ROMNEY: No Laughing Matter: A serious look at Gov. Mike Huckabee's record and policy beyond the one-liners.

“Mike Huckabee is great at snappy one-liners, but his troubling lack of depth on important foreign policy issues is really not funny. America faces big challenges on the domestic front as well as around the globe, and Mike Huckabee’s direct criticism of President Bush merely copies the Democrats’ talking points and puts him squarely at odds with many Republican voters who want a strong foreign policy posture.”

-Kevin Madden, Romney for President campaign spokesman


http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/No_Laughing_Matter_12.17



"SOMEONE WHO HASN'T THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY"


No Laughing Matter: A serious look at Gov. Mike Huckabee's record and policy beyond the one-liners.

· Gov. Mike Huckabee: "And the ultimate thing is, I may not be the expert that some people are on foreign policy, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night." (WABC Radio's "Imus In The Morning," 12/4/07)

· National Review: "The Holiday Inn Express Candidate." "In sum, conservatives should have worries about the depth and soundness of Mike Huckabee's foreign-policy views. And staying at a Holiday Inn Express is not going to be enough to allay them." (Editorial, "The Holiday Inn Express Candidate, National Review, 12/10/07)


"Huckabee did give a long speech on foreign policy at [CSIS]… It combined a superficial rendering of conventional foreign-policy wisdom — which of course included many unfair criticisms of President Bush — with Huckabee's inimitable folksy delivery. … Huckabee's views are the uneven grab bag to be expected from someone who hasn't thought much about foreign policy." – National Review (Editorial, "The Holiday Inn Express Candidate, National Review, 12/10/07)

To Watch Selections From Gov. Huckabee's Speech, Click Here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQitn77AXvo


Gov. Huckabee's Foreign Affairs Essay Closely Mirrors A Speech He Gave In September 2007:

Gov. Huckabee: "This Administration's Bunker Mentality Has Been Counterproductive, Both At Home And Abroad." GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: "Well, let me begin by saying that to say that American foreign policy needs a change in tone or attitude, or an opening up and reaching out, is [as] obvious as saying that O.J. Simpson might've had a bad month. This Administration's bunker mentality has been counterproductive, both at home and abroad. They've done a poor job of communicating and consulting with other countries, just as they have, frankly, with the American people." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

· Foreign Affairs As Playground Politics. GOV. HUCKABEE: "There's a sense in which our situation with prestige in the world is a great deal like many of us experienced as a child growing up in a neighborhood where there was one kid, one kid who was just exceptional at everything he did. He made A's, and never anything else; he could run faster; he could jump higher; he could throw the ball further; he never struck out. You know the kid; I hope you weren't that kid." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

Gov. Huckabee: "Full Diplomatic Relations" With Iran. GOV. HUCKABEE: "Normally we speak to Iran only indirectly, through the Swiss embassy in Tehran. Our recent direct negotiations about Iraq have been very narrowly focused, not very productive because we really weren't exploring the full range of issues. We have valuable incentives to offer Iran in exchange for helping us to stabilize Iraq, not supporting the Taliban, Hamas, and Hezbollah, and abandoning their nuclear ambitions, trade and economic assistance, full diplomatic relations, and security guarantees." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

Gov. Huckabee: Iran Is Simply Playing "Normal Power Politics" And We Can "Negotiate With Them." GOV. HUCKABEE: "And while there can be no rational dealings with al Qaeda, Iran is a nation-state looking for regional power. It plays the normal power politics that we do understand, and can skillfully and rightfully pursue. And we have substantial issues to negotiate with them." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

· Diplomacy With Iran Is Like A Fight With Your Sister. GOV. HUCKABEE: "We haven't had diplomatic relationships with Iran in almost 30 years, most of my entire adult life, and a lot of good it's done. Putting this in human terms, all of us know that when we stop talking to a parent, or a sibling, or even a friend, it's impossible to resolve the differences to move that relationship forward. Well, the same is true for countries." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

Gov. Huckabee: An Embassy In Baghdad Would Have Led To Better Intelligence. GOV. HUCKABEE: "If we had had diplomatic relations with Iraq, and an ambassador in Baghdad, we obviously would've had better information. Before we put boots on the ground in the future, we better have a few wingtips there first." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

Gov. Mike Huckabee: "And When President Bush Included Iran In The Axis Of Evil, Everything Went Downhill Pretty Fast." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

Gov. Mike Huckabee: "I Know That We Cannot Live With Al Qaeda, But There Is A Chance We Can Live With A Domesticated Iran." GOV. HUCKABEE: "As the only presidential candidate with a theology degree, along with several years of political experience, I know that theology is black and white. Politics is not. My enemy today on one issue may be my friend tomorrow on another. Bottom line is this: Iran is a regional threat to the balance of power in the Middle and Near East. Al Qaeda is an existential threat to the United States. I know that we cannot live with al Qaeda, but there is a chance we can live with a domesticated Iran." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

Gov. Huckabee: Bin Laden Is "Protected Indirectly By The Pakistani Government." GOV. HUCKABEE: "Now, while our failure to engage Iran seems to be leading to our potentially attacking them, our failure to engage al Qaeda and Pakistan seems to be leading to their attacking us again. When we let bin Laden escape at Tora Bora in December of 2001, he fled Afghanistan into Pakistan, and we played Brer Fox to his Brer Rabbit. We threw him into the perfect briar patch, protected directly by Islamic extremists, tribal leaders who revere him, and don't consider their land to be part of Pakistan, protected indirectly by the Pakistani government, who believes that it is." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

Gov. Huckabee: The War In Iraq Is A Distraction From Going After Al Qaeda In Pakistan. GOV. HUCKABEE: "I am convinced that our focus on Iraq at the expense of Pakistan or Iran is like dealing with the neighbor's house, which is on fire, while ignoring the house on the other side of the street that's filled with carbon monoxide. Iraq may be the hot war, but Pakistan is where the cold, calculating planning is actually going on. Al Qaeda in Iraq is a branch office. Corporate headquarters is in Pakistan." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

Gov. Huckabee: By Supporting Pakistan's Government, "Our Government" Is To Blame If Al Qaeda Attacks Us. GOV. HUCKABEE: "If al Qaeda attacks us tomorrow, that attacked will be postmarked Pakistan, not Iraq. Pakistan has become the new Afghanistan. Another attack will spark justified outrage that we let bin Laden and his people get away. Concerns about Pakistan's delicate sensibilities will be drowned out by the wailing about American casualties. The American people will not understand why our supposed ally refused to help us or why our government put up with their intransigence." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)

· Gov. Huckabee: "I Would Prefer To Skip The Next Attack And The Exasperated Fury That It Will Rightly Generate And Cut To The Chase By Going After Al Qaeda's Safe Haven In Pakistan." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, Remarks To The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, D.C., 9/28/07)