With the United States' image abroad suffering--especially in the Muslim world--what could America do to improve its standing? How about selecting as commander in chief a fellow who describes himself as a warrior for Christ?
That's what more and more Republican primary voters appear to be planning to do, for lovable, ol' Mike Huckabee, now the Iowa front-runner, has used some harsh rhetoric over the years to express his belief--to put it roughly--that everyone ought to be Christian. As has been widely noted in the past day, during a 1998 speech to Southern Baptist pastors, Huckabee, a former pastor who at the time was governor of Arkansas, declared that they had to "take this nation back for Christ." (Now where would that put American Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and atheists?) And in a 2003 Veterans Day speech at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Huckabee, as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram put it, compared Christians to "soldiers on a spiritual battlefield." In that address, Huckabee explained, "When you're a pastor, you should be the captain of a warship that's fighting the forces of evil." (He also complained that too many "people in the pews" would prefer their pastor be "captain of a Love Boat," meaning a minister who arranges feel-good activities for his parishioners, such as outings for seniors and summer camps for the youth.) In the speech to the seminarians, Huckabee urged them to consider themselves as soldiers and added, "you must be willing to sever relationships that hinder the mission."
Sure, plenty of fundamentalist Christians feel this way. But such tough talk--let's be Christian soldiers and reclaim the country for Christ!--probably would not play so well abroad. For example, how might Arabs interpret a President Huckabee decision to send more troops to Iraq? Hmmmm, onward Christian soldiers? (On Monday, my colleague Jonathan Stein posted other examples of Huckabee's rhetoric of absolutism.)
Huckabee has called for compassionate social policy, and there's a touch of populism to his positions. In his 1998 speech to the Baptists, he decried Christians for not doing enough to help the poor:
I'm often asked why taxes are so high and government is so big. It's because the faith we have in local churches has become so small. If we'd been doing what we should have -- giving a dime from every dollar to help the widows, the orphans and the poor -- we now wouldn't be giving nearly 50 cents of every dollar to a government that's doing...what we should have been doing all along.
But at the same time, he denounced the ability of government to help those widows and orphans:
I didn't get into politics because I thought government had a better answer. I got into politics because I knew government didn't have the real answers, that the real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives.
So it all comes back to Christ. Forget government, just get right with God's only son. That's not surprising for a Baptist pastor. But it may be a hard sell in the general election and overseas. Which is probably why, as Stein and I reported yesterday, the Huckabee campaign says it will not release any of sermons Huckabee delivered during the twelve years he was a pastor at two Arkansas churches. He's now a captain who wants to keep his battle plan secret.
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Comments
The GOP candidates mean to scare the "Muslim world/street" - just as they have used fear to manipulate their lemming-like rank and file.
Their over the top rhetoric scares some but others do see it for what it is. Let's hope more people get better informed - Naomi Klein's latest book, The Shock Doctrine is a wealth of information about the dynamics at work.
Why or what would make the Huckabee camp hide the sermons? I would think Mike would stand strong and support every word, every notion. Was he leading a flock or misleading a herd?
Not giving access to his sermons makes his so-called Christianity seem very odd. I think Jesus encouraged transparency for his teaching - should Mike Huckabee be any less so? Was he teaching lessons of his religion or peddling a more political position? I think we should waterboard him and his staff until they surrender the transcripts.
Posted by: capt
| December 11, 2007 11:49 AM
Okay, waterboard was a little mean - just some stress positions.
Posted by: capt
| December 11, 2007 11:51 AM
Iraq rejects permanent U.S. bases: adviser
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq will never allow the United States to have permanent military bases on its soil, the government's national security adviser said, calling the issue a "red line" that cannot be crossed.
"We need the United States in our war against terrorism, we need them to guard our border sometimes, we need them for economic support and we need them for diplomatic and political support," Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said.
"But I say one thing, permanent forces or bases in Iraq for any foreign forces is a red line that cannot be accepted by any nationalist Iraqi," he told Dubai-based al Arabiya television.
