Posted on 12/05/2007 11:26:48 PM PST by ellery
Over in the Corner, Mark Levin points to a Powerline post, wondering about Huckabee's readiness in the area of foreign policy.
Beyond Huckabee's skepticism about the benefits of free trade and the "moralism" discussed at that link, there are a couple other areas where his foreign policy views are unorthodox from mainstream conservative thinking. One can agree with them or disagree with them - I think he makes a stronger case for these policy changes than those who agree with him on the left do - but they are worth noting. From his address at the Council on Foreign Relations in September:
He seems a bit critical of European societies for their treatment of Muslim immigrants: "It is also difficult for us, with our culture of assimilation, to understand that life for European Muslims is different from life for American Muslims. Muslims in Britain or the Netherlands or Germany are second-class citizens because those countries have more homogenous populations that don’t readily integrate outsiders. Instead of melting pots, Europe has separate pots boiling over with alienation and despair. In some countries, like France, it is more a lack of economic integration, while in others, like Britain, it is more a lack of cultural integration, but whatever the reason, Europe is a much more fertile breeding ground for terror than the United States. Unintentionally, some of our closest allies are producing some of our clearest threats."
He appears to support reestablishing diplomatic relations with Iran: "The wisdom of Sun-tzu from almost 2,500 years ago is relevant today: keep your friends close and your enemies closer..."
"We haven’t had diplomatic relations with Iran in almost thirty years, my whole adult life. A lot of good it’s done us! Putting this in human terms, all of us know that when we stop talking to a parent or a sibling or a friend, it’s impossible to accomplish anything, impossible to resolve differences and move the relationship forward. The same is true for countries. Our experience in Iraq provides a valuable lesson for Iran. We have since learned that when we overthrew Saddam, we invaded an “imaginary country” because our information was so out of date. We relied on exiles who had long since fled the country, who exaggerated the condition of Iraq’s infrastructure, the strength of its middle class, and the secular nature of its society. If we had had diplomatic relations with Iraq and an ambassador in Baghdad, we obviously would have had better information. So before we put boots on the ground in the future, we’d better have some wing tips there first."
He appears to support limited military action in Pakistani territory without that government's permission: "We have no desire whatsoever to ‘invade’ Pakistan, fight its forces, or harm its citizens. But we have an urgent need to pursue non-Pakistani terrorists who have declared war on us into this no man’s land. I greatly prefer to do it with Pakistan’s blessing and cooperation, but, one way or another, it has to get done. If we have to step onto their soil briefly to protect our own, so be it. As a child sometimes goes into a neighbor’s yard to collect a baseball hit over the fence, so we may be forced to go over the fence. As commander in chief, our president must constantly balance risks and threats in calculating how best to protect the American people. We know we are living on borrowed time against the next terror attack. That risk is far more likely and far graver than the risk that a quick and limited strike against Al Qaeda would bring extremists to power in Pakistan."
I would note that Obama proposed more or less that idea earlier in the year and got knocked around for it.
well, I believe your numbers are not even close...I will find the source from Michael Medved’s site and get back to you. You can also see point by point factual info. on Mike’s site that clearly shows the distortions of his record in Arkansas by cato and the club for growth which is funded by one of Huckabee’s rivals. I have found that we really have to check the facts and get several sources before jumping to conclusions.
IMHO Rush has done America a (large) disservice, by not talking up Duncan Hunter, starting about a year ago.
Duncan Hunter is literally, the only completely 100% perfect for the job, qualified candidate in either party.
And Rush is freezing him out. Along with the rest of the so-called “conservative” alternative media.
It’s a disgrace.
Has it occured to these idiots that there is a reason that Huchabee is endorsed by writers for the Washington Post?
Perhaps I had been so impressed by Reagan that I have been generous about a governor aspiring to be a president.
After Clinton and Bush, I learned to be suspicious.
Besides, no more from Bush family will get my support. Doesn't matter if it's his uncle, brother, or younger ones. They won't deviate much from GWHB.
The sources for my numbers include not just Club for Growth, but the Cato Institute and Arkansas’ own Department of Finance and Administration. The latter calculates that under Huckabee, there was a net tax increase of $505 million, a figure adjusted for inflation and economic growth. The links to the various sources are listed in the right sidebar, here: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2007/nov/14/taking-stock-tax-hike-mike/
As a matter of course I don’t rely on facts from a candidate’s own web site. However, please let me know if you track down Medved’s link — I would be interested in seeing it. Thanks!
From what I have read, Huckabee as absolutely no foreign affairs experience....scary.
Very prudent. It baffles me that some freepers can be so gullible. If you believe what Huck says about Huck, then you ought to believe what Hillary says about Hillary. On her own website she doesn't sound half bad.
no, I am presently search various info sites on Huckabee. And my main source for the Arkansas tax burden going down overall after Huckabees terms is the Michael Medved show. I am going to find out his source because that is a critical stat and if true, exposes false information given by various sites.
Huckabee - has he ever even BEEN to SoCal or other Mexico border states??? Does he REALLY think we are a happy melting pot here? If we are, it’s a pot of frijoles with one of two islands of American culture floating in it like scum.
Thanks again, TG.
Marking post #6 on this thread.
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