David Corn

Is it time to take Mike Huckabee seriously? Recent polling in Iowa shows that the former Arkansas governor has become the first second-tier candidate of the 2008 race to elbow his way into the first tier. In the Hawkeye State, Huckabee is essentially tied with Rudy Giuliani for second place in the Republican race, with Mitt Romney still maintaining a lead over both of them. An ordained Southern Baptist minister, Huckabee has been crusading for president as the real-deal social conservative. He does have a legitimate claim to the title. Unlike Giuliani and Romney, Huckabee has always opposed abortion rights. Unlike Fred Thompson, he has never lobbied for an abortion rights group. Unlike John McCain, he has not taken potshots at the leaders of the religious right. (McCain did so during the 2000 campaign.) Huckabee is a personable and thoughtful fellow. He has seriously discussed health care matters, and he once pardoned Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards (for reckless driving in Arkansas in the 1970s). For good cause, there appears to be a Huckabee bubble--or bubblelette--in Iowa.

Which brings me to angels.

A few weeks ago, Huckabee, as did other GOP presidential wannabes, spoke at the NRA's "Celebration of American Values" conference in Washington, DC. He entertained the crowd of gun enthusiasts with stories showing his love of hunting and his appreciation of firearms. And he tossed in a theological angle:

To watch mallards come in a flock, cut their wings and land but a few feet in front of you on a cold winter day near Stuttgart, Arkansas, is just about as close to heaven as I think one can get on this Earth. And as one who believes, because of my faith, that I'm going to Heaven, I'm pretty sure there will be duck hunting in Heaven, and I can't wait.

This remark later caused Jon Stewart to quip that Huckabee was saying that our heaven must be duck hell.

Huckabee then went on to recount the time he was in antelope hunting contest in Wyoming. Under the rules of this hunt, each member of a three-person team only got one shot. The day was cold and windy, and several inches of snow fell. After several hours of stalking prey in the cold, Huckabee had his chance: an antelope was 250 yards away, just at the edge of his range as a shooter. This is what happened:

I decided that one way or the other, this hunt is about to be over, because I can't stand any more of this cold. And somehow, by the grace of God, when I squeezed the trigger, my Weatherby .300 Mag, which has got to be the greatest gun, I think, ever made in the form of a rifle -- for my sake in hunting, I've never squeezed the trigger and not gotten something -- did its work, and somehow the angels took that bullet and went right to the antelope, and my hunt was over in a wonderful way.

Angels guided his bullet into the animal.

I know that it's easy for the non-religious to sneer at that sort of explanation for a good shot. But Huckabee's account raises a question: does he truly believe that angels intervene in such matters as antelope hunts, that angels spend their (presumably precious) time helping people kill bucks?

Probing a political candidates' religious beliefs can be a dicey matter. But anyone campaigning to be president is asking to be awarded tremendous power--the power to start wars, the power to really mess things up, the power to destroy the planet. It does not seem unfair to ask him or her how he or she views the world--including its metaphysical workings. I'd like to know if a politician truly believes his everyday actions--say, his golf swing--is influenced by angels. That does tell us something about the person.

Perhaps there are voters who would be happy to have a fellow in the Oval Office who has angels helping him when he shoots at an antelope. Imagine what angels could do with an air strike against a thuggish regime developing nuclear weapons. But other voters might find such a literal belief (or dependency) on angels off-putting.

In either case, I say voters have the right to know.

Consequently, I have twice sent Huckabee's campaign an inquiry in this regard. Several days ago, I emailed this question to his media people:

Does Governor Huckabee believe that angels literally intervene in the affairs of human beings and that such intervention includes hunting events?

So far...no response.

I'm not in Iowa these days tracking the candidates, but I encourage political reporters there who see Huckabee to ask him about angels. After all, if those angels can help him bag an antelope on a snowy ridge in Wyoming, perhaps they can help him round up caucus-goers in frosty Iowa come this January.

THE PARTY OF LARRY CRAIG. What is it with Republicans? From KIRO-TV in Seattle:

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A Republican state legislator who repeatedly voted against gay rights measures resigned his seat Wednesday amid revelations he had sex with a man he met at an erotic video store while in Spokane on a GOP retreat.

But in police reports, Curtis said he was being extorted by a man he had sex with in a Spokane hotel room. The other man contends Curtis reneged on a promise to pay $1,000 for sex.

That reminds me. Whatever happened to Senator David Vitter, the Republican senator from Louisiana and married man who acknowledged calling the escort service of the DC Madam? Nothing. Vitter, who once argued that Bill Clinton had to be impeached for his immoral actions, is still in good standing within a party that professes fidelity to family values. Maybe the Republicans are too busy defending marriage to worry about Vitter.

A BIDEN BUBBLE? During Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, Senator Joe Biden had the best moment of the night. And, no, it was not when he slammed Rudy Giuliani for knowing nothing about foreign policy. I explain here.