I could never quite put my finger on what was so troubling about the guy, however his sagging numbers rendered it a minor curiosity. But his sudden and stellar rise among the GOP's pack of Grim Reapers made it a trifle more disconcerting; and then, yesterday morning, appearing on "This Week," he cleared it up for me.
Mike Huckabee is a lying weasel. Sure, he'd have to be some measure of a lying weasel to make it in presidential politics, but Huckabee lies with an artfulness that would make Dick Nixon envious, and probably has Bill Clinton convinced that it comes from something in Hope, Ark.'s water. He's so damn good at it. You instinctively suspect he's lying as you listen to him, but his lying is so melded with nuggets of homey ingenuousness, the two become indistinguishable and fold into only the latter.
But yesterday he tripped himself up, right smack on national television.
Asked by George Stephanoupolos if the bizarrely evil Dick Morris is consulting the candidate, Huckabee hummed and hawed as though Morris was merely a passing acquaintance. "Dick’s one of the smartest political minds, as you well know," said Huckabee, describing Morris in a way in which the interviewer would likely differ, seeing that Stephanopoulos, in his White House memoirs (All Too Human), chose to characterize this smart political mind as a "small sausage of a man" with "the look of a B-movie mob lawyer" -- and, in Stephanoupolos' most succinct estimation, simply an "insincere prick."
Huckabee then kicked in gear the toothy grin and downhome, aw-shucks evasiveness: "I’ve known Dick for, gosh, almost, I guess, 18, 17 years.... But Dick is not available for doing political consulting work. Frankly, I wish he was, because he’s a brilliant political mind, and I still consider him a friend. I run into him from time to time, or I may talk to him. But I probably talk to 30, 40 journalists a week. Most of them I talk to more than I talk to Dick Morris, and I haven’t talked to him in a while."
Well, Nixon didn't "consult" with Donald Segretti or the White House Plumbers, either.
But Mike, you don't have to just "wish" that Morris were available for consulting work, because, as the Politico reports, your own staff says he is. In fact, Mike -- and this is indeed embarrassing for both of us, having to remind you like this -- the Politico says you've had "private conversations with Dick Morris, according to [your own] aides."
And the paper names them. "Here is what is known: Morris and Huckabee confer with one another, according to two top Huckabee advisers — campaign manager Chip Saltsman and [pollster and media consultant] Dick Dresner."
The latter of that staffing twosome seems less than happy about it. Said Dresner, "A lot of people think he’s a brilliant guy. But for every three ideas he has, one is brilliant, one will get you in jail and one is just a mess."
Already, Mike, welcome to the mess. Because Morris obviously asked you to keep a lid on your relationship -- since he bloviates for Fox News and scribbles for the New York Post; both without disclosing he's pimping for you -- and you were dumb enough to go along with his self-serving request.
Welcome, as well, to the big leagues, Mike. Your front-runner status in Iowa lasted all of about three minutes before you collapsed on national television into a tangled lie.
And now we also know who's behind those unctuous TV ads you're running that play the religion card against former front-runner Mitt Romney, who, if he's half as sly as he seems, will pounce on the issue of rancid religious bigotry that you and Dick Morris so blatantly handed him.
You were never much more than vice-presidential material for Rudy, and your answer on his latest scandal -- that the provable charges were but a "cheap shot" -- showed you're still shooting for pretty much just that.
And your stand on some of the issues -- such as favoring a constitutional amendment on marriage and the elimination of the income tax -- could be written off merely as everyday synaptic dysfunction, Republican-style, to survive the radical primaries.
Nevertheless for a while you had something going there with the smiling, joking, straight-talking, I'm-just-myself honesty shtick, which was deceptively refreshing. But you blew it in no time flat -- demonstrating on national television that you're just another lying weasel.
Aren't they ALL lying weasels?
Posted by: Winnie the Smith | December 03, 2007 at 07:34 AM
yes they are all lying weasels towing the Rothschild slavery line against the very people they are trying to convince. Ron Paul is the only sincere one among them,
Posted by: bonanzaman | December 03, 2007 at 11:04 AM
We need a new law that makes it illegal, a felony offense, for any law enforcement or law making official to lie at any time to any one for any reason, from the moment they apply for the job to the moment they are no longer accepting public funds.
The punishment for the offense of lying should be, at minimum, a felony conviction and revocation of all future voting and gun ownership rights. For particularly egregious offenders the death penalty should be the ultimate punishment.
Posted by: [email protected] | December 03, 2007 at 11:10 AM
No! They are not ALL lying weasels. I believe the record for Ron Paul speaks for itself. He gives his honest opinion or advice, you can take it or leave it, but his principles are beyond reproach.
Posted by: Andrew | December 03, 2007 at 11:17 AM
They ARE all lying weasels, each believing their own lies are the best thing for the nation and the world. THIS IS THE PROBLEM.
AND IT IS ALSO EXACTLY WHY NO ONE EVER VOTED THEMSELVES OUT OF ANY MESS THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE VOTING THEMSELVES OUT OF.
You cannot vote yourself into the the truth.
Let me explain something very succinctly, or as succinctly as is possible.
FOR EVERY TRUTH, THERE ARE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF LIES.
This is why the truth is so rarely brushed up against.
And now to the absolutely stunning statistical improbability that what you're hearing IS A LIE, let me ADD the following observation concerning how humans logically deceive themselves into thinking WHAT THEY KNOW is the truth.
Human beings believe that if they hear a lie and, recognize it as a lie, that they then have some logical means by which to know the truth.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO LOGICAL MEANS BY WHICH TO KNOW THE TRUTH BASED UPON HEARING A SINGLE LIE OUT OF AN INFINITE NUMBER OF LIES.
So, you see. They ARE all lying weasels.
