More On Mike Huckabee

Last Friday, Tony Norman pointed out the dishonesty in some of Governor Mike Huckabee's walkback of his near-birther charge that President Obama had been raised in Kenya by his father and grandfather. Something about the British,

None of it was true (as Obama was raised in Hawaii and then Indonesia) but it fit the birther myth so he went with it anyway I guess. He now says he misspoke on the Kenya thing. He really meant that Obama's Indonesian father taught him to hate the Brits because of Kenya. Or something like that. None of it makes any sense. Here's Tony:

Now, Mr. Huckabee would have us believe that every word out of his mouth on that subject was a "misstatement" -- not stupidity, lying or pandering to the worst elements of his party's base.

Now, that's a stretch! With the majority of Republicans in the "Obama is an alien" camp, humoring audiences with birther proclivities shows how far even relatively sane candidates will sink for a few extra votes. It's pathetic.

But that's not the latest "Opps, I did it again, I misspoke" from Huckabee. He's now saying he didn't criticise Oscar winner Natalie Portman. From Politico:

Mike Huckabee walked back his criticisms of actress Natalie Portman for "glamorizing" out-of-wedlock pregnancies Friday, with a statement insisting he was only talking about society and that he's glad the Oscar winner plans to wed her baby's father.

And:

"In a recent media interview about my new book, A Simple Government, I discussed the first chapter, 'The Most Important Form of Government Is a Father, Mother, and Children,' " Huckabee said, referring to his appearance on The Michael Medved Show.

"I was asked about Oscar-winner Natalie Portman's out-of-wedlock pregnancy," he added. "Natalie is an extraordinary actor, very deserving of her recent Oscar and I am glad she will marry her baby's father.

"However, contrary to what the Hollywood media reported, I did not 'slam' or 'attack' Natalie Portman, nor did I criticize the hardworking single mothers in our country," he said.

"My comments were about the statistical reality that most single moms are very poor, under-educated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death. That's the story that we're not seeing, and it's unfortunate that society often glorifies and glamorizes the idea of having children out of wedlock."

Huh. Well what DID the "Hollywood media" report? Here's USMagazine:

She won over the Academy, but Natalie Portman doesn't have a fan in presidential prospect Mike Huckabee.

The former Arkansas governor and Fox News Channel host attacked the best actress winner, 29, who's currently expecting her first child with fiance Benjamin Millepied.

"People see a Natalie Portman who boasts, 'We're not married but we're having these children and they're doing just fine," Huckabee told radio host Michael Medved on his show Monday. "I think it gives a distorted image. It's unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea of out-of- wedlock children."

Calling Portman's pregnancy "troubling," Huckabee went on to say that many single parents don't have the resources to hire help, the way someone like the Black Swan star would.

"Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care," he said. "And that's the story that we're not seeing."

OF COURSE, he's not criticizing Portman's "troubling" pregnancy when he says she's "boasting" about doing just fine. He's also not criticizing anyone or anything when he says it "gives a distorted image" to all the poor, uneducated, unemployed single moms who's kids would be dead were it not for guv'ment help.

Of course not.

The interesting thing is how consistent Governor Mike Huckabee is. Consider this interview from a few years ago.

When asked in 2008 about whether he thinks Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter (that would be Bristol Palin who was 18 and unmarried at the time, though she's no longer 18, still unmarried) will effect upcoming election he answered:

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.

So on the one hand if it's a unmarried Christian teenager, who's a high school drop out and who just happens to be the daughter of a prominent Conservative, it's OK - it's the media that's acting shameful. But on the other, if it's an engaged Ivy League educated Jewish woman in her 30s who just won an Oscar who also just happens to be a supporter of the Democratic Party, it's bad bad bad for our nation.