Duncan Hunter Endorses Mike Huckabee

...What will Ann Coulter say now?

Those who have really done their homework know that Duncan Hunter was probably the most conservative candidate in the 2008 Presidential race. So conservative that even the Siren of the farthest right, Ann Coulter, made no secret of her support for Hunter or of her relative disdain for all the other candidates.

In the case of Mike Huckabee, I'm not sure if Coulter's venom against the former Arkansas Governor was mainly just for not being named "Duncan Hunter" or for promoting 98.5% of the same things as her candidate while approximately nine-hundred eighty-five percent more effectively. [OK, I'm finished with my weak impersonation of Ann Coulter's caustic writing style. No disrespect actually intended to Duncan Hunter]

Even I, a steadfast Huckabee supporter, will admit that Hunter rates a few percentage points higher than Huckabee on the conservative scale (though only a few). Even so, Huckabee is much more conservative than his less conservative opponents (that's everyone else still in the race) would have you believe.

Quite plainly, I initially chose Huckabee over Hunter mainly because a President needs to not only have the right positions, but the ability to motivate people and get the job done. As much as I respect Duncan Hunter, I just don't see him as having nearly the ability to turn things around that Huckabee does. Add to that the facts that Huckabee has years of executive experience as a governor, and that the positions of the two men were nearly identical... my choice was clear.

Now that Duncan Hunter has endorsed Mike Huckabee, I hope Coulter and others like her will take a more in-depth look at Huckabee, and see what her favorite former candidate sees in the new man from Hope. As part of Hunter's statement endorsing Huckabee, he said:

"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."

Hunter went on to say:

"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."

Yes, most of us would like to have another Ronald Reagan. But one of the key things I think was so important about Reagan, was not just that he himself was conservative; but that he was able to convince the country as a whole to move in a more conservative direction.

Some of us "right-wing extremists" have seen a couple of (relatively minor) things from Huckabee's past as compromising a bit too much with the Arkansas Democrat legislature. But it seems plain that he has the best chance of actually moving America back to the right.

With Duncan Hunter now endorsing Mike Huckabee, I think it's clear that he also believes Huckabee has the best chance of moving America back to the right. I for one, trust Hunter much more than Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh or some of the other "right-wing" media personalities when it comes to evaluating just who is and who isn't a "real conservative", and the best man to be President of the United States.

Ann Coulter on Candidates at NJC

In a question and answer session at the National Journalism Center, Ann Coulter said there are three key core conservative issues where Republican candidates need to be strong. Those are National Defense, Right to Life, and Smaller Government. She also stated her apparent amazement that Rudy Giuliani is considered a Republican front-runner, when he is clearly not a Right to Life candidate.

She was answering an audience question about who she supports for the Republican Presidential nomination. Her initial response was that she most strongly supports Duncan Hunter, while admitting that he doesn't seems likely to succeed. Coulter also revealed that she's not a big fan of Romney, and described Mike Huckabee as the "new John McCain" (marking them both as lacking firm conservative credentials.

When asked directly about Fred Thompson, she made it clear that she hasn't thought much of the former Tennessee Senator since he displayed a lack of backbone by splitting his own vote during the impeachment of Bill Clinton for perjury and suborning perjury. Even with all that, she did say she would support any of the Republican candidates, "even Ron Paul", over any of the Democrats.

I'm a bit confused by Ann Coulter's take on Mike Huckabee. She and I obviously see either a different John McCain or a different Mike Huckabee. Since she also mentioned John Kerry's flip-flops, I assume her swipe at McCain and Huckabee indicated a perceived tendency to sway with the prevailing political winds. I tend to agree regarding McCain, but not with Huckabee. Is Coulter is seeing something I don't, or have I managed to see something she doesn't?

I do applaud her for continuing to support her favorite candidate, even though it's Duncan Hunter. Not that I have anything against Hunter myself. He seems to be a fine man, and I was considering him favorably until I discovered Mike Huckabee. I think if we would each actively support the candidate we like best, the best candidate would win. I happen to think that candidate is Mike Huckabee.

That same philosophy should prevail when choosing a Vice-Presidential running mate.
I suspect many political strategists will suggest Huckabee choose either Giuliani or McCain as running mate in the general election to "broaden the ticket". Personally, I think he should choose someone whose ideals and performance are most like his own. I think it's that person just may be Duncan Hunter, Ann Coulter's first choice and my second.

Although caustic commentary and hyperbole are Coulter's hallmarks, I've usually agreed with her viewpoints. In the case of Mike Huckabee, I have to disagree. Perhaps she just has a hard time believing one can be conservative without being caustic. Huckabee certainly is a dynamic speaker. He's just not at all caustic. But if I remember correctly, neither was Coulter's idol, Ronald Reagan.

Returning to what Ann Coulter said a Republican candidate needs to be; I think it's beyond question that Mike Huckabee is strong on National Defense, and immovable on the Right to Life. I also think if Ann Coulter will examine Huckabee's record and positions in the fiscal arena; she'll discover Mike Huckabee is also a strong proponent of a smaller federal government.