They are all lying weasels trying to convince you, they know what the truth is based entirely upon your observing (as they will endlessly point for you) the lies the other candidates are telling.
Democracy and the rights of man are a fraud. There is no truth there. IT IS ALL BUSY-WORK DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU OCCUPIED AND LIBERALLY CONFUSED.
All mere empirical barbarisms are founded upon lies.
Other than crass superstition, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in our culture today that is not founded upon some empirical barbarism or another.
It is all a fraud, everything you believe, understand, assume, or ever thought. The more highly educated you are, the more full of shit you are.
It is all an obscene and suicidally dangerous fraud.
Don Robertson, The American Philosopher
Posted by: Don Robertson, The American Philosopher | December 03, 2007 at 12:35 PM
Must be a slow mornin' on the East Coast... I like Doug's idea... We need a new class of Public Servant, a group sworn to always tell the truth, sort of like Heinlein's Fair Witnesses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Witness#Fair_Witness)
A new Fourth Estate...
RGJ/Dallas112263
Posted by: Dallas112263 | December 03, 2007 at 12:37 PM
Ron Paul: principles?
Does that mean he is willing to talk about his relationship with the John Birch Society? Hint- he was a member.
Yes, they (politicians) all lie (or at least evade the truth). That doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the above article though. Very timely, I hope it get's some circulation.
Posted by: JV | December 03, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Hey Don... That's a helluva philosophy... Sorta circular in nature... The more you understand the less you "know"...
You wrote:
"It is all a fraud, everything you believe, understand, assume, or ever thought. The more highly educated you are, the more full of shit you are."
See what I mean? You should have quit before you got so so smart...
Because you're there...
Dallas112263
Posted by: Dallas112263 | December 03, 2007 at 12:48 PM
Looks like the MSM marching orders involve promoting Huckabee endlessly. Ron Paul had 2-3 questions and limited time. He still crushed them all (how come every article forgets to include his comeback to McCain which mentioned that Ron Paul gets more Military Contributions than any other candidate?). Mitt is dead after desecrating the Confederate flag. Many Southerners died under that flag.
Unfortunately it took segregationist Governor Wallace to reveal the truth that "there's not a dime's worth of difference between" Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats willingly went along with the War in Iraq, suspension of Habeas Corpus, detaining protesters, banning books like "America Deceived' from Amazon, warrant-less wiretapping and refusing to investigate 9/11 properly. They are both guilty of treason.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save this great nation.
Last link (before Google Books bends to gov't Will and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0
Posted by: Ned K | December 03, 2007 at 01:24 PM
JV, what's the big deal about the John Birch society? Ron Paul has always stood his ground on his beliefs.
Let's look at the tag line for the John Birch Society website: "Believes and works to expose a semi-secret international cabal whose members sit in the highest places of influence and power worldwide."
Gee, I think that sounds pretty damn good...considering *all* the other serious candidates are MEMBERS of said international cabal (the Council on Foreign Relations or CFR)!!!!
THANK YOU for letting us know that Ron Paul belongs or did belong to a society that wishes to expose the internationalists whose goal is to incorporate a one-world government and destroy our sovereign status and Constitution.
And who are the members of the CFR? Clinton, Gore, Edwards, Obama, Richardson, Romney, Giuliani, Thompson, McCain, etc. etc.
But not Ron Paul. He knows where the good company lies and it isn't with the candidates who are all different sides of the same coin.
Cheers!
Posted by: sharpinchitown | December 03, 2007 at 02:06 PM
So (to the one who wanted to know if Ron Paul would own up to John Birch membership) what if Dr. Paul did belong? Wanting to leave the United Nations is not something Dr. Paul would deny anyway. John Birch is NOT the Klan, after all.
Posted by: Jim | December 03, 2007 at 03:07 PM
Ron Paul and Mike Gravel would make a hell of a ticket in '08. Of course they'd have to take out extra life insurance for one, and second, NEVER fly in small planes. The rest of the candidates are all frauds who take their marching orders from the elite bankers and globalists, as well as the Israeli Lobby. And the criminal, corrupt mainstream media parrots and enables them, without asking ANY serious questions of them or the government. That's the way it's always been. Presidents here and around the globe cover the asses of the real leaders of the world, the elite bankers and criminal crime families. The media is and has always been in bed with government. Turn off the TV, don't read the newspaper, and don't listen to the right-wing controlled radio. The internet is the only non-government, non-elitist controlled bastion of truth we have left. Search the truth for yourself people, it's there. Vote Ron Paul in '08, even though our votes don't matter.
Posted by: Darin Barrows | December 03, 2007 at 04:01 PM
This article is a lot of hot air. It is soneone trying to find a way to get teeth into Mike and it is not working. Dick Morris has been around a long time and has at times good advice and great analysis. This article has not any credibility. Sorry.
Posted by: RGeorgeDunn | December 03, 2007 at 05:17 PM
Darin, weren't you on "Bewitched" in the '60s? Your statements are about as dumb as that guy.
Come on, Darin, even a knuckle-dragger knows that Dick Morris is a pompous buffoon. So many of the 'pundits' and 'journalists' on TV are all pumped up on their own swollen and pus-filled egos, but Dick Morris may be the worst of any of them. Get a clue.
Posted by: Ed | December 03, 2007 at 09:20 PM
I once thought Like Don Robinson about "what was truth" etc....that once was when I was a dysfunctional teen tripping to many acid tabs....grow up, wake up, man up!
Posted by: voxpopulisuxx | December 04, 2007 at 11:15 AM
I would never be able to pay attention to Morris when he is talking. I would not be able to stop looking for toe jam stuck in his teeth. If ever there was a slimeball, scumbag asshole in politics he has to be it. At least in the top echelon of pond scum.
Posted by: nellieh | December 04, 2007 at 12:30 PM