dr. Jekyll.

Now we’re hearing criticism of George Bush from Mike Huckabee.  Don’t get me wrong. Constructive criticism toward Bush or anyone else is fair and often deserved. But when presidential candidates lay into Bush, I tend to smell a rat. I hear the voices of campaign advisors instructing their man on how to head for the center, winning the swing voters and maybe even a liberal or to if he can bash Bush with just a little extra finesse.  After all, the ends justify the means, right?  The important thing is to win.

And when I hear from this “winner” that Bush should not have talked about an axis of evil (Iran, Iraq (when it was ruled by Hussein) and North Korea) I get chills. Forgive me for making the obvious, obvious but if regimes like these aren’t evil, then perhaps the word evil should be removed from our vocabulary. Oh wait, I almost forgot. Many people do want to remove that word and Huckabee seems to be courting these people. Do I even need to mention his “stand” on illegal immigration? I know the former governor is a Republican, but I must say, had he claimed to be a Democrat, he could have fooled me.

I’m not looking for a President who would sit down and listen to Ahamadinnejad.  It’s not as if the tyrant hasn’t already been given a platform at Columbia and other places. I think we’ve all heard him and I think we can take him at his word. He wants to conquer the world and impose Sharia law.  He wants us to know that the Holocaust never happened and yet he thinks that a Holocaust wouldn’t be such a bad idea at that. They say if you let an evil man talk long enough, sooner or later he’ll tell you exactly what he plans to do. What will Huckabee learn from Ahamadinnejad that we don’t already know?   If he’s that naïve, he is not qualified to be President.  On the other hand, if he perceives the truth but still courts the left, he is qualified but only qualified to be a politician. Do politicians become presidents? Sadly yes. We had hoped for something better from Mike Huckabeee.

Give me Romney any day. In a church context, I might prefer the sounder theology. But in the White House I prefer a guy who shares my values.  As for Romney being a flip flopper, none of us can read the mind or motives of a public leader who changes positions. Even if the flips and flops were politically motivated, at least he finally landed on a good square, a square far removed from Huckabee’s Free Parking (for the children of illegal aliens and the poor misunderstood dictators whose parents never bought them a sled).

I would also feel OK about Giuliani.  Yes, I’m concerned about abortion but if we don’t pick a man who can stand up to Islamo Fascism, there just might be one or two other issues to worry about.

As for Thompson, “Wake up, Fred.”  And yet, Thompson asleep still looks better than Huckabee awake.

I mean no disrespect to you Huckabee fans.  Honestly, I don’t.  I know how frustrating this race has been so far.  And I truly believe Mike Huckabee is a nice guy. But I’m also reminded of that line from The Wizard of OZ when the man behind the curtain defended himself against Dorothy’s accusation that he was a very bad man. “Oh no, my dear. I’m a very good man. I’m just a very bad wizard.”

I implore my Evangelical friends and peers who think they’ve found the perfect fit. Please try it on again. Looks can be deceiving: Mike Huckabee fills the bill like a square peg fits into a round hole. Take it from a fellow Evangelical and Christian apologist who appreciates good theology.  I’m glad, sincerely glad, that Governor Huckabee has the same view of Jesus that I do. Unfortunately it might just take the second coming of Christ to save our world if this character actually wins.  Once again, he would be better than Obama or Hillary. But at the moment, we have better choices. Please discard this hand and draw again.

 

Bob Siegel’s blog is listed nationally in the Townhall.com Top Ten and listed locally in the KCBQ.com Top Ten.

Some of Bob’s other controversial posts:

So What If He's A Mormon? Posted at 4:05:11 AM on Sunday, December 16, 2007

One Thing We Can Know Right Away Posted at 11:53:06 AM on Thursday, December 27, 2007

Maybe Next Time Big Bird Can Be The Moderator Posted at 1:16:39 AM on Saturday, December 15, 2007

2007 Oh, That Horrible Christianity!

Posted at 4:53:43 AM on Thursday, December 13, 2007

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