Stands Against Waterboarding: Which Republican Candidate?

Which remaining Republican candidate stands against waterboarding in support of the anti-torture bill just passed by the U.S. Senate?

Huckabee Shows Steel, Driving His Point Home

Michael Hirsh for NEWSWEEK reports:

Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who had fallen far off the pace since his upset victory in Iowa, turned into a major power in his own right, winning the key Southern states of Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas. Huckabee's strong showing in the Bible Belt—a region that has become a must-win for Republican candidates in general elections—demonstrated not only that his candidacy is very much alive but that McCain still has a lot of work to do in winning over both his party's conservative base and the presidency.

Huckabee drove the point home, declaring himself McCain's main primary challenger heading into the later primary contests. "I've got to say that Mitt Romney was right about one thing: this is a two-man race," Huckabee said. "He was just wrong about who the other man in the race was. It's me, not him." Despite the good news coming out of the South, Huckabee still got thumped in the rest of the country, in states like New York and New Jersey and Arizona, demonstrating that his appeal may not extend nationally. But the campaign didn't see that as a problem. Huckabee didn't spend resources and time in winner-take-all states in the Northeast, and aides pointed to Florida as an example of his bang-for-the-buck mentality. "In Florida Romney spent $8 million and we spent zero, and we tied with him with zero delegates," said Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman. Huckabee plans to take Wednesday off before starting a full-on blitz in Kansas, Louisiana and Washington in preparation for Saturday's contests. From there it's on to the Potomac region for primaries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. By then the Huckabee folks hope it will truly be a two-man race. "It's time for Romney to get out," said Saltsman.

Mike Huckabee Says: "America Will See a Second Upset This Week

Heart. Commitment. Gutsy. The New York Giants exemplified these qualities this evening in what is being widely hailed as one of the greatest Super Bowl games in history and a titanic upset of the heavily favored New England Patriots.

For many long months against overwhelming odds, we have been working our way towards the White House in a similar fashion.

Our run has been long and difficult at times. Improbable. Yet here we are, still running strong together, heads held high, eyes forward into Super Tuesday. The media and our rivals want to make Tuesday the finish line for our campaign.

But if the media really understood our campaign and the issues we are fighting for: the Human Life Amendment, real border security, the FairTax and so much more, they would understand that we are here to stay.

America will see a second upset this week.

Sticking Around for the Long Haul: Mike Huckabee

LIZ SIDOTI writes:

WASHINGTON - Mike Huckabee hasn't won a Republican presidential contest in a month. The result: money is tighter, his staff is smaller and he can't seem to get the attention he once did.

Still, he says he's sticking around for the long haul — well past Tuesday's coast-to-coast primaries and caucuses if need be.

"I'll stay in until someone has 1,191 delegates," the former Arkansas governor insisted Sunday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Kennessaw, Ga. He was referring to the number of convention delegates needed to win the party nod. "A year ago, nobody said I'd still be here. Look who's still on his feet."

With 21 states holding contests Tuesday and offering more than 1,000 delegates, Huckabee's continued presence could be a major factor in what essentially has become a two-man race between Republican front-runner John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Mike Huckbaee Says "I'm Not Leaving the Ring"

Mike Huckabee stated on MSNBC news that if we think of the presidential race as a boxing match, then he is going to have to sustain a knock-out. He is not going to leave the ring or take a fall. "I am in this til the end of the match."

Considered Friends? Enmity Against Mitt Romney

The NY Times reports that other Republican candidates for the presidency don't like Mitt very much. For example,

“Never get into a wrestling match with a pig,” Senator John McCain said in New Hampshire this month after reporters asked him about Mr. Romney. “You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

But Mitt (Willard Milton Romney, in fact) says "you know, I consider these guys my friends."

Comparisons Among Republican Candidates in South Carolina

Will South Carolina Eliminate Any Republican Candidates?

In FIRST READ, MSNBC Mark Murray writes:

...As for South Carolina, the question is whether this GOP primary actually eliminates any contenders? We thought so a week ago -- but we aren't so sure now. If McCain, Huckabee, and Thompson are a close 1, 2, 3, what's the incentive for any to get out? The only one is if money dries up. For McCain and Thompson, that's a real possibility; for Huckabee, not so much -- he can live off the land a bit easier than the other two. Weather could be a HUGE factor with snow hurting Huckabee. Of course, the good news for Huckabee is that his voters are the most fervent and may not be intimidated by the weather. No one needs this victory more than McCain. He has to prove to skeptics that he can win a GOP primary that is dominated by actual Republicans (of course, the exit polls in New Hampshire did show McCain slightly beating Romney among GOP voters)...

I, for one, do not think the weather (raining right now in the low country of South Carolina) will keep Huckabee supporters away from the voting locations. One thing that might add confusion is a recent "consolidation" of voting sites as reported in the Summerville Journal Scene. I am not sure why voting precincts had to be consolidated, but I am happy to say I discovered this change.

South Carolina: A Key Republican Primary

The Voice of America is among the world’s most trusted sources of news and information.

Republican leaders in South Carolina say Saturday's vote is a key step in the process to select the party's presidential candidate for the November elections. Since former President Ronald Reagan won the South Carolina primary on his way to victory in the 1980 general election, no Republican candidate has captured the White House without winning the state's primary.

Recent opinion polls show the top two candidates are Senator John McCain and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. Both held numerous campaign events across the state ahead of the vote.