Several media outlets have connected Mike Huckabee's commutation of Maurice Clemmons, who fatally shot four police officers earlier this week, to the former governor of Arkansas's background as a Southern Baptist pastor. Huckabee defended himself in a column for Human Events.

Religion had nothing to do with the commutation. It’s been erroneously expressed that my own personal faith or the claims of faith of the inmate factored into my decision. That is simply not true and nothing in the record even suggests it. The reasons were straightforward -- a unanimous recommendation from the board, support from a trial judge and no objections from officials in a case that involved a 16 year old sentenced to a term that was exponentially longer than similar cases and certainly longer than had he been white, upper middle class, and represented by effective counsel who would have clearly objected to the sentencing.

Christianity Today recently posted a November interview with Huckabee.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at December 4, 2009 | Comments (2)

Former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee faces criticism for granting clemency nine years ago to Maurice Clemmons, who fatally shot four police officers and was killed this morning in Seattle.

In a statement, Huckabee blamed “failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. ... This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

David Waters at the Washington Post and Dick Polman at the Philadelphia Inquirer suggest that Huckabee's previous role as a Southern Baptist pastor could have factored into his decision.

Joe Carter, the former research director of his presidential campaign, wrote for First Things that "His naivete about how his actions would be judged was compounded by his own belief in the nobleness of his motives."

"Judging from the records, the governor also seemed to put a lot of weight on conversion stories—a common trait among evangelicals, who believe the gospel is sufficient for restoration and redemption of character," Carter wrote. "The opinion of clergy appears to have carried a great deal of weight in the decision-making process."

During the 2008 election, critics pointed to Wayne DuMond, a convicted rapist who murdered and raped again after being freed in 1999. Carter continues:

Ironically, what makes Huckabee such an appealing presidential candidate -- his empathy for all people and genuine belief in the individual -- is also the trait that will prevent him from ever reaching the White House. His experiences and intuitions that served him well as a minister of the gospel were not always applicable in of governor of a state. The unfortunate reality is that for politicians, unlike pastors, there are limits to compassion.

In Clemmon's appeal for clemency, he wrote:

Since that hearing the angel of death has visited and taken away my dear sweet mother, and this more than anything has effected change for the good in my heart. Because now I have to live with all that I put her through I wasn't able to be with her and make her proud of me before she passed away. I have never done anything good for God, but I’ve prayed for him to grant me in his compassion the grace to make a start ... Now, I’m humbly appealing to you for a brand new start.

Maurice Clemmons' Parole And Clemency Docs, via Seattle Times

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at December 1, 2009 | Comments (11)

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee comes in first among likely Republican voters for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll released today.

And even though former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s forthcoming autobiography has topped Amazon book charts for weeks, she trails (18 percent) Huckabee (29 percent) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (24 percent). In July, voters placed Romney (25 percent) and Palin (24 percent) in a close tie while Huckabee finished a close third at 22 percent.

This time around among evangelicals, Huckabee leads Palin by 17 percent while Palin beats Romney by 14 percent.

In other news:

-- Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, apologized last week for giving a "Josef Mengele Award" (referring to a Nazi doctor) to President Obama's health care adviser Zeke Emanuel.

"I was using hyperbole for effect and never intended to actually equate anyone in the Obama administration with Dr. Mengele," he wrote. "I apologize to everyone who found such references hurtful," Dr. Land continued. "Given the pain and suffering of so many Jewish and other victims of the Nazi regime, I will certainly seek to exercise far more care in my use of language in future discussions of the issues at stake in the healthcare debate."

-- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder focused mostly on hate crimes in his address to the Anti-Defamation League Saturday night, touching on anti-Semitism and crimes against Muslims.

-- While the world waited for each update on balloon boy last week, another boy--4th-grader Terence Scott--asked Obama at the University of New Orleans, "Why do people hate you?" "They supposed to love you," said the youngster, "and God is love."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at October 19, 2009 | Comments (2)

Mike Huckabee said that he was surprised that John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate because he believes the only difference they have is that "she looks better in stilettos than I do."

In an article posted by The New Yorker, Huckabee initially responded to a question about Sarah Palin with, "She, uh, was an appropriate choice, because she put John McCain back in the game."

Later, he tells Lauren Collins:

"It was funny that all through the primary - I mean literally up until McCain got enough delegates to win - people said, ?You know, Huckabee's really running for Vice-President. Gee, Huckabee would be a great Vice-President.' And from that day forward, when I actually was no longer running for President, nobody ever said, ?Gee, Huckabee would be a great Vice-President.' "

"I was scratching my head, saying, ?Hey, wait a minute. She's wonderful, but the only difference was she looks better in stilettos than I do, and she has better hair.' It wasn't so much a gender issue, but it was like they suddenly decided that everything they disliked about me was O.K. . . . She was given a pass by some of the very people who said I wasn't prepared."

Huckabee sounded more positive about Palin when he spoke to Christianity Today the week after she was chosen. The former candidate seems to be unleashing months of frustration in the post-election weeks. Last week, he released a book criticizing several evangelicals for not supporting him.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at November 24, 2008 | Comments (15)

Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, often mentioned as someone who could shepherd the GOP out of the political wilderness, says Republicans neglected religious conservatives this year and need to maintain their support as the party regroups.

"They were welcomed to the family table two days a year, and that was the primary and Election Day," the former Arkansas governor said at a press conference Wednesday (Nov. 19). "I think there's a point of frustration and exasperation where people are saying. `You know what? If you don't want us, just say so.' "

Out with a new book, "Do the Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America," Huckabee spoke about the past and future of the Republican Party.

