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One of my problems with Romney is when he goes farther than he needs to.
“I think we did a less than effective job in managing the conflict following the collapse of Saddam Hussein,” the former Massachusetts governor said at a news conference. “I think we were under prepared for what occurred, understaffed, under planned, and, in some respects, under managed.”
He’s right that there are some areas where President Bush completely screwed up. However, when he attacks Huckabee for basically the saying the same thing, he sounds like a hypocrite.
Everyone knows how critical I’ve been of Mike Huckabee’s lunacy when it comes to his idea of foreign policy, including TEAM ROMNEY. However, in that same article that has been cited over and over again for how Huckabee criticized President Bush’s foreign policy, Huckabee basically said the same things Romney said, except in a more blunt fashion.
Michael van der Galien says that Romney was taken out of context, and he didn’t flip flop. I agree with him.
What van der Galien doesn’t realise is that it is basically the same argument that Huckabee made in his piece, and that’s where it gets a little silly.
As everyone knows, I’m as far from a Huckabee apologist as there is. I’ve repeatedly gone after him, to the point of actually enjoying picking apart his proposals, but in this instance, Romney is guilty of a double standard.
If you actually read Huckabee’s complete essay and speeches on the subjects, he is making the exact same argument that Romney is making in many instances- that the war has been mismanaged. As a person who has studied Huckabee’s foreign policy ideas extensively (looking for percieved idiocy), I can provide numerous instances of Huckabee criticizing the management of the war, while praising President Bush’s handling of 9/11, which is the exact same thing Romney has done.
There are reasons why I have problems with Huckabee on foreign policy, but Romney SOMETIMES doesn’t seem to be much stronger on this issue. He just has a kinder, gentler way of saying it.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Huckabee made a personal and unproductive attack on the President.
Romney pointed out a policy failure.
At the root, their arguments may have been the same, but it is Huck, not Romney, that went too far.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
act blogger is correct, and this is where many err in listening and judging Romney’s communication. Romney critical of policy and esecution, while Yuckabee was critical of the President himself(arrogant, I believe was the word) There is a big difference.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Romney supports the president of the United States, but does he think he could have done a better job? I think so.
Does Huck feel the same way? Last I heard he just put down the President. I doubt he could do a better job.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Huck attacks people’s character, Romney attacks people’s positions. I hope that people catch on to that pattern. It’s called the 11th commandment.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Huck insulted the President. Romney disagrees with how a policy was managed. Easy to tell the difference Tommy.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Tommy – there is not a person alive who thinks everything went ok post Sadam. But that is a far cry from saying negatives about the president.
“he is making the exact same argument that Romney is making in many instances-”
too much generalities in this post. Give some specifics.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
The Huckster is the person who went too far by invoking the “bunker mentality” term ripped right out of the DNC play book. Most Republicans concede that Bush’s execution was not 100%, but referring to Bush’s policy as “bunker mentality” – a term used by liberals was certainly going way too far.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Tommy – I think your judgement on the issue is clouded since you seem to exhibit some of the same tendancies as Huckabee – spouting off about the individual and not the actions of the individual. Case in point was yesterday’s rant where you told the reporter to go ___ herself. Classy.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Tommy, please don’t tell me you are going to vote for Huck once Thompson falls flat on his face? I just don’t understand if that is the case!
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Jeez, I just beat back this same crap yesterday. Ah well, to repost:
Do you see the difference between simple criticism and regurgitating Democrat talking points?
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:14 pm
BREAKING: Huckabee went ahead today and ran the attack ad on TV that he had promised he was positive to use. He was for the ad before he was against it before he was for it. This man is insulting the intelligence of the Iowa voters to think they will not notice his final act of deception on the eve of the caucuses.
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/6c765661-5302-4e57-8aaf-6703b963c7ab
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 pm
No, I’d go with Romney, but that doesn’t mean he’s always right. If you read Huckabee’s article, he makes the exact same argument Romney does, in a much more unproductive tone.
Yes, I am aware of what Romney said, and I’m aware of Huckabee’s position and what he said, but they are both making the same argument.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Huck still ran the attack ads? Unbelievably stupid!! I can’t support him. I tried to give him everything I have but Geez that is insanely stupid!!! I guess I got to hope McCain knocks off Romney and then I can support Thompson in good conscience.
Dang it, I wanted the FairTax too!
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Clarification: If Thompson wasn’t on the ballot and on february 5, I had to vote for one or the other, I’d choose Romney in a heartbeat. It doesn’t mean I’m going to not call him out when he goes overboard.
Thomas alan,
Yes, thank you for clearing it up.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Here’s background material on Huckabee’s “I was for the attack ad before I was against it and since no one was hoodwinked I’m running the attack ad now”
http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/01/ad_attacking_romney_ran_in_iowa_after_huckabee_said_he_was_yanking_it.php
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
well, both liberals and conservatives can say that the U.S. has too much debt – but the similarities would likely stop there.
