..out of the dark

...have been spoiling to catch Huckabee saying something insane (even by US standards, I mean). And sure, it's not easy being a priest wanting to be president, and having all these ideas about Christ and the nature of truth bubbling up all day. But it never matters, since noone really cares what he stands for as long as he's not insane.

But then he did something fatal - he tried to rationalise and argue for his actual position, instead of bloviating about the sanctity of marriage, and the holy trinity of the dollar, the government, and the rich. This is how you end up then:

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/01/huck_we_need_to_amend_the_constitution_bring_it_in_line_with_god.php

At a Michigan campaign event last night, Mike Huckabee gave an interesting reason for why he wants to amend the Constitution to ban both abortion and gay marriage: Otherwise, the Constitution would be in conflict with God.

Huckabee first observed that some of his opponents don't want to amend the Constitution on both of these topics. "But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God," Huckabee said. "And that's what we need to do, is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards."

So there you have it - at best Huckabee just wants to channel God's will to make laws when he becomes president. At slightly worse, he thinks the constitution is in violation of God's laws.

And I don't want to hear any more "you're exaggerating about the political culture in the US, there are lots of intelligent people around who make their views known". This guy won the republican primary in Iowa, and trailed in for a fourth place in New Hampshire, right behind Guliani. So shut yer trap.


Btw: here is a link to the voter turnout results so far in the primaries:
http://elections.gmu.edu/voter_turnout.htm

Iowa: 16.3%
New Hampshire: 52,4%

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22494680/

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa - Record turnout clogged Iowa's 1,800 precinct caucuses Thursday night.

..er. ok.

And - why so unusually high in New Hampshire? Apparently a whole bunch of new republicans and democrats turned up this year, and an unprecedented level of independents also cast their vote.
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080105/NEWS0201/438181973

"I sense a level of interest that exceeds what I remember from previous primaries," he said.

Gardner also released the latest numbers of registered voters Friday. Of the 830,684 on the voter list, 373,397 or 45 percent are undeclared; 243,914 or 29 percent are Republican; and 213,373 or 26 percent are Democrats.

Amazing, isn't it.


addendum: All right, so it's not insane, even by US standards. Behold:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Huckabee_Amend_Constitution_to_meet_Gods_0115.html

Scarborough finally suggested that while he believes "evangelicals should be able to talk politics ... some might find that statement very troubling, that we're going to change the Constitution to be in line with the Bible. And that's all I'm going to say."

Geist further noted of Huckabee that if "someone without his charm," said that, "he'd be dismissed as a crackpot, but he's Mike Huckabee and he's bascially the front-runner."

Lovely. You're still an idiot, Scarborough. This shit is what you've covered up for the last eight years on your program when desperately focusing on the operational context of any issue, from faith- based aid to the wars - because this is what beltway wisdom dictated. And this is the thinking that appeals to your general viewership. And the only reason you worry now, you whorehopper, is that you think Huckabee is actually going to be serious - even after he's elected. Instead of just using the God shit to suggest their unquestionable piety and carefully contained ambition.

But hey - why not just argue one way or the other on that as well, eh? Maybe having a president who doesn't just think God speaks to him, and wants him to start wars in the middle east to stimulate the economy - but also instructs him to fix the constitution to get it in line with the word of God isn't so bad after all? I mean, some of what Clinton did was pretty bad as well, you know. Isn't that right?