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So, if we want to stay we just have to foment unrest, prod the insurgents and call the whole mess something that might sell - like “ The Global War on Terror” - Hmmmm.
Posted by: capt
| December 11, 2007 12:32 PM
Poll: Huckabee would lose to top Democrats by double digits
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is surging in new polls of GOP candidates, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday shows he would lose to all three leading Democratic candidates by double digits in hypothetical contests.
In head-to-head matchups -- the first to include Huckabee -- the former Arkansas governor loses to Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York by 10 percentage points (54 percent to 44 percent), to Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois by 15 points (55 percent to 40 percent) and to former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina by 25 points (60 percent to 35 percent).
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Good news if you believe polls.
Posted by: capt
| December 11, 2007 12:38 PM
You don't think Huckabee would turn the other cheek?, nah me neither.
I'm not so certain the Huck-ster would alienate muslims and jews and other believers. There is a measure of respect among god-based moralities (even though the muslims and jews clearly have their facts wrong ;o)
Don't get me wrong. I think he'd be an disaster as a president but I'm not sure he'd be bad for us-muslim relations.
Posted by: Neil
| December 11, 2007 1:45 PM
"Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power."
~ Eric Hoffer
Posted by: capt
| December 11, 2007 2:09 PM
Egypt 'fabricated terror group'
A US-based human rights group has accused the Egyptian government of using torture and false confessions in a high-profile anti-terrorism case.
Twenty-two alleged members of an unknown Islamist group, the Victorious Sect, were accused of planning attacks on tourism sites and gas pipelines.
Human Rights Watch says its research suggests the security forces may have fabricated the group's name. It reports claims the case was used to justify renewing emergency laws.
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Why not, I hear every “top tier” country is doing it.
Posted by: capt
| December 11, 2007 3:35 PM
Can the Iowa Caucuses be Polled?
[…]
In other words, the Iowa caucuses can be accurately polled.
Our survey work leading up to the 2004 caucuses is a good example. In Zogby surveys conducted in the months leading up to the caucuses, Zogby International asked about the "horserace" question of who likely caucus-goers would support. We also asked whether Iowa Democrats believed President Bush could be defeated, and whether they preferred a Democratic challenger who stood up for what they believed, or instead preferred a candidate who could win the election.
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John Zogby with the true choice - Does John Zogby still beat his wife?
Of course electability and standing for what one believes are mutually exclusive for Democratic candidates. No wonder the polls are so accurate.
Posted by: capt
| December 11, 2007 5:22 PM
Liberal democrats are clueless of everything. It was during the time of Bill Clinton that Bin Ladin planned to attack the White House because he can't accept that a world leader is acting like a whore. Remember the Lewinsky episode? He thinks America is a kingdom of whores and that is where he gets his strength as a "godly" man. He's thinking he's giving God a good service if he destroys America. Almost all muslims think the same way.
What do we expect from liberal democrats if most of them believe their great grandfathers are monkeys? I won't argue with them about that coz I think they are really are.
Posted by: spiderman2
| December 12, 2007 8:36 AM
"It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man."
~ H. L. Mencken
Posted by: capt
| December 12, 2007 9:40 AM
The Cartoon Mitt Romney Doesn’t Want You To See [VIDEO]
I don't know enough about Mormon theology to know if this bit of propaganda is accurate or not (I know more about the people and the movement than what they worship) but it's clear distinction from mainstream Christianity and the fact that it's got over 500,000 views on YouTube can't help someone like Mitt Romney.
Perhaps if the mainstream press and the right would have been even remotely in opposition to the attacks on John Kerry's faith in 2004 I would be a bit more sympathetic about people asking Romney about his church's practices.
Posted by: capt
| December 12, 2007 9:41 AM
Oo-oo, aa-aa? :P
Posted by: eyes_open
| December 12, 2007 9:51 AM
my great grandfather was clearly a bonobo!
Posted by: capt
| December 12, 2007 11:16 AM
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