Huckabee: GOP Needs Minorities

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee of Arkansas said Friday his fellow Republicans would be making a devastating mistake in the race for the White House if they ignore minorities, unions and other traditionally Democratic groups.

While the proliferation of debates has cut into the time candidates have to campaign and raise funds, Huckabee said he has reached out to the AARP, the National Education Association and other groups that tend to vote Democratic.

He said he also plans to participate in a PBS debate on minority issues because he believes it is critical that Republicans speak to these concerns.

"If Republicans don't win minority votes and votes that we traditionally don't get, Hillary Clinton's the next president," Huckabee said in a teleconference with reporters while campaigning in Iowa.

Clinton, the New York senator and Democratic front-runner in the presidential race, was first lady of Arkansas before Bill Clinton became president in 1993. In January, Huckabee completed more than 10 years as governor of the state.

"I want to be the president of the United States, not just the president of the Republican Party," Huckabee said. "I'm still a conservative and I still believe in lower taxes and less government. I'm pro-life and I'm pro-family, but it doesn't mean that I'm not going to listen ... and it doesn't mean I'm not going to govern with a view to being a president to everybody."

Asked about Iraq, Huckabee said he agreed with President Bush's decision to reduce U.S. troop levels to pre-surge numbers by next summer as recommended by top commander Gen. David Petreaus.

"I understand the American people want to get out of Iraq, but I also don't believe the American people want to lose. What they want is they want victory. They want it now," he said. "The question is do they want to get out now even if it means that we lose. And I don't think the answer to that is yes."

Although a White House report Friday concludes that little progress has been made by the Iraqi government toward political stability, Huckabee said the U.S. military presence is proving successful. He said the troops were bringing the security needed to attain political order in the region.

"That's not going to improve if we simply pack up and disappear out of Iraq," Huckabee said. "Is anybody happy with the political diplomatic progress? No, absolutely not. But it only gets better when the military function does continue to bring a level of security."

And while other candidates are coming out with their health plans, Huckabee said he would make his proposal by Nov. 1. He said his plan will focus on preventative care rather than what he described as the current arrangement of waiting until to a person's health reaches catastrophic conditions.

Huckabee planned to campaign this weekend in Florida.