Its the same thing here. Huckabee wants to criticize and attack the person, Romney wants to criticize the policy. Its not really the same thing.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
For an Arkansas perspective on the real Mike Huckabee, see:
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/33391ddb-ed1f-4bc3-9d19-cdca6181d5d4
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:21 pm
FCOH,
When somebody refers to me as a “hayseed,” then she can go F— herself. I’ll say it again. She can go F— herself.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
ACT Blog,
You’re right that Huckabee was wrong in that, but HE (Team Romney) issued a press release using MY quotes to criticize Huckabee’s lack of foreign policy credentials.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
STOOPID! THIS TAKES THE CAKE! UGH! I WAS WILLING TO OVERLOOK ALOT BUT THIS IRREPAIRABLY DAMAGES HIM IN THE GENERAL!!!!
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
tommy – can you please post #11 on the front page. This has gone way to far. I want to see the huck supports defend this.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Tommy – looks like she might have struck a nerve given your reaction
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Some evangelical Christian from Arkansas wrote a letter to fellow Christian Conservatives on townhall.com. The address is:
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/33391ddb-ed1f-4bc3-9d19-cdca6181d5d4
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 pm
#11 looks to me like a station manager screwing up.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Tommy, I know you’re a FDT guy – and because I respect you, I haven’t said anything negative about Fred Thompson for a long time.
But this is the problem I have with your posts — Fred Thompson has made a lot of mistakes and gaffes and you always defend him, but you pick at Romney for the slightest thing — all the while saying he is your #2.
I just have a problem with this. Where am I wrong?
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:38 pm
FCOH,
When you grow up in rural Tennessee, you get referred to as a hayseed quite a bit. When a feminist former president of the National Organization for Women turned fiscal conservative refers to hayseeds, then yes, it strikes a nerve.
And I still live in rural Tennessee.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Beth,
The same way MattC. criticizes Thompson earlier today on the front page and then says thompson is his 2nd choice in a later post.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I’m just an old lady from Indiana, so excuse me for putting my two cents into all of this. This is extremely important to me, however. May I please say that I for one do not want a president who will make unwise, inflammatory statements like the one Huckabee made about President Bush? I understand President Bush also made mistakes with some of the things he said as president. All the more to help us remember that this next time around we do not want to have that happen again. If think people of other countries will heave a sigh of relief when Governor Romney is elected president.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Robin (28) I, too, am a Hoosier (”held captive” in the Socialist Republic of California!
I, too, will heave a huge sigh of relief when Governor Romney is elected President of the United States.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Robin, we need more Hoosiers posting
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I don’t see anything wrong with telling the American people exactly what happened prior, during and up to the present day reality about U.S. facts conserning Iraq.
Mr. Huckabee didn’t critique President Bush’s tactics about Iraq, he portrayed Bush’s war against Islamofacism as something bad.
“American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out,” Huckabee wrote in the journal Foreign Affairs. “The Bush administration’s arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad.”
Mr. Romney could have used the term ‘incompetent’ or ‘woefully inadequate, but was ranther gentle on Mr. Bush.
I don’t see a problem with Mr. Romney’s honest, gentle critique of what happened in Irag.
Mr. Huckster used the same terminology that our enemies and the Democrats use and trashed Mr. Bush and how he has led the United States for the last eight years.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Come on now, nowandlater. You’ll be back on team Huckabee in a few hours.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Well beth, a Rudyite and a Romneybot have found common ground. I’m an expatriot Hoosier myself
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I hope I did not come off a being negative about President Bush. I am his supporter still. However, after the election is over we still have the world arena to work with. I am looking past tomorrow to what is coming. It is imperative that we have a president who can and will be careful with how he articulates things. It is unwise for the president of the United States to make uncalculated statements that will affect how other countries perceive us. It makes a difference. If Mr. Huckabee cannot be more careful with the things he says he has no business representing the most important nation on earth. Hello to my fellow Hoosiers. We love Mr. Romney here.
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Please excuse my typing errors. It is cold in the room where I am typing.
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
By the way, I support President Bush because he is my president. I will do the same with any other.
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:52 pm
nowandlater,
Huckabee is not stupid. The ads were already in the hands of the media when the decision was made to pull them. Someone at the cable company screwed up I’m sure. If the stupid rumor were true, it would be all over the media- more than the press conference.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:10 am
#37: Huckabee is not stupid. But I think he’s banking on the fact that a sufficient number of potential voters are…
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:13 am
Romney has used this language consistently throughout his campaign–this post is ludicrous.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:28 am
Yeah, the “overboard” phrase seems odd Tommy. Sure, I’ll admit there’s times Romney either stretches the rhetoric too far or gives a silly gaffe (son’s on campaign serving country, etc). This wasn’t one of those. This was the language Mitt used the first time I ever heard him asked about Iraq near the beginning of the campaign, and he’s used it ever since.
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:34 am
[...] Olliver of Race42008 linked to one of my posts yesterday, and I saw that a reader (JR Cutler) left quite a good comment at [...]
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
#38 – LOL! I think you are right!
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:23 pm
“I think we were under prepared for what occurred, understaffed, under planned, and, in some respects, under managed.“ = Bush’s policy is arrogant?
That’s a hugh stretch.