“Ronald Reagan said, ‘Trust but verify.’ President Obama is trust but vilify. He trusts our enemies but vilifies everyone who disagrees with him.” As President Obama persists in comparing Republicans to Iranian hardliners, that’s the best three-sentence summary of his foreign policy that I’ve heard. Watch below (fast-forward to the 2:38 mark):
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Cw8mwLZljz4%3Flist%3DPLlTLHnxSVuIyt6GQnSivHojovCpY2Ik2k
Huckabee next reminds America that we “got nothing” from the deal — not even the release of four American hostages, men we left behind in the administration’s desperate quest for an agreement. Iran got a $150 billion stimulus, and we couldn’t get an imprisoned pastor — Saeed Abedini — out of jail. He closes with this: “What the Iranians have said is, ‘We will wipe Israel off the face of the map, and we will bring death to America.’ When someone points a gun at your head and loads it, by God you ought to take them seriously, and we need to take them seriously.”
Yes. A thousand times yes. The only way Huckabee could improve this statement is by also noting that not only does Iran chant “Death to America,” it has actually brought death and pain to thousands of Americans through direct action and by supporting and arming American enemies.
It feels like a long time since 2007, when Mike Huckabee first displayed his debating skills, but he hasn’t lost a step. Even when I strongly disagree with him (I’m sorry, but his entitlement math just doesn’t add up), he can sell his case as well or better than anyone in the field. When he uses those powers for good, like in the clip above, he’s one of the best communicators in the Republican field.