Huckabee: For Trade With Cuba Before He Was Against It
Five years ago, Mike Huckabee denounced the embargo against Cuba, claiming it has harmed American interests and failed to help the Cuban people — in direct contradiction to his new position on Cuba out on the campaign trail.
In the first documented Huckabee flip-flop during this campaign, the the Los Angeles Times found that Huck wrote a letter opposing the embargo, deeming it to be a failure. But now that he's been campaigning in Florida, he's praised that same embargo as "an important tool in keeping the propaganda machine from being so well-funded and putting more pressure on the tyranny, dictatorship of the Castros."
Huckabee apparently tried to explain the shift as a matter of the national interest — while simultaneously giving ammo to those who would say it's all about politics "Rather than seeing it as some huge change, I would call it, rather, the simple reality that I'm running for president of the United States, not for reelection as governor of Arkansas," he said. "I've got to look at this as an issue that touches the whole country."
Comments (9)
Richard L. Adlof wrote on December 11, 2007 10:39 AM:Oh no . . . Huckleberry is not a rounder version of Romney with worse hair . . . Of course, Huckabee is a flip-flopper . . . There is an 'R' after his name.
Anonymous wrote on December 11, 2007 10:57 AM:In other words, the embargo is bad for pandering to Arkansas farmers but good for pandering to Florida's Cuban community.
eli wrote on December 11, 2007 11:17 AM:Could someone remind me, why is embargo a good way to save Cubans from Godless Communism, but trade is a good way to lead Communist China into the wonderland that is capitalism?
jeffgee wrote on December 11, 2007 11:31 AM:One by one, Huck will drop all of his positions considered liberal in the quest for the Base. The Base is not compassionate conservative. In this case the Base is the anti-Castro Cubans in South Florida.
Somehow China being Communist doesn't bother the Republicans. Especially in Arkansas, home of Wal-Mart, which would be a completely different business without China.
It's all about 51%. Don't try to win over any more than that. That 1% is where all of the shenanigans take place.
one of the toughest tests for all potus candidates will always be:
1.do I stay with a position which will cause me to lose votes to at least gain respect for having principles?
2.do I flip flop and count on short attention spans to make it not matter?
I would say choice 2 works more often than choice one. But not every time. And I might change my mind tomorrow, because having principles is kind of good.
Tim wrote on December 11, 2007 1:14 PM: We are now at a time where attitudes and
politics are starting to converge not unlike 1932 Germany.
Huckabee is our Hitler.
SqueakyRat wrote on December 11, 2007 1:20 PM:I see. From the point of view of Arkansas, the Earth is round. But from the point of view of the whole country, it's flat. Just gotta take the point of view into account.
markg8 wrote on December 11, 2007 3:43 PM:Huckabee is our Hitler? C'mon Tim, Huckabee is more like Rudolf Hess.
votenic wrote on December 11, 2007 5:09 PM:2008 Presidential Candidate Weekly Poll
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