This sure as hell is true, but Republicans won't nominate him to the top spot:
The other stunner of the weekend, both in Washington and Florida at Sunday's debate, was the sterling performance of Mike Huckabee. One of the great mysteries of this campaign has been the reluctance of Christian-right leaders to support the Arkansas governor. While they have pointed to his lack of "viability"--read: money--as the reason, the real source of religious-right discomfort with the whip-smart, witty Baptist preacher unquestionably lies with Huckabee's economic populism. He is a down-the-line social conservative, to the extremity of advocating for the repeal of "no-fault" divorce. But Huckabee's governance in Arkansas has borne scant resemblance to the corporate flackery of his fellow Christian-right heavyweights--the man raised taxes, for goodness' sake, and just won't stop talking about uplifting the working class and bringing minorities into the party. At times, he even sounds--heaven forbid!--pro-labor. All of which matches him up, almost to a T, with the clear majority of not only Republican but also independent and conservative Democratic voters in the South and Midwest. These folks, black and white, tend to be social conservatives and economic populists. Huckabee is the first candidate in a long time who embodies that particular alchemy. He is also, far and away, the freshest and most appealing talent in the race--on either side. He is the one Republican who would be an absolute cinch to win the general election against any of the three leading Democrats. But he remains a long shot--unless Iowa Republicans give him a slingshot.
He clearly studied Bill Clinton, for his style is almost identical to the former president's. He's by far the most talented politician the GOP has. I look for him to be the running mate to whoever wins the nomination.
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