Huckabee Aims To Show He's A Real Hunter

Republican Presidential Candidate Bags A Pheasant On A Hunt In Iowa

(AP)  Presidential contender Mike Huckabee bagged a pheasant Wednesday, offering Iowa voters the image of an experienced outdoorsman on the hunt, shotgun blasting and dogs braying.

Just a campaign gambit? "Maybe it will show that I certainly understand the culture of being outdoors," Huckabee said. "It's not something we had to go out and get a primer in. It's very much ordinary to me."

The former Arkansas governor said back home he would be duck hunting on the day after Christmas, but pheasant hunting in Iowa - eight days before the state's leadoff nominating caucuses - was a good substitute. He also offered a lecture declaring that hunting is good for wildlife.

"The truth is hunters are the ones who preserve the species," he said, since hunters have an interest in preserving wildlife and their license fees pay for conservation efforts. "In many cases extinction comes from not having some level of hunting. It's the hunters who actually keep the wildlife alive. A lot of people think that when you hunt you're destroying the wildlife."

Huckabee led a motorcade of photographers along gravel roads in hilly rural Iowa, hopping out of a pickup truck to take to a snow-covered field wearing his bright orange vest along with Dude, an energetic hunting dog. Huckabee and three hunting companions tramped slowly across the field and their shotguns were blasting within minutes.

Of four birds flushed by the party, three were felled. Huckabee claimed the third with his .12-gauge shotgun. He proudly displayed the birds and said jokingly, "See that's what happens if you get in my way."

He also jested about Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident in which a fellow hunter was shot. Asked why Cheney hadn't been invited, Huckabee chuckled, "Because I want to survive all the way through this."

Huckabee's folksy approach and familiarity with hunting offered a contrast with leading rival Mitt Romney, who said early in the campaign that he was a lifelong hunter, only to have an aide say he had been hunting on only two occasions. Romney later said he had hunted more than twice but only for "small varmints" and that he did not own a gun or have a hunting license.

Huckabee said he began hunting at the age of 11.

"It's an opportunity to experience Iowa at its best," he said. "Hopefully we'll just shoot pheasants and not each other. We'll name the pheasant for the other candidates. It gives us a real incentive."

Polls indicate Huckabee has moved ahead among Republicans in Iowa, and he's offering contrasts to the very wealthy Romney.

"The people of Iowa don't want to be forgotten when someone goes to the White House," he said. "People in middle America feel like folks will come and campaign in Iowa and then they get elected and they forget that people out here in flyover land still exist. Some of us grew up in the middle of the country and still live here."

[gunownerdan]

I remember when John Kerry went on a staged "hunt" right before he lost the election. I wonder if Hitlery is going to do the same thing, oh, that''s right, she''s a rabid gun-banning extremist.

[gkc99]

Wonder if the press saw that "property of Colonel Sanders" tag on the "pheasant''s" ankle.

[micma-2009]

gundan

They''re coming to get your guns. Look out!

[element51]

The man can shoot a bird. My God, what an achievement! Makes me want to run right out and get me a gun so I can shoot a bird too. Well, I have a bird for Mr. Huckabee but it doesn''t have wings. It''s really to bad that they didn''t take *** Cheney with them but I guess it''s better to be safe than shot.

[element51]

Does anyone but me see the humor in the fact that CBS has to star out Cheyney''s first name. I don''t know why but I find that kind of funny.

[demwatcher]

Hey ya''ll Liberals, NEWS FLASH:

Gallup Poll shows that President Bush beats Bill Clinton as most admired man AGAIN!

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8TPAICG0&show_article=1

Dumbarse, ignorant Liberals don''t know crapola.

[marlenemn]

Gee, a religious-fanatic Republican who likes to kill %u2013 for absolutely no *** reason%u2026..this sound novel

[rudy654-2009]

Posted by DemWatcher at 04:28 PM

Is your religion the Church of Bush? Is he your god? You sound like a fanatic.

[gunownerdan]

November 11, 1938, The New York Times Headline:
"NAZIS SMASH, LOOT AND BURN JEWISH SHOPS AND TEMPLES..."

November 11, 1938, Nazi Regulations Against Jews'''' Possession of Weapons:
"Jews are prohibited from acquiring, possessing, and carrying firearms and ammunition, as well as truncheons or stabbing weapons...."

Gun control is not about guns, it''s about control.
a-human-right.com

Always remember, the second amendment is not about duck hunting.

