Romney vs. Huckabee Continues to Heat Up

(CBS)

From CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker, who's covering the Romney campaign:

It's getting nasty out here in Iowa. In the wake of sharp new Romney ads – called "comparisons" by Romney and "negative by just about everybody else – the target of the ad running in Iowa, Mike Huckabee, is firing back.

Huckabee supporters came from Arkansas today to follow Romney on his Iowa campaign swing, to "set the record straight," they said.

In kind of guerrilla theater, three current and former GOP legislators from Arkansas stood outside Romney's second event, snaring reporters as they walked back to the Romney bus. Agitated and irritated, they blasted Romney's TV ad as "negative" and "wrong."

Far from being soft on crime, as Romney claims, Huckabee, they said, had sent 16 convicts to death, had actually turned down the vast majority of the pardon and commutation requests. Soft on immigration? No way! Arkansas, under Huckabee, they said, was the second state in the nation to pass a law requiring state and local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

But what raised their ire most was a "comparison" pamphlet they said they'd picked up at a Romney rally. The pamphlet quoted Huckabee as saying some anti-immigration fervor was driven by "sheer racism." The Arkansans insisted Huckabee never said that. Back on the bus the Romney campaign e-mailed the traveling press corps several newspaper and Internet clips quoting Huckabee saying – you guessed it – that some anti-immigration fervor is driven by "sheer racism."

The Huckabee volunteers didn't show up at the next Romney event to explain the discrepancy. But never fear, both sides vow to keep up, even heat up the attacks – excuse me - "comparisons" in the days to come.

[ih2005]

One hopes that the Huckabee campaign will counter Romney attacks by pointing out how, at Bain Capital, Mr. Romney used offshore corporations to avoid U.S. taxation, and he fee-milked acquired businesses before firing workers and taking them into bankruptcy ( http://*****.com/romneyoffshore ), to amass his great $250,000,000 wealth.

So, when you compare how Mr. Huckabee''s visionary FairTax advocacy ( http://*****.com/nextrung ) compares to Romney''s interest in the current tax system, it''s pretty easy to see who will lead us out of tax slavery ( http://*****.com/taxburden ) - $265 billion annual tax code compliance costs representing 5 billion wasted hours, annually.

[njpaul2-2009]

If Iowa does in fact declare Huckabee the winner, they''ll have some explainin'' to do. As in why would they give so much weight to his preacher credentials, and overlook the fact that he really doesn''t bring much to the table. I want Huckabee to teach my Sunday School class. Please Iowa, there are a couple of guys with proven executive experience, but neither of them is named Huckabee.

[davide73-2009]

Like Mitt Romney, I wet to an Ivy League college, and then went on to get a PhD. So I feel qualified to point out that many who graduate from Ivy League colleges are there because they are the sons or daughters of important people, not because they were especially bright. Mike Huckabee did not go to an Ivy League college but he graduated magna *** laude in 2 1/2 years. I do not know whether Romney graduated magna *** laude, but when I saw them exchange comments during the TV debates, it was obvious to me that Huckabee had much the more insightful and flexible mind. Romney''s Harvard background means only that his father was rich.

[edw987]

Yes, Pastor Huckabee apologized for the Pakistani affair, but he did that because he is a true Christian and that is what Christians do. And since as he mentioned he has a theology degree and most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were clergymen, it carries extra weight with Christians, so he was able to raise $89,000 in the one day ''money bomb'' on December 27. Pastor Huckabee also knows that we must protect Israel at all costs for it is in the Bible. He has the power of a multinational corporation, Amway, at his disposal to bring the countries who won''t get in line on terrorism to their knees. Oh, how happy everyone will be when Pastor Huckabee is president and puts the Christ back into Christians!

