Early handicap of GOP 2012 Presidential Field: Mike Huckabee

In assessing, early on, the 2012 presidential field for the GOP, in the contest to face off with Barack Obama, the first name I’m going to tackle is a favorite of evangelicals and some party faithful. He’s been raising his profile and money, going as far as to accept credit cards from donors, but nothing’s official yet.

My problems with Huckabee as a banner-carrier, at this point, are manifold. First, if he runs again, he needs to remember he’s running to be commander in chief of the military and CEO of the country, not the national pastor. In 2008, Huckabee wore his religion on his sleeve even more obviously than did George W. Bush for two election cycles; it didn’t even sell to the party’s base.

But there’s a deeper problem with Huckabee, and that is that he’s not a conservative on most issues; he sees big government as simply misdirected by liberals, and would maintain a big government philosophy in office, simply redirecting the power of governmental power, as did GWB.

That’s the wrong direction for the party, which needs to re-embrace its constitution-loving, Reagan roots. Thus far, all Huckabee has proven himself to be is a “more Christian and pro-life” version of John McCain. And that, we don’t need.