"Tyrants from Hitler to Mao to Stalin have sought to disarm their own citizens, for the simple reason that unarmed people are easier to control. Our Founders, having just expelled the British army, knew that the right to bear arms serves as the guardian of every other right. This is the principle so often ignored by both sides in the gun control debate. Only armed citizens can resist tyrannical government."
-- Congressman Ron Paul, June 27, 2006

[element51]

DemWatcher...I went to the website, breitbart, and yes, you are right. Bush was picked number 1...by 2 percentage points. Gore came in third with 6 points. Among women, and you convienently left this out, Hillary was at 18 percent and ranked number one. Second was Oprah at 16 percent. Rice was 5 percent and Jolie was at 3 percent. The piece also said that with two exceptions the American president is always first due to his exposure to the public. This is so typical of you republican folks...Tell just enough of the story to make yourselves look good but don''t tell the whole truth. If you''re going to call liberals, "ignorant" maybe you should take a good look in the mirror before you shoot your mouth off.

[jetranger7]

Dear Mr. Huckbee, will you please take BUSH & CHENEY hunting with you, and kinda on purpose accidentally have a hunting accident, I think you know what to do from there, Pleaseeeee for Americas sake !!!!!

[rowdytexan2]

At least he didn''t shoot his fellow hunters in the face!

Now this is the stupidest campaign trick to date. I have to go out and kill something to be a worthy candidate!!!?????

[gunownerdan]

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
-- Thomas Jefferson, quoting criminologist Cesare Beccaria in "On Crimes and Punishment"(1764)

The second amendment isn''t about hunting.
www.a-human-right.com

[gunownerdan]

"If you ignore your rights, they will go away."

Studies show that today only about 1 in 1,000 Americans know what 5 rights are guaranteed to us by the First Amendment.

Freedom of Speech
Freedom of the Press
Freedom of Religion
Freedom to Petition the Government
and Freedom to Assemble.

[jn122736]

gundan

They''''re coming to get your guns. Look out!
Posted by micma at 03:58 PM : Dec 26, 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Micma, the one sad fact that folks like gunownerdan haven%u2019t realized yet, and wouldn%u2019t accept as true if they did, is that they are being used in the same way and by the same tyrants who are using peoples Christian faith to gain power. The same, corporate owned/controlled, government we have in power now have been slowly and steadily taking our constitutional rights away from us, beginning with Reagan, for the past thirty years.

They have already virtually killed all workers unions and ended any rights they ever had. They have gutted/changed bankruptcy laws and reduced taxes on the rich and increased the national debt to NINE times what it was when Reagan took office.

They are in the process of eliminating any taxes on investment earnings so the money they make in interests from their stolen $billions will be non-taxable. They are also in the process of ending the inheritance tax so they can keep everything and endow their kids as royalty/rulers.

It is as certain as sunrise that as soon as they complete their take-over they will, for their safety, repeal or otherwise subvert our second amendment rights and confiscate ALL guns in private hands.

They will also shut down ALL churches that don%u2019t meet their standards.

These same gullible folks will be the first to cry foul.

[jn122736]

jn122736, as they say, they can have mine when they pry it.....
Posted by FloydZepp at 05:49 PM : Dec 26, 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FloydZepp, you are not alone in that (and that includes me), but, unfortunately, that doesn''t alter the fact.

[usbrit-2009]

Great - another poor defenceless critter sacrficed on the great altar of reuplicanism.

gunownerdan - you and I agree on a number of things politically so I do respect your opinions. However, you have MADE YOUR POINT ON GUNS. Every story where guns appear does not need your endless quotations, diatribes and legitimizindg.

[usbrit-2009]

Oops Dr Spooner is alive and well - I meant legitimizing.

[usbrit-2009]

Any woman with a brain and a sense of free will should be afraid - very afraid - of this Neanderthal.

ImpeachNow - well said both in thought and screename

[mww7786]

Yuckabee,

Needs to wip his kids in to shape. Why vote for a guy to run the country who can''t even manage his kids.

Funny: goto www.cnn/huckbee-family/photos.com

His kids are so over weight it would not be inapproprite to say they are sick!

[newz4i]

Has anyone seen Governor Huckabee''s wife?

[oeangus]

Yeah, sure, every time you kill an animal, you actually keep wildlife alive, Mike. Uh-huh.

Another BS-ing idiot politician.

[werchange]

HUCKABEE CARRIES SLICK TO NEW LEVELS
Huckabee orchestrated the release of convicted rapist Wayne Dumond. He usurped the authority of the Arkansas'' justice system to release this scumbag. Shortly after the release, Dumond sexually brutalized and murdered a woman in Missouri. Huckabee accepted at least $150,000 in "gifts" while governor. Yet he calls others'' salaries "immoral." Huckabee says that he is more concerned with main street than he is wall street. Yet this self-righteous politician accepted a sizeable donation from the owner of the largest race track in Arkansas after Huckabee fought for a law permitting video gambling machines at Arkansas race tracks. Huckabee tried to use taxpayer money to renovate his lake house. Huckabee destroyed evidence of his record upon leaving the governor''s office. Hucakbee was a disaster when it comes to illegal immigration in his state. His policies as governor undermined the efforts of our government to regulate who''s coming into this country. He effectively fought to make Arkansas a sanctuary state. He supports birthright citizenship and college scholarships for children of illegal immigrants. He even wants to amend the Constitution so foreigners can run for President. Huckabee''s "Fair Tax" proposal is nothing more than a bait and switch scheme which ends income taxes on corporations and then switches the tax burden entirely to private citizens. A Huckabee nomination means one thing: Clinton in the White House.

