I’ve hit Huckabee on foreign policy before, and I think with good reason. His simplistic equivalence of international relations with ordinary human interactions shows a lack of both seriousness and depth. I’ve also compared him (I think accurately) with Jimmy Carter. Powerline blog agreed. Now come the editors at NRO joining in the chorus:

Countries aren’t people, and the world is more dangerous than a Sunday church social. Threats, deception, and — as a last resort — violence must play a role in international relations. Differences cannot always be worked out through sweet persuasion. A U.S. president who doesn’t realize this will repeat the experience of President Jimmy Carter at his most ineffectual.

This seems to me to be exactly the wrong direction to take the country that still is at war with violent Jihad. Not only do we face the threat of independent operators, but also hostility from national regimes. The type of effort that it requires to confront these different types of threats takes more than just good interpersonal skills. The force of Huckabee’s personality will do us little good in the face of real military threats. In those situations we need someone more tough-minded who can evaluate real world consequences. We need someone that can evaluate the data, process the arguments of dissenting voices, and make hard decisions. Reliance on colloquialisms and quips will seem little consolation when deaths are imminent and the country faces real peril. Confronting other nations will also require some creativity, something that Huckabee has not shown even a glimmer of. Those qualities needed to confront nations are the qualities of one candidate: Mitt Romney.

Labels: mike huckabee