Huck, that is.
Republican presidential hopeful former Massachussets Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to local residents during a campaign stop Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007, in Humboldt, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Posted on 12/15/2007 10:40:51 AM PST by NormsRevenge
HUMBOLDT, Iowa (AP) - Mitt Romney accused Republican presidential rival Mike Huckabee of "running from the wrong party" for criticizing President Bush's foreign policy as an "arrogant bunker mentality."
Romney defended Bush against Huckabee's charge, which the former Arkansas governor leveled in the January-February issue of the respected journal Foreign Affairs.
"I can't believe he'd say that," Romney said to a gathering of about 100 supporters in a restaurant here. "I had to look again—did this come from Barack Obama or from Hillary Clinton? Did it come from John Edwards? No, it was Governor Huckabee."
Romney has been aggressively criticizing Huckabee, stressing differences over immigration and economic policy in hopes of recapturing a lead he had enjoyed in Iowa for most of the year. Huckabee's Foreign Affairs article, made public Friday, offered another line of attack.
"I'm the last person to say that this administration is subject to an arrogant, bunker mentality that is counterproductive here and abroad," he said. "The truth of the matter is this president has kept us safe these past six years and that has not been easy to do."
Still, Romney carefully stressed that he believed the administration had engaged in missteps during the war in Iraq and said his defense of Bush did not mean he would follow the president's current policy to the letter.
"We were under-prepared and under-planned and understaffed," he said of the war following the fall of Saddam Hussein. "There is no question we weren't perfectly managed."
Romney would not go as far as suggesting that Huckabee's written views indicated he was not ready for the presidency, turning aside a reporter's question by saying "I'm going to let other people make that assessment."
But Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said the article "suggests that he does lack depth when it comes to dealing with other nations."
Huck, that is.
Republican presidential hopeful former Massachussets Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to local residents during a campaign stop Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007, in Humboldt, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Wow . Mitt the panderer knee-jerked this issue in record time ...he’s getting faster everyday ...
I assume you’re talking about both Mitt and the Huckster.
How many of us have criticized the way the war has been fought over the past few years? Most all of us at one point or another. I agree that we’re not running for president, so we’re held to a diff standard.... but I doubt that 1% of FR thinks we have fought this war the way we should have.
“We were under-prepared and under-planned and understaffed,” he said of the war following the fall of Saddam Hussein. “There is no question we weren’t perfectly managed.”
—
Based on that statement, you might well be correct. ;-)
It’s too bad the blame for the way the war was fought is not also laid at the feet of those who allowed it to get to the point it got.
Folks can bash the administration all they want, but they ought not forget what came before that brought the mess into being, and also all the little intelligence intrigues and games that have been played out in the media as well, most of them by folks sworn to protect our nation, not place it in danger for their own political agendas..
agree 100%
Huckabee’s comments were beyond acceptable disagreement. They sounded like the NYT’s editorial board, or something Matt Lauer would say.
I have disagreed with GWB on how the war was run, and believed for years that Rumsfeld needed to be fired - but I never talked about GWB & the WOT like Huck.
Huckabee channeling Chris Matthews isn’t going to win much republican support!
I agree. Now if he would only follow that up with a plan to tactical nuke areas of the middle east.... then he’d be “on target”. :)
I can take over. lol. He is right.
Nothing wrong with Mitt doing his job. He is a politician and wants our vote and not to see it go elsewhere. He also realizes unlike Huck that he what his goal is and that is to win the REPUBLICAN nomination, not the Dem. If Huck is switching when he needs to appeal to us conservatives now what will he do when he is in office?
Can’t fault a man (Romney) for jumping on a hand made opportunity. It is Huck that is off base here jumping on the Sean Penn band wagon with all the other leftist whack jobs.
Huckabee is a populist — the most dangerous kind of politician there is. That’s why he’s sounding more and more like a Democrat in his rhetoric. He’s pro-life and pro-gun, but he’s still a populist Democrat.
I agree. The Huckster just dropped to one step above Ron Paul and just below McQueeg in my opinion.
but I doubt that 1% of FR thinks we have fought this war the way we should have.
Not nearly aggressively enough early in occupation! Too damn much “compassion” from W.
Huckleberry looks to be starting a melt-down. Last thing we need is another “man from Hope”.
Huckabee’s rhetoric against a fellow republican is deplorable. Did he forget he’s in the running to become the republican nominee, not the democratic nominee?
If you look at the positions on Huckabee’s website, it seems fine.
There really isn’t a perfect candidate in the race.. nor will there ever be. Even Reagan had trouble dealing with Jihadists.. and direct supervision of projects/events was not his strong suit.
I like Huckabee and Rudi. Romney just is not genuine.. similar to the Clintons. Fred simply lacks energy, and the other candidates are too weak in support.
Yeh he actually beat Fred this time.
Thompson means it when he says it ....Romney the panderer otoh ...well ...
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