Joe Klein (I know) writing on Time blog, assesses the Republican candidates on Iraq. For once, an analyst who thinks candidates should be striving for more than soundbites and one-liners on enormous policy questions. Re Huck:

The mini-debate between Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee was entertaining, but insubstantial. Paul is right on the merits, of course. (His answer on Iran, by the way, was eminently sane–the fact that Iran may someday build a nuclear device is a problem, but not an existential threat to the U.S., or Israel, for that matter. Any Iranian nuclear attack on Israel would also kill tens of thousands of Muslims and make the third most holy Islamic site–the Al Aksa mosque–uninhabitable.)

Advertisement

Huckabee’s summoning of the Colin Powell Pottery Barn rule–you break it, you own it–was apt. We do owe the Iraqis something. Huckabee seemed to have no idea what we owed them, though…and he seemed far more concerned about America’s honor than about the devastation in Iraq. He offered no way forward and has yet to show even the slightest bit of evidence that he understands the situation on the ground.

Arkansas Times: Your voice in the fight

Are you tired of watered-down news and biased reporting? The Arkansas Times has been fighting for truth and justice for 50 years. As an alternative newspaper in Little Rock, we are tough, determined, and unafraid to take on powerful forces. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, we are making a difference. But we can't do it without you. Join the 3,400 paid subscribers who support our great journalism and help us hire more writers. Sign up for a subscription today or make a donation of as little as $1 and help keep the Arkansas Times feisty for years to come.

Previous article Thursday To-Do: Jody Evans Next article Trailer gazing: “Randy and the Mob”