Will
Republicans Nominate
An Evangelical Minister
To Be Commander In Chief?
By
Kevin Zeese
22 December,
2007
Countercurrents.org
Governor
Mike Huckabee is leading the pack in the campaign to be the standard
bearer for the Republican Party. Is the Republican Party, and the United
States, ready to have a commander in chief who is an evangelical Baptist
Christian minister? What would be the impact of having a minister as
president when the U.S. is involved in a war perceived by many as a
war against Muslims – or at least “radical Islam,”
as they call it?
Huckabee
has consistently described himself as a “Christian leader”
in television advertisements. His current Christmas season ad highlights
the importance of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. His website
links to 14 bloggers with the word Christ or Christian in their title.
Huckabee has endorsed the Biblical statement on manhood and womanhood
issued by the Southern Baptist Convention and said in a debate that
he did not believe in evolution.
On his website
Huckabee says that: “A significant part of his adult life was
spent as a pastor and denominational leader. He became the youngest
president ever of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, the largest
denomination in Arkansas. Huckabee led rapidly growing congregations
in Pine Bluff and Texarkana.” In a Republican field filled with
religionists Huckabee has captured much of the Christian right.
He is exclaiming
his Christianity as if it were a job requirement for the U.S. presidency.
And maybe, for winning the Republican nomination, wearing religion on
your lapel is an essential requirement.
How does
his Christianity affect his policy positions? Huckabee says “My
faith is my life - it defines me. I don't separate my faith from my
personal and professional lives.” When it comes to his foreign
policy he sees the occupation of Iraq as central to the war against
terror and says the U.S. must fight to win. He is prepared to use military
force against Iran. And, he promises to provide Israel with state of
the art weapons because “Israel is an important partner in the
spread of freedom and democracy throughout the Middle East and the world.”
I don’t think many in the Middle East would agree with any of
those positions especially his description of Israel.
The combination
of Huckabee’s support for the Iraq occupation, military attack
on Iran and support for Israel along with his Evangelical Christian
ministry is sure to further define the war on terror as a war between
Christianity and Islam. It was bad enough during President Bush’s
term when the U.S. had generals who defined the Iraq war as a crusade
against Islam, but to have a commander in chief who says Christianity
“defines him” is sure to escalate the war in the Middle
East and the risk of terrorism against Americans at home and abroad.
Huckabee
may not get the Republican nomination. Key parts of the Republican base
are not all thrilled with Gov. Huckabee as their candidate. Rich Lowry,
columnist for the National Review, wrote at townhall.com that the GOP
is about to commit “Huckacide” if it continues down the
path of supporting Gov. Mike Huckabee for President. Lowry wrote: “Then,
there’s national security, the Republican trump card during the
Cold War and after 9/11. Huckabee not only has zero national-security
credentials, he basically has no foreign-policy advisers either. . .
.”
Another prominent
Republican blogger, Rick Moran of Redstate.com, writes the Republicans
have “a walking, talking disaster-in-the-making that is Mike Huckabee
- former governor of a small, impoverished state, a Baptist preacher
whose conservative views on social issues make him a perfect candidate
for the Leave it to Beaver wing of the GOP, and a man whose thinking
is so shallow a warning sign should be plastered on his forehead reading
‘Absolutely no diving beyond this point.’”
And Sean
Hanity aggressively interviewed Governor Huckabee when he appeared on
Fox’s Hannity and Colmes quizzing him on his Christianity and
on providing clemency to prisoners while he was governor.
It is possible
that the Republicans will go with the candidate who has received the
most financial support from active duty troops, Ron Paul or the resurging
John McCain, or one the two former front runners Romney and Giuliani,
but he is certainly getting a lot of energy from the Christian base
which is very formidable in the Republican Party especially with the
other candidates dividing the economic and traditional conservatives.
And, if he
gets the nomination will the Republicans be committing “Huckicide”
or will he be a surprisingly formidable candidate. Huckabee should not
be underestimated. The Democrats are likely to miscalculate and follow
their tradition of losing to candidates they should bear. This could
be a Ronald Reagan repeat. In 1980 Democrats insisted that the B Actor
Reagan was the weakest opponent against the incumbent president, Jimmy
Carter. In the end, Carter was defeated and the U.S. took an extreme
right turn.
During a
General Election Huckabee will downplay his Christianity. He will emphasize
other parts of his biography, e.g., Governing Magazine named him as
one of its ‘Public Officials of the Year’ for 2005, Time
Magazine honored him as one of the five best governors in America, and
later in the same year, Huckabee received the American Association of
Retired Person’s Impact Award, Huckabee served as chairman of
the National Governors’ Association (NGA), president of the Council
of State Governments, and chairman of the Southern Governors Association.
He’s taken the lead on the very hot immigration issue and has
received the endorsement of Minuteman Project founder, Jim Gilchrist.
And, he’s a rock and roll playing musician with a band named Capitol
Offense, who is a down home-friendly guy who was able to lose more than
100 pounds when he decided to lose weight. What’s not to like?
And, maybe
in the General Election Huckabee will turn the other check and show
the other side of Christianity. Yes, during its two thousand year history
Christianity has been used to justify and rationalize all sorts of wars,
but there is another side caught in the slogan “Who Would Jesus
Bomb?” The teachings of Christ certainly can provide a rationale
for a peace candidate. During his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
said three things related to war:
Blessed are
the peacemakers.
Turn the
other cheek.
Pray for
your enemies.
So far Huckabee
has been singing “Onward Christian Soldier” rather than
“Gonna lay down my sword and shield . . . ain’t gonna study
war no more.” But he is running in a primary where 25% of Republicans
oppose war while in the General Election 70 will oppose the Iraq War.
If nominated Huckabee better be taken seriously because a minister as
commander-in-chief at this critical moment could produce a very long-term
war against Islam.
Kevin Zeese
is executive director of Voters For Peace (www.VotersForPeace.US).
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