[edw987]

Tim Russert went very easy on Pastor Huckabee on Meet the Press today. This proves that Pastor Huckabee is the choice of g-d. Pastor Huckabee has the foreign policy experience to clean up the mess in Pakistan and elsewhere with one swipe of his mighty arm. For example, Pastor Huckabee punctuated a point about having John Bolton as his foreign policy advisor the other day by discharging his shotgun over the reporters'' heads, because he''s a tough law-and-order man. In the ensuing melee, he didn''t have time to mention that he may also be advised by Kofi Annan, Henry Kissinger, and Mikhail Gorbachev. The other thing that has not been mentioned is an explanation of Pastor Huckabee''s comment about Pakistanis entering the US illegally. What Pastor Huckabee probably meant was that rather than coming in from Mexico, the Pakistanis are smuggled in by cargo containers originating from the so-called geographically shared eastern border with Afghanistan. This would make sense because, as Pastor Huckabee mentioned, martial law is being enforced in Pakistan, so that everyone else must remain inside their homes which would allow terrorism suspects to slip into the containers unnoticed for transport to the US.

[davidinmiami]

Huckabee is slipping as you''ll see in a new MSNBC poll being published today. (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1230IowaPoll1230.html). I''m glad that his past record is being examined and the truth is coming to light. Nice guy but definately not qualified to be President of the United States. I think it is telling that Huckabee just calls Romney dishonest but doesn''t dispute what Romney is saying nor does he debate him on the issues. What exactly in Romney''s contract ads is dishonest? We''re still waiting for the answer.

Luckily, we also have a Harvard educated scholar with real executive experience, familiar with making tough decisions, who is also running as the nominee.

I can accept that Romney has evolved on some of his positions. I realize that he was a governor in one of the most liberal states and dutifully represented the citizens living there. He''s now campaigning to represent a very broad demographic and likewise has broadened his appeal. Are we going to disregard this extremely qualified candidate because he exaggerated his hunting experience or something else so petty?I believe that Mitt Romney truly is a remarkable person and can make a difference as our President. He has improved almost everything he has been involved with during his life. Don''t get caught up in the media smearing of his words - do the research as I have. He is the most qualified candidate. Romney has my vote.

[jbrewster7]

The only thing Huckabee wants you to think is that he is some how qualified to be president because he used to be a baptist minister and is a so called true "Christian Leader".

MIKE HUCKABEE A REAL CHRISTIAN LEADER?

FACT: Mike Huckabee stole over $70,000 worth of furniture from the Arkansas governors mansion.

Google: Counting the furniture Huckabee takes his office furniture; a conflict on Mansion gift. (Source: Arkansas Times 12/14/06 Leslie Newell Peacock)

[sjohntucson]

Thanks winghunter, you are definitely performing a public service!

Let us* not forget that Huck released a convicted rapist that went on to murder at least two people, because the victim was a relative of Bill Clinton.

*Sorry for the stilted language. I will not use any contractions on this board until it stops changing my apostrophes to quote marks

[tbholsinger]

There is a reason that the most respected conservative editors endorsed Mitt Romney. It isn''t a personality contest folks -- it''s a contest about which of our candidates stands the best chance at defeating Hillary/Bill Clinton!!!

National Review: "If Mike Huckabee becomes the Republican nominee he would pull apart the conservative coalition by alienating the economic (and foreign-policy) conservatives."

"Like any Republican, he would have an uphill climb next fall. But he would be able to offer a persuasive outsider%u2019s critique of Washington. His conservative accomplishments as governor showed that he can work with, and resist, a Demo-crat-ic legislature. He can also speak with more authority on health care than any of the other Republican candidates. He would also have credibility on the economy, given his success as a businessman and a manager of the Olympics."

[winghunter]

While Romney rightly points to the Hucksters clearly pathetic record, Romney has absolutely no room to talk.

The only way for either of these clowns to do well at all is if the voters don''t know their records and past actions...Don''t be the voter who doesn''t know;

Candidate Research made easy;
If Rudolph didn''t talk about 9/11 he wouldn''t have anything to offer as a president and since his record proves he was NOT the hero the MSM built him up as then it really doesn''t matter now, does it.

Candidate Research made easy;
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/candidate_research_know_who_youre_voting_for/