Huckabee on praying, blasphemy & private clubs

The big Huckabee story today was this.

I had a chance to ask Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee a few questions on other topics this afternoon.  We sat on two folding chairs in a barren room in his campaign headquarters in downtown Des Moines.  Outside that room were dozens of campaign volunteers, many children, making phone calls to Iowans on Huckabee’s behalf.

My first question was about something Huckabee said Sunday after emerging from church.  He told reporters he had prayed for "strength for the weak."  I asked for clarification, to determine whether he meant "weak" or "week."

"That was both," Huckabee said in reply.  "It was for all of the strength that I needed for this week because it is definitely a busy time.  I kind of live every day with some serious level of sleep deprivation and, you know, I get energized by going out there and talking to the people who are working so hard for us and I realize that the campaign is no longer about me.  It really is about people who feel such ownership.  That’s why I think a lot of folks don’t understand why we’re doing so well not just here but across the country.  Walk out there and talk to those folks.  You’ll get the picture."

If you’re following the campaign, you’ve no doubt heard about Huckabee’s foreign policy article in which he was critical of the Bush Administration.  I asked Huckabee if he had been "blasphemous" about Bush. (We had just been talking about praying, hence the transition to a word like "blasphemous.")

"No I don’t think I was," Huckabee replied.  "In fact, I don’t think I’ve said anything that other candidates haven’t said.  (I) maybe said it in more descriptive words, but I’ve been supportive of Bush as anybody — on the war, on the surge, on his tax cuts. You know I’m not a late-arrival to that.  I’ve had great respect for the president in keeping us safe.  I think I’ve expressed that but I think it’s also a responsibility for a candidate for president to talk about where you are different, where you would be different.  I’m not running for the third term of President Bush."

Huckabee in his speeches often talks about being one generation away from dirt floors and outdoor toilets, but on this New Year’s Eve he’ll be attending a party at the Wakonda Club, a private golf club near the Des Moines airport that features a clubhouse.  It’s a site often used by Republican politicians (like Dick Cheney) who’re popping into Des Moines for a fundraiser or campaign speech.

"What is that?" Huckabee replied when I mentioned the "dirt floors and outdoor toilets" stuff in relation to the Wakonda Club. Huckabee then turned to his chief Iowa aide, Eric Woolson, and said: "Where is that?"

"It’s on the way to the airport," Woolson offered then Huckabee was told about the club’s proximity to the airport and its history with Republican politicians.. 

"I had no idea. I guess I wanted to see how it is over there.  I’ve never been," Huckabee said, laughing. "You know, I’d never been to the Hope, Arkansas, Country Club until my 10 year class reunion.  That’s the truth.  The first time I ever set foot in the place was when I came back after being gone out of high school 10 years and we had our reception there and it was kind of like, ‘Well, I always wondered what this place looked like.’ I was kind of surprised.  I thought it was going to be something just amazingly exclusive and, you know, it was just a place."