Arkansas Blog: Mike Huckabee pours more whine

The hot new Daily Beast news website excerpts Mike Huckabee's new book "Do the Right Thing" under the headline, "Mike Huckabee's Sour Grapes." In it, The Huckster moans about press treatment for shooting his hand up as a disbeliever in evolution. How could he be expected to understand junior high science?

Sound Politics writes: "Mike Huckabee plays selfish attack dog, not GOP leader."

The Tribune Media sees it as a position paper for 2012. His national bus tour focuses on places that were friendly to him in the 2008 primaries and offer promise in the next election.

Arkansas Republicans whomp on Huck, too. Here, blogger David Kinkade addresses the post-book-release Huckabee whine that the press has focused too much on his sniping at Romney, Thompson, press, etc., and not his broader themes.

Now, keep in mind that this is a classic (and clever) Huckabee move, to consciously provoke a controversy and then to discount the controversy as being beside the point, suggesting that those who focus on the controversy are just trying to stir up trouble. And then reaping the public relations benefits of the controversy nonetheless….

For example, remember the “cross in the background” business around his Christmas ad last year? Which he pretended was just a coincidence, but his consultant Ed Rollins later admitted was a conscious decision?

Also, on the jump, a reader quibbles with The Huckster's Bible knowledge. Sword drill, anyone? It appears Huck needs Old Testament remediation.

Reminder: Tons of similar commentary on the Huckabook yesterday, too.

LETTER FROM READER

In his latest book Huckabee says,

“I lamented that so many people of faith had moved from being prophetic voices — like Naaman, confronting King David in his sin and saying, ‘Thou art the man!’— to being voices of patronage, and saying to those in power, ‘You da’ man!’
http://wonkette.com/404422/mike-huckabee-writes-whiny-book-about-how-awful-everyone-else-is

The passage of the Bible that Huckabee is referring to is II Samuel chapters 11 and 12. Chapters 11 and 12 of II Samuel tell the story of David and Bathsheba.

Huckabee is getting the details of this story mixed up. Naaman didn't confront King David and say "thou art the man". King David was confronted in his sin with Bathsheba by Nathan not Naaman.

Nathan came to David and told him a parable about a rich evil man and a poor loving man and used the moral of the story to convict King David of his sin. Naaman has nothing to do with King David and the story of Bathsheba.

Naaman was a Syrian general who had leprosy. God healed him when he bathed himself in the Jordan River. Naaman's story is told in II Kings and takes place many years after King David's death in the time of Elisha.

This is a link to some commentary and the story of Naaman.
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=2&letter=N

This is a link to a commentary on the parable of Nathan and King David.
http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/1012.htm

Comments

I think what the Huckster does is typical of most all mixing of politics with religion. Words are taken out of context and meaning is assigned to verses and phrases in order to justify the person's own political ideology. A thorough study of the life of Christ would never lead one to today's conservative politics, yet many churches today are nothing but tools of the Republican party and conservative politics, including making war rather than peace, clinging to guns and weapons, judging each other, loving money and power, etc.

Huck is so typical...

Posted by: Ci.Ci | November 18, 2008 07:32 AM

Too True CiCi.

You certainly can't expect Huck to actually pick up a Bible and check his references before publishing a book.

Posted by: GeorgeRastasPeabodyIII | November 18, 2008 08:53 AM

First, the reader is citing Jewish and Rabbinical Literature. There is going to be big differences between it and the King James Bible.

Second the eduringword link is to a self proclaimed preacher: "David has no formal Bible College or seminary training, but does have a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.". Ok, so BA of basket weaving from cali is teaching the bible in germany.

ARK. BLOG: King James also puts the words in Nathan's mouth. 2 Samuel 12:7

http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=Kjv2Sam.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=12&division=div1

Posted by: wordonthestreet | November 18, 2008 09:30 AM

wordonthestreet,

I'm not entirely sure I understand your point.

First, I think even with the differences in Jewish/Rabinical sources and the KJV, you can find at least the agreement in names. Besides, when looking at a jewish work, such as what we call the Old Testament, isn't it better to get it from the source, ie. Jewish sources?

Second, why do you need a seminary education to discuss biblical maters?

Posted by: Arkansas Hillbilly | November 18, 2008 10:02 AM

I love it when the ignorant attempt to distinguish "macro from mircro" evolution.

Their ignorance truly shines.

Posted by: eLwood | November 18, 2008 10:15 AM

"macro from micro"

damn it's early for me.

Posted by: eLwood | November 18, 2008 10:16 AM

True, CiCi, but a 'few' politicians are, at least, able to distinguish their own bullshit from the truth. They CHOOSE to use lies/propaganda to further their careers. I've come to believe, however, that some, like Huck, Sarah, can't/won't (debatable) distinguish between their own PR and reality. It's no small coincidence that this 'mindset' most often occurs in those who (sky????) believe Their God has chosen Them. Maybe a certain kind of brain-deadness is required...or perhaps it's the nature of believing that a god, The God, has chosen you REGARDLESS. Either way...I'd vote for a straight-up crook/cheat any day over a Huck/Sarah. AT LEAST criminals can be dealt with through their own selfish interests. To political fanatics, like Huck/Sarah, our law is ALWAYS secondary to their Mission. Huck showed more disrespect for Arkansas' FOI/ethics' laws than Bill or Jim Guy did...not because he had less ethics (or because they were ethical), but because he had less respect for our laws...for any 'truth' outside of His Truth.

Posted by: zelda | November 18, 2008 11:58 AM

I can't really imagine a good reason to still be talking about Huckabee. Where is the Tancredo thread? Where is the Mike Gravel thread? Huck is water under the bridge. He'll do us no more harm than being embarrassing in a small slice on Fox and trust me, the future will not be kind to Fox or Huck.

I am more interested in Mike Beebe's choice in ties this morning. Beebe matters because he is in office and still lives in Arkansas and will be with us or against us in the future. Huck has been off seeking his fortune since the start of his last term as our governor and that's been years ago.

I cut him loose when those in power failed to prosecute him for destroying state property. Leave him to crush Fox hard drives and let's move past him and Sarah Palin to the real problems in this state. Huckabee is soooo yesterday.

ARK. BLOG: Don't be too sure.

Posted by: Deathbyinches | November 18, 2008 12:12 PM

Oh I hope you're right, dbi, but after the last eight years...I'll NEVER again underestimate a moronic politician nor the 'they're dumber than dogshit and they vote' voting bloc.

Posted by: zelda | November 18, 2008 12:31 PM

>>He was much jollier as a fat ass.
wonkette

Lots of truth in that. Once the hard work or laborious surgery was done to trim Huckabuck, then he became a real asshole. More than his usual self-righteousness, just a real pain in the butt asshole. I wonder what transpired between Huckabuck and his 2, two-ton- boys?

Will the the 2 two-tons quit digging their grave with a knife and fork?

Just so surprising we rarely saw any of da family on the campaign trail.
.

Posted by: eLwood | November 18, 2008 04:43 PM

>>I can't really imagine a good reason to still be talking about Huckabee. <<

He was all over TV today. He's a busy beaver and I don't think he's done by a long shot.

Posted by: Ci.Ci | November 18, 2008 05:51 PM

Arkansas Blog

Mike Huckabee pours more whine

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