It should never be assumed people who have already committed illegal acts to be honest. It just looks really, really bad that kids would be left behind like this and does our side of the argument no favors.
Of course it sounds like Huckabee is exploiting the issue and overblowing it - quietly asking for an investigation would have demonstrated more sincerity in his concern for the kids rather than turning it into a media event.
Well, since he is supposedly eyeing the presidency, he is doubtless trying to placate the large contituency of Arkansas democRATs. He's assuming he already has the Republican vote (gross miscalculation, in my opinion), so he's focusing on the democrats. He's been nothing but a rubber stamp on their policies for years anyway.