Gov. Huckabee called Brummett back about a column earlier in the week outlining how The Huckster seems more in line philosophically with Mike Beebe than A$a. After questioning, Brummett concludes he’s still more in line with Beebe on specifics. Oh, sure, the Huck offered some generic criticism of Beebe’s leadership style. Which set up this:
As it happened, Beebe returned my call from the campaign trail shortly after I spoke with Huckabee. I read for Beebe those preceding comments from Huckabee.
After listening, Beebe reminded me that, during a special session in 2002 on a Medicaid funding crisis, he proposed a solution that Huckabee first dismissed as “legalized check kiting.” The idea was to spend tobacco settlement money a year ahead of schedule knowing it would continue to flow. But then Huckabee admitted he’d misread the proposal, embraced the solution and got himself portrayed in an editorial cartoon drowning and reaching for Beebe’s boat.
“Tell him to put that in his pipe and smoke it,” Beebe said.