Alex Chediak

William Kristol writes an op-ed piece for the NY Times called President Mike Huckabee?. A few highlights: "For me, therefore, the most interesting moment in Saturday night’s Republican debate at St. Anselm College was when the candidates were asked what arguments they would make if they found themselves running against Obama in the general election. The best answer came, not surprisingly, from the best Republican campaigner so far — Mike Huckabee. He began by calmly mentioning his and Obama’s contrasting views on issues from guns to life to same-sex marriage. This served to remind Republicans … [Read more...] about The Viability of Huckabee in a General Election

I'm about half way through so far. Mohler uses the first few chapters to paint a picture for Christian engagement in the public square, unpacking myths such as the notion that no religious motivation should ever be allowed to influence policy determination. Mohler sums up the argument: "Not only must a person advocating a public-policy position have a purely secular rationale, but his advocacy must be secularly motivated as well. It is not enough to offer secular arguments for a position if one's real reason for holding it is a belief in God." In chapter four, Mohler responds: 1. A liberal … [Read more...] about Mohler on Engaging the City of Man, and More

Naomie Emery in this week's cover story for the Weekly Standard provides a detailed and fascinating discussion of the unstable, tense balance of power in the eight years of the Clinton Administration, with both the Vice-President and First Lady setting their sights on the highest office from well before Day 1. The article helpfully explains why Gore lost in 2000 while Hillary Clinton won. It also sheds light on why Hillary is now struggling (as I write, she is 10 points behind Obama in NH). The Intro: Between January 20, 1993, and January 20, 2001, the Clinton White House was home to three … [Read more...] about Clinton, Clinton, & Gore: A Complicated Triad of Power

National Review White House correspondent Byron York pens an insightful piece on the contrast between the strategies of Team Huckabee and Team Romney in Iowa. The campaign’s strategy was shaped by two things, Saltsman said. First was Huckabee’s talent as a communicator, and second was the fact that the campaign was always nearly broke. Put those two together, and you had a campaign constantly searching for free media exposure. “We’ve been criticized sometimes for — after a big event, we went straight to Washington to do media, or we went straight to New York to do media,” Saltsman said. “That … [Read more...] about Byron York of NR on the Iowa Caucuses

Last night, Governor Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses, besting Governor Mitt Romney by 9 percentage points (34% versus 25%), even though Romney had outspent Huckabee by a 15:1 margin. As Senator John McCain noted, this sends two messages: 1. One cannot buy Iowa (Romney spent an estimated $10MM). 2. Negative attack ads are ineffective, particularly in Iowa. Joe Carter chimes in with his usual incisiveness, commenting on the CNN entrance polls. Compare the following hard data to what you have relentlessly been told by both the MSM and many conservative pundits: 1. In Vote by Ideology … [Read more...] about Message Over Money: Understanding the Huckaboom