[sleepyric]

Sure Gov Huckaboo is ''a-huntin''...gotta flush out them NRA $$$$...and yeah,,,,where is his wife??

[werchange]

Mike you look cold,dont worry its hot where your going!gun owners of america endorse RON PAUL!!!!!!!dont take my word for it.tax hike mike could not answer the jesus Question very well?Ron paul is the olny canidate that will bring the troops home.Troops donated the most money to paul''s campaign.

[cfortunato]

You know, I''m not against hunting at ALL - but this guy shot three pheasants just to show how MANLY he was?

I''m sorry, but that''s really sickening.

[ivandrago]

looks a bit like Elmer Fudd.

[cfin5]

The NRA has left us by taking "Usetacould Rd." that goes to all the way to Infringapolis.......It''s GOA from here on out!

[bill1fj]

Come on Huck!
Tell us how you''re going to hunt down illegal aliens
and deport them.
Tell us how you''re going to hunt down people and businesses that hire illegals and fine/jail them.
Come on Huck!
Go hunting.

[bill1fj]

Just wondering:
I see all these posts about Ron Paul.
What would Ron Paul do about illegals and those that hire them?
He''s been in the federal government for years and I haven''t noticed anything about illegals from him.
Am I missing something?

[cbville72]

You know, I''''m not against hunting at ALL - but this guy shot three pheasants just to show how MANLY he was?

I''''m sorry, but that''''s really sickening.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by cfortunato at 08:03 PM : Dec 26, 2007

Yeah...it really sounds like you are not against hunting from your post.
Actually he went hunting because hunting is a major part of life throughout the midwest and he wanted to seem like he had something in common with a lot of the people there. I have no problem with that. Hunting is not illegal and the fact that his party got 3 pheasants is a something to feel good about. Spending the day afield with friends or family hunting is one of the oldest traditions our country has. The fact that hunting does not parse well with the media does nothing to change that fact.

[cbville72]

Huckabee will be a footnote to this campaign, and he deserves it.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by uuforyou at 08:56 PM : Dec 26, 2007

Well i hate to break the news to you since you are obviously venting in your earlier post but the reality of it is he is going to be 1 or 2 in the number of votes he garners in Iowa. Whether he wins or not is up for debate, but at this point in the game he is not a footnote at all and you can consider yourself corrected on that topic.

Your welcome

[pilgrimsway-2009]

Ron Paul On Social Security!
http://www.issues2000.org/Contact_House.asp?name=Ron_Paul

* Allow young people to get out of the system. (Oct 2007)
* Personal retirement accounts allow investing in one''''s future. (Sep 2007)
* Federal government won''''t keep its entitlement promises. (Mar 2007)
* Voted YES on raising 401(k) limits & making pension plans more portable. (May 2001)
* Voted YES on reducing tax payments on Social Security benefits. (Jul 2000)
* Voted NO on strengthening the Social Security Lockbox. (May 1999)
* Rated 30% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)
What do you think entitlement promises are?
and No to the SS Lockbox!
Ron Paul will take away Social Security
Of course this is why the younger generation will vote for Him. So they do not have to contribute to Social Security!

[cbville72]

This may shock some people here (especially the liberals), but it was basically for PUBLICITY. Not much different than when MTV threw Bill Clinton in front of everybody with sunglasses and a saxophone to show the world how "in tune" he was. I like the fact that he went hunting and that he actually was lucky enough to get supper.
I feel sorry for people that call themselves environmentalists or animal rights activists and have never once took to the woods or the sea in pursuit of game, yet drive leather appointed imported SUV''s and handbags, eat chicken and hamburgers and point to hunters and call them savages. Hunting is and always will be the greatest way to be in tune with nature and it is hunters and not PETA activists that supply the most money for wildlife conservation.

[cbville72]

Why does this country allow the corn-crackers and ridge-runners pick our presidential candidates?

Why are the two most backward states in the nation the first to have their primary/caucus?

Regards,


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Nancy_Naive at 09:17 PM : Dec 26, 2007

Well Nancy Naive, you are wrong on about all counts here. IOWA will never speak for the country as they have only 7 votes in the electoral college. New Hampshire has only 4. These states have traditionally been the first to hold Caucuses. Is this what you are mad about or is it the fact that the article is about a republican.
Also in reading your erroneous statement, I tend to wonder how you feel about New York and California having 31 and 55 electoral votes resepctively beings as they uniformly vote democrat no matter what the circumstance? Does that bother you as much or are you comfortable letting New York liberals and hollywood speak for the country?

