VDH on Hucks foreign policy brio. Mitt and VDH should meet because they are saying very similar things.
Straw-in-the-Mouth Foreign Policy? [Victor Davis Hanson]
I don't know much about Mike Huckabee, but found his aw-shucks Foreign Affairs essay strange to say the least (e.g., cf. "The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad." )
But what he offers inter alia is the rehashed plan of invading the nuclear, nominal ally Pakistan ("I prefer to cut to the chase by going after al Qaeda's safe havens in Pakistan." ) while reaching out to Iran, the de facto non-nuclear enemy, by offering normal diplomatic relations—of course, only after strengthening sanctions and declaring the Revolutionary Guards terrorists. He laments losing the good will once shown by Iran in its 2001 shared goal of defeating the Taliban-almost like lamenting the needless estrangement of the Soviet Union in 1946 after we once had been so close in working to defeat Hitler.
Nowhere is there any suggestion that a new President Huckabee might find the world not all that bad—at least without the Taliban and Saddam, and with consensual governments in their places, without a WMD program in Libya (and according to our brilliant intelligence agencies, one in Iran or North Korea either), with staunch U.S. allies like Sarkozy in France and Merkel in Germany.
Don't know what to make of the Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox evocations and the general prose style of the piece (e.g., "We played Brer Fox to his Brer Rabbit. We threw him into the perfect briar patch")—other than these references and other similar metaphors and similes sound like some beltway policy wonk in DC playing at Will Rogers, or throwing in here and there perceived Arkansas-isms as proof of down-home authenticity
I do not care if this comment gets through moderation, but I thought I would offer it for the consideration of the thinkers at MyManMitt (I also posted it at IowansforRomney, and they do not filter posts so it is up).
I do not know how things work in Iowa, but I do believe that a win for Romney in Iowa almost guarantees a win in NH which ...
Huckabee's Iowa folks are hoping to convince Steve King that Huckabee can be trusted on immigration. I am not sure this is true, but I am quite convinced that there are numerous reasons Romney should be preferred to Huckabee.
Here is a thread on a Huckabee support site: http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3377
Supposedly they have contacted King's son to hype the merits of Huckabee. I suspect an Iowan for Romney could make a much stronger case than an Iowan for Huckabee. Below are some numbers they claim to have used (there are others and a website where Iowan’s can contact King’s office). This fellow claims he spoke to King’s son and turned him on to the merits of Huckabee (even Huckabee on immigration). The number:
His number (different than the one posted above) is (712) 668-2404. An alternate number is (712) 273-5094.
I suspect Huckabee's campaign is organized to the extent that a call solicited from a website is significant. Romney might have better methods of drawing distinctions between himself and Huckabee, but for what it is worth the Huckabee folks think they are influencing King away from Romney.
They also acknowledge that King for Romney would be HUGE and bad for Huckabee. I hope this is true and King supports Romney.
2 Comments | Post a Comment