I recently came across a post from a blogger asking readers why everyone thought Schmuckabee (uhh, I mean Huckabee) was a conservative in name only. After contemplating the question for a minute or two, I wrote a somewhat lengthy comment that I thought was eloquent, to the point and profoundly expressed how I felt about the man. It took me over an hour to write, but once I get into my groove it’s hard to stop.

So what happens? Neigh on 60 comments go by without anyone mentioning a thing I said.

As the Cookie Monster might so aptly say:

Great, some of my best writing of the week, and it ends up on somebody else’s blog. Ah well, that’s enough of that then. I mean if my writing is going to be ignored and unappreciated, then gosh darnit all, it better be on my own turf, you feel me?

Anyway, here’s a copy of the comment I made on that site, highlighting my own personal case for why Huckabee should not be nominated (and no I’m not linking to the weenie’s site because his PR6 blog gets enough backlinks and traffic, thank you very much):

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I think Huckabee’s biggest problem is his take on immigration. He seems to think it’s the function of the U.S. government to coddle illegal immigrants in the same manner that Bush does. He also seems to show little concern for border security, and does not support using the military to help stem the tide of illegal immigration. At least in this regard, he’s just another Bush.

He also needs to stop wearing his Christianity on his sleeve. We’re not voting for a Christian leader here, we’re voting for a political one, and his mannerisms suggest that he seems to think Jesus Christ Himself sent him to win the Presidency. Attributing his current success to God might be to him an act of humility and a nod to divine providence, but to the rest of us it comes across as arrogant and closed minded. It’s akin to Pat Robertson proudly projecting a Bush landslide victory based on what God “laid on his heart.” How many of us though can really presume to know the mind of God?

This also creates an environment where he could easily accuse anyone of disagreeing with his policies as either being un-Christian or racist, if he hasn’t done so already. He also has a tendency to shoot from the hip without considering all the facts at hand (such as his initial support in lifting the Cuban embargo.)

Ultimately, I think what turns many conservatives off about Huckabee is not so much that some feel he’s the GOP version of Jimmy Carter, but also that he’s a Bush clone. His conservative principles may be sound but are still largely untested in several key areas, appearing a mile wide but only an inch deep, and where he vaults into enacting or supporting policies suspiciously liberal in nature, this is explained away by him having to be a pragmatist. Well Bush was a pragmatist too, and when it came time for him to put his own proclaimed conservatism to the test, he failed miserably.

While Huckabee might seek to limit government in some fashion in accordance to conservatism, it also seems to clear that he wants to expand it as well, and in accordance with nothing more than his own personal Christian beliefs. He wants to take back this nation for Christ? No, what he should be fighting for is taking back this nation for the PEOPLE. That takes a political mind which understands that government, in order for it to serve the people’s interest, must first learn to get out of their way. It recognizes that the government’s function is to enforce the law, not promote Christian charity. Huckabee’s heart might be in the right place, but his mind isn’t.

I say all this by the way as a conservative Evangelical Christian who believes Huckabee does not qualify to be our President.