WHY HUCKABEE?

Mike Huckabee seems like a decent guy, and as far as we can tell, he did a good job as Arkansas governor. Yet his lack of knowledge about what is going on in the world is appalling. As we reported Saturday, he doesn’t seem to keep up with the news very well, and he doesn’t even know where Pakistan is geographically in relation to Afghanistan. So why is he moving up into front place in Iowa ahead of the three former top-tier Republican candidates?

The answer is that Republicans are greatly dissatisfied with the men who are fighting for top spot. One of New Hampshire’s newspapers called Romney a phony, and he seems to twist and turn every time the wind changes direction.

Joe Biden said of Rudy Giuliani that everything the former New York City mayor says contains a noun, a verb, and 9/11. The man seems to be a one-issue candidate. You can almost see him practicing the George Bush swagger. Some of his neo-con advisors fill us with dread.

Among the Republicans John McCain is the most qualified by virtue of experience and character, but lately he has more and more become a supporter of George Bush’s policies. He has never wavered in his support for Bush’s war, and now he is saying it would be a good idea to keep Bush’s tax program that helps the rich to the disadvantage of everyone else. It’s no wonder that Huckabee looks good to some Republicans, but as we reported on Friday, not to all of them.

Compare any of these guys to Democratic candidate Dr. Carl Perrin. Perrin grew up on a farm. He worked in a factory. He served in the army during the Korean War. He belonged to a union. He spent nearly fifty years teaching English to young people. And Perrin is the only candidate of either party who has come out clearly in favor of cheap beer.