Huckabee running for 2012?

The die is cast. John McCain will be the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. Virtually all the early GOP primaries had a majority of the vote for somebody other than McCain. His momentum came from pluralities, not from an overwhelming winning-over of GOP voters. The multi-candidate, divided field, not overwhelming popularity, is what has allowed McCain to become inevitable.

The only remaining competitor is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is far behind and unlikely to overtake McCain. Why is he still out on the trail? Most people cite 2012 as the reason. McCain will be 72 years-old if he is inaugurated. He would most likely be a one-term president. Or if McCain loses to Barrack Obama--either way, the GOP will need a candidate in 2012.

That, and a possible cabinet post, are keeping Huckabee at it. He was a low-budget longshot when he started, and the campaign has not expanded too much from that modest beginning, so it's not very costly to keep running. Huck's early success in Iowa, wins in Arkansas, Louisiana and Kansas, and strong showings in other southern states have bought him viability. He has built a strong paid speaking schedule, so earning a living for four years won't be a problem.

As a social conservative, I could like Mike Huckabee a lot. The problem is his governing record in Arkansas. He was a big spender, tax raiser and imposer of nannyistic laws. He is not an economic conservative. In public, he is affable and a very eloquent speaker, as a former Baptist preacher. My Baptist friends tell me that he was even a liberal within the church. As president of the Arkansas Baptist Convention, he sided with the denominational liberals in all the battles, such as for control of the seminaries.

That's why the religious right was all over the map, backing many different candidates in 2008. Huckabee was not a reliable, consistent conservative. That's why he has not been a more formidable competitor for the GOP nomination.

I doubt he will have changed much by 2012.