Gathered Thoughts on Huckabee

I spent the last week recovering from surgery, so I had a lot of time to read various things around the Internet. I’m sure we’ve all seen a good amount of coverage about Mike Huckabee, and I want to put together the various thoughts I’ve had.

From Fox News:

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee … defended statements he made 15 years ago in which he advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public and suggested homosexuality could “pose a dangerous public health risk.”

“But you know if the worst thing somebody can say about me is that 15 years ago I said that we need to be very careful about this transmission of disease, then I’m probably gonna be okay.”

Jesus, not to mention several of the Prophets, was entirely willing on many occasions to not only be around, but touch and heal, lepers of his day. These were viewed at least as badly as AIDS patients were fifteen years ago, as I’m sure Huckabee understands with his theology degree. In any case, he feels that his stance was worth standing by, although he might state it differently today.

In the above article that gives a little light on Huckabee’s theological education, he is quoted as saying:

I’m as strong on terror as anybody. In fact I think I’m stronger than most people because I truly understand the nature of the war that we are in with Islamofascism. These are people that want to kill us. It’s a theocratic war. And I don’t know if anybody fully understands that. I’m the only guy on that stage with a theology degree. I think I understand it really well.

There are people out there who honestly hold to the Just War theory, and some of these people have occasionally tried to apply its criteria to various parts of the war on terror. But to promote one’s “strength” against something like terrorism as being even remotely derived from one’s theological education is ludicrous, and brings up thoughts of the Protestant Reich Church of Nazi Germany.

Finally, there is the Christmas ad. From Ron Paul, quoted in the Houston Chronicle:

It reminds me of what Sinclair Lewis once said. He says, ‘when fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross,’ ” Paul, a Protestant, told Fox News. “Now I don’t know whether that’s a fair assessment or not, but you wonder about using a cross, like he is the only Christian or implying that subtly. So, I don’t think I would ever use anything like that.

From Bill Donahue, quoted in the same article:

What he’s trying to say to the evangelicals in western Iowa (is): ‘I’m the real thing,’ ” Donohue said on the same news network. “You know what? Sell yourself on your issues, not on what your religion is.

This is the frightening thing about politics in the Republican Party. It is entirely possible, and evidently it may be essential in order to win a primary, for a candidate to promote Jesus while ignoring the things he actually said and did.
A Washington Post article says it this way:

Rather, it’s the gap between the teachings of the Gospels and the preachings of the Gospel’s Own Party that has widened past the point of absurdity, even as the ostensible Christianization of the party proceeds apace.

We live in a frustrating time.

• 20 Dec 2007
• Comments 1
• Posted In politics