[werchange]

RON PAUL KNOWS HOW TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked. Ron Paul has a plan: (1.) Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals. (2.) Enforce Visa rules. Immigration officials must track Visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their Visa or otherwise violates U.S. Law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired Visas. (3.) No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That''s a lot of people to reward for breaking our Laws. (4.) No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules, but taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services. (5.) End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong. (6.) Pass true immigration reform. The current system, and those most other candidates propose, is incoherent and unfair, and would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country. (7.) Arrest as many illegal immigrants as possible and send

[gkc99]

Ron Paul: thinks the Civil War was a mistake. He would have let the Confederacy secede.

[kennethklay]

Spending a day in the field with friends is one thing, but dragging a host of photographers and reporters along for a photo shoot is quite another. I am a republican hunter who criticized John Kerry for his silly photo-op goose hunt in 2004. For consistency''s sake, I am forced to confess that the same criticisms apply equally Mike Huckabee in this case. Ugh.

[pilgrimsway-2009]

Ron Paul will take away Social Security!!!
Ron Paul On Social Security!
http://www.issues2000.org/Con
tact_House.asp?name=Ron_Paul

* Allow young people to get out of the system. (Oct 2007)
* Personal retirement accounts allow investing in one''''''''s future. (Sep 2007)
* Federal government won''''''''t keep its entitlement promises. (Mar 2007)
* Voted YES on raising 401(k) limits & making pension plans more portable. (May 2001)
* Voted YES on reducing tax payments on Social Security benefits. (Jul 2000)
* Voted NO on strengthening the Social Security Lockbox. (May 1999)
* Rated 30% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)
What do you think entitlement promises are?
and No to the SS Lockbox!
Ron Paul will take away Social Security!!!
Of course this is why the younger generation will vote for Him. So they do not have to contribute to Social Security!

[gkc99]

That rig Huckleberry is wearing doesn''t look legal--not 50% solid blaze orange on his jacket, that''s for sure.

But not to worry, that pheasant wasn''t even remotely a "wild animal" anymore than your storebought chicken is a wild animal. It was doubtless raised in a pen and released for the occasion. I guess we should be happy that Huckie didn''t blast it in its cage.

[werchange]

ss money will not even cover all the babyboomer and ron paul has never voted to rob the ss fund.please look at the facts the people will be heard RON PAUL cant lose freedom is my vote.

[gkc99]

Ron Paul: slavery is a private property issue. Feds shouldn''t interfere.

[werchange]

yea sure

[gkc99]

MR. RUSSERT: I was intrigued by your comments about Abe Lincoln. "According to Paul, Abe Lincoln should never have gone to war; there were better ways of getting rid of slavery."

REP. PAUL: Absolutely. Six hundred thousand Americans died in a senseless civil war. No, he shouldn''t have gone, gone to war. He did this just to enhance and get rid of the original intent of the republic. I mean, it was the--that iron, iron fist..

[blackyowe]

So much for the knowlege of the writer on bird hunting. Hounds bay, only donkeys bray. As far as I know bird dogs are meant to be quiet. When it comes to Huckabee I say that dog don''t hunt.

[usbrit-2009]

Hunting is and always will be the greatest way to be in tune with nature and it is hunters and not PETA activists that supply the most money for wildlife conservation.

Spending the day afield with friends or family hunting is one of the oldest traditions our country has. The fact that hunting does not parse well with the media does nothing to change that fact.

cbville

Yeah, goin'' out on da rainge an'' teach da kids how to keill sh*t. The perfect redneck afternoon.

[gunownerdan]

By no means must you be a "redneck" in order to understand the importance of fresh and natural food.
Humans have been hunting for OVER 2 MILLION YEARS and we sure aren''t going to stop anytime soon.
Don''t forget that the only way to control deer populations in an environmentally friendly way is to hunt. Many people die every year in traffic accidents caused by deer overpopulation.
Go buy meat at the grocery store and I guarantee most of it will be soaked in carbon monoxide, or pumped full of growth hormones and other ***.

[cbs_oliver]

Now we know he''s a real killer.

I guess that''s a good thing?

[blackyowe]

Wanna make a bet he did not clean, pluck, or eat thatg bird?

[gunownerdan]

"Tyrants from Hitler to Mao to Stalin have sought to disarm their own citizens, for the simple reason that unarmed people are easier to control. Our Founders, having just expelled the British army, knew that the right to bear arms serves as the guardian of every other right. This is the principle so often ignored by both sides in the gun control debate. Only armed citizens can resist tyrannical government."
-- Congressman Ron Paul, June 26, 2006

www.A-HUMAN-RIGHT.com