2008 Presidential Corner: Biden, Huckabee campaign to climb to top echelon (part 2)

By Nadine Tester

Republican Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, has a history of leadership and improvement that he hopes to bring to the American people if elected president in 2008. Some of his main concerns are with the nation’s battle in Iraq, environmental policy and tax policy.

Huckabee has two foreign policy strategies he hopes to implement to address Iraq and the war on terror. He views Iraq as the home of terrorists who are a threat to the nation’s security. Running away from Iraq and letting the country fix itself is not on Huckabee’s agenda. Instead, he feels there should be no timetable for a withdrawal; rather, it should always be “war until victory.” However, Huckabee wants to help Iraq’s neighbors become strategic partners in the process by becoming stronger militarily and financially. In doing so, these countries can help stabilize Iraq.

The war on terror is another issue at the center of Huckabee’s campaign. He recognizes that protecting citizens from terrorist attacks and threats is the number one priority for the Commander in Chief. He also knows that the war on terror isn’t a conventional war, so new, unconventional tactics need to be used in order to overcome challenges. Although diplomatic and political tools can be used to fight this war, Huckabee feels that swift air strikes need to be made by the military in order to truly overcome the enemy.

According to Huckabee, achieving energy independence is a major part of winning the wars in Iraq and on terror. He feels that gaining independence will guarantee the country’s future safety and prosperity. If elected, Huckabee will send Congress his plan during the first term, and in his second term, he vows that complete energy independence will be achieved. Huckabee asserts that gaining this independence has been overdue for almost 30 years. Every time we pay for gas, Huckabee views it as sending Osama bin Laden a check: a check that’s fueling both sides in the war on terror — “our side with our tax dollars, and the terrorists’ side with our gas dollars.”

Another issue that Huckabee has experience in is fiscal responsibility. While governor of Arkansas, he cut taxes and fees more than 90 times during his 10 and a half years in office. Families saved almost $380 million, and Arkansas had a state surplus of over $800 million, which Huckabee firmly believed should go back to the people in the form of a tax refund or a tax cut. If elected president, Huckabee plans to control governmental spending. Although he wants to expand the army and the defense budget, the money for this would be taken out of useless spending, not the taxpayers’ pockets.

Huckabee believes in a safe, healthy and powerful future and, above all, is “out to show people the American dream is still alive.”