Huck urges a positive campaign (sort of)
Posted: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 7:17 PM by Mark Murray
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
DES MOINES, IA -- In the midst of the nasty micro-attacks swirling around the Republicans' newly minted Iowa front-runner, Huckabee says that he's going to take the high road.
Sort of.
"A couple of the other campaigns have been relentless