"There should not be the disconnect between value voters and those who consider themselves the fiscal conservatives," he said. "The truth is, most value voters are fiscal conservatives, but not all fiscal conservatives are value voters."

Huckabee said he has no immediate plans for a second White House run or for any other office and that the GOP would be "insane" if they tried to move away from issues like abortion or marriage that are key to religious conservatives.

"It's been an important part of our overall message, which is that traditional values still reach many people in this country," he said of the marriage issue. "And I think the sanctity of life issue is still an issue that draws people to the Republican Party who otherwise might not necessarily feel that much of a loyalty. It's not that it's the only
issue, but it's an issue that we have to be faithful to."

But Huckabee also was critical of conservative religious leaders including Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, Bob Jones University Chancellor Bob Jones III and former GOP presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who passed him over and endorsed other GOP candidates.

"I came to the conclusion that political expediency and pragmatism had supplanted prophetic principles among those who aspired to influence the process but unwittingly had become influenced by the process and, in fact, were held captive by it," Huckabee wrote.

Bauer, chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, issued a statement Tuesday saying he was disappointed in Huckabee's book.

"It is unfortunate ... at a time when the GOP needs to close ranks and seek unity, that Governor Huckabee in his new book has aimed his fire at his fellow Republicans," Bauer said.

Huckabee said he expected his words would anger some readers.

"I'm telling the honest facts of the story," he said. "I don't think I'm unfair or unkind, but I'm honest."

Huckabee said he thinks former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has "a great future ahead of her" after rallying the Republican base, but he was noncommittal about his own political future.

"I'm not ruling anything out for the future but I'm not making any
specific plans to do something in the future politically," he said.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at November 19, 2008 | Comments (8)

Remember back to the Republican primaries, when Mike Huckabee campaigned as a new kind of evangelical candidate, adding issues like the environment, education, and poverty to the hot-button agenda of God, guns, and gays?

That big-tent Huck seems to be in much shorter supply now. An email the Arkansas governor just sent out soliciting donations for his political action committee--whose beneficiaries include John McCain and Sarah Palin--asks fors $5 for each of these five red meat issues:

1. Protection of Human Life 2. Traditional Marriage 3. Tax policy that doesn't punish people for working, but rewards them 4. 2nd amendment rights 5. Supreme Court and Federal Court judge selection

Is this more evidence that the "new kind of evangelical voter" story has been overplayed? Or just that Huck is changing his tune a bit?

(Originally posted at Beliefnet's God-o-Meter)

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at October 7, 2008 | Comments (7)

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who ran against John McCain in the primaries, spoke at the Republican Convention shortly before Sarah Palin's acceptance speech Wednesday. I interviewed him Thursday.

How does Sarah Palin’s candidacy change the race?
I think it’s really energized the base of the party and given people a reason to be excited about the ticket. There was a lot of anxiety about McCain picking Lieberman. He really gave people a reason to be not just accepting about the ticket. Everyone I’ve talked to is excited about the ticket. It’s a completely different atmosphere than it was a week ago.

Do you think Palin’s pregnant daughter will change whether people will vote for her?
The way the media went after the daughter is the most shameful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. If anything, it just caused [evangelicals] to run to her. Everyone understands that the basis of being a Christian is that everyone has fallen short of God’s ideal. Everyone understands that. We do understand is that when there’s a problem or failures, the family sticks together. We saw a mother who gave her unconditional love to her daughter. That embodies what Christianity means. We all mess up, the issue is how we respond to it. What she showed us is exactly what we wanted to see in terms of a witness.

The religious outreach is much less public here than it was in Denver. Why do you think that is?
For Republicans to recognize the value voters is nothing new. It’s not out of the ordinary. It’s not just recognizing them as an extraordinary. It represents what’s in the heart in soul of the convention. It’s not like we have to reach to that which is right in the party.

Do you think the issues that evangelicals care about have changed?
I think one of the things that is positive is that while they are still steadfast on life and marriage, but there’s a broadening of the issues. People are care about hunger, poverty, and diseases. It’s one of the things I’m very, very thrilled to see. I’ve advocated for a long time education reform, health care reform, and conservation. Those are issues that touch everybody.

How has your faith affected your policies?
In two ways. I don’t have to wake up every morning and think what do I want to believe today. You sense that public policy ought to be a direct result of your deep convictions, not just trends that you can pick up on through polling. I believe in my heart of hearts that sanctity of every human life is important. I don’t support traditional marriage because polls show I should. It’s the foundation of our society. In that way, I think it’s a part of shaping your views and the priorities you have.

Some have called you economically more liberal.
Totally false. Absurdly false. That was one of the most ridiculous attacks I’ve ever heard.

I cut taxes, balanced the budget, I was one of the strongest supporters of fair tax. When people said those things, they based it not on objective fact finding … they drank the Kool-Aid. But when then they did their own research, they saw I have a strong conservative record on fiscal issues.

What challenges will McCain have to face before the election?
I think he did it with [Palin's] selection. I don’t see any barriers at this point.

Do you think he’ll receive as many votes from evangelicals as President Bush did in 2004?
I’m beginning to believe he is. I’ve heard nothing but excitement and energy. I just really sense that there’s a completely different attitude than there was a week ago.

McCain doesn’t talk about his faith the same way that Sen. Obama does.
Some people eat their soup louder than other people, but it doesn’t mean the soup tastes better.

What about the evangelicals who may be taking a second look at Obama?
I think his appearance at Saddleback really hurt him among people who are looking for a candidate with their values. It was absurd for him to say that the definition of when life begins was above his pay grade.

What are your future plans? Do you have plans to run again?
I have no idea. My own plans are to help Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin get elected.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at September 5, 2008 | Comments (30)