In case you’ve been wondering why former Arkansas governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has spent the two-and-a-half months since dropping out of the race a) delivering color commentary for MSNBC on primary nights, b) raising money for fellow GOPers through a new political action committee c) writing a book due out in (hint, hint) November and d) campaigning with John McCain every chance he gets… well, mystery solved. Yesterday on Meet the Press, the Huckster explained it all:
After which Huckabee made his hand into a phone, wiggled it next to his face and mouthed the words “call me.” Why the sudden burst of “pick me” desperation from Huck? After all, in an interview Thursday with my NEWSWEEK colleague Matthew Philips, the silver-tongued Arkansan was far more reserved regarding the veepstakes. “That’s just pure speculation that I don’t want to be a part of,” he said. “No one has contacted me or indicated any of that to me. I’m just focused on getting [McCain] elected.” Of course, Huck chatted with Philips before his “joking” at the National Rifle Association convention in Louisville, Ky. Friday that “somebody aimed a gun at [Barack Obama] and he dove for the floor”–and thus before he started to worry that his fondness for bleak assassination humor could cost him a slot on the shortlist.
But in all fairness, while Democrats like John Edwards (“No. Won’t happen”) and Jim Webb (“I would highly discourage [it]”) may regularly (and perhaps less-than-truthfully) insist that they have no interest in running with Obama, Huckabee isn’t the only Republican who’s been remarkably open about his vice-presidential ambitions. “I think any Republican leader in this country would be honored to be asked to serve as the vice presidential nominee, myself included,” said former Massachusetts Governor–and fellow McCain rival–Mitt Romney on March 11. “If the nominee of our party asked you to serve with him, anybody would be honored to receive that call … and to accept it, of course.”
It seems everybody’s a straight talker these days.
