Huckabee Critiques Bush in Foreign Affairs Piece [Mod sez: the Huckster is going all Ron Paul on ya]

The Washington Post ^ | 12/14/2007 | Michael Abramowitz

[dano1]

GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is out with his most extensive discussion of foreign policy, and it includes one of the bluntest critiques of the Bush administration heard from the current crop of GOP candidates.

"American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out," the former Arkansas governor writes in the forthcoming issue of Foreign Affairs. "The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad."

Huckabee also hammered the Bush administration for sending too few troops to Iraq to keep the peace after the invasion in 2003. "Unlike President George W. Bush, who marginalized General Eric Shinseki, the former army chief of staff, when he recommended sending several hundred thousand troops to Iraq, I would have met with Shinseki privately and carefully weighed his advice," he writes. "Our generals must be independent advisers, always free to speak without fear of retribution or dismissal."

Huckabee accuses the administration of being "distracted" by Iraq in failing to aggressively go after al-Qaeda in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf agreed to sever his relationship with the Taliban and assist U.S. efforts to go after the terrorist group after the September 11 attacks, but he has gone "back on his word."

Huckabee says: "Iraq may be the hot war, but Pakistan is where the cold, calculating planning is going on. If al Qaeda strikes us tomorrow, the attack will be postmarked 'Pakistan.' And the American people, not understanding why a supposed U.S. ally refused to help and our government put up with it, will justifiably be outraged that bin Laden and his top people got away."

Huckabee has surprisingly sailed to the top of the polls in Iowa thanks to his close ties and affinity among Christian conservatives, ...

[dano1]

[elizabetty]

Dude sounds like Ron Paul - blame America first.

[Lead Moderator]

Hey, maybe your guy should try running in the other party?

[Rudder]

Thanks for posting this.

I have never planned to vote for Huckabee, now I'm starting to really dislike him as well.

[bill1952]

"American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out," "The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad."

Jumped the shark that fast!

Bye bye, Huckafeller. We hardly knew you. Thank God.

[fweingart]

I am extremely displeased with el presidente Bush and will be even more displeased if his inaction on our serious border issues, et al, will help another empty-suited Arkansas leftist hillbilly be propelled into the oval orifice!

[Retired Greyhound]

Monday morning QB

[digger48]

The more of these you post, the less I like him.

[Tarpon]

Another Chucklebee...

[Ultra Sonic 007]

"The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad."

Blame the irritable morons who were hindering us every step of the way. Russia? Pre-Sarkozy France? China? Oil for Food? THE FREAKIN' UN?

Feh.

[rovenstinez]

Come ON Freepers! I just finished a 3 month tour of 15 nations, spending time in NON tourist spots, in some trouble spots in the world. MANY people desire to trust Americans, but their confidence in the Administration in Washington is LOW. There seems to be room for a shift in the idea that there is only a military solution for every hotspot. Washington needs to find more diplomatic and even business solutions to improve peoples’ plights in countries who need a friend in Washington.

[paudio]

Uh... If I were Huck’s supporter, I would not post an article attacking W on foreign policy. Freepers may hate Bush for his position in immigration, Meiers, etc., but in general they don’t see any problem with his foreign policy. Certainly I would not post an article where Huckabee is attacking Bush for not listening to Shinsheki, a general who is very close to the Dims.

[Jean S]

This spamming is getting very annoying.

[Tlaloc]

Huck would have sent hundreds of thousands more troops to Iraq than Bush did? What a RINO! How Jimmy Carter can you get!?

[appleharvey]

Mike Huckabee (bit by bit) is morphing into a pure and complete RINO. Frankly, I wouldn’t vote for him for Water Commissioner. Arkansas has not produced any gtreat Presidential material in my lifetime.

[cquiggy]

Huckleberry knows nothing about foreign affairs. In Arkansas the news channels don’t carry any Furighn news stories.
As far as President Bush sending too few troops. I will remind everyone once again. You go to war with the forces that you have. President Bush delayed launching the war and was criticized by both sides for doing so. It was necessary to delay so he could quickly reassemble the military that Clinton had defunded and destroyed.

[Tlaloc]

"The Bush administration has never adequately explained the theology and ideology behind Islamic terrorism or convinced us of its ruthless fanaticism," he writes. "The first rule of war is 'know your enemy,' and most Americans do not know theirs."

How dare this southern-fried bible-beating Huckster defame the religion of peace!!?

[svcw]

If this is accurate, he is off my short list.

[TomGuy]

..."I would have met with Shinseki privately and carefully weighed his advice,"

Shoulda, woulda, coulda. That game can go on forever.

In the last Iowa debate, Huckabee basically said he was against the policies of the Iraq war until the surge started working, and now he is for the policy.

[mdittmar]

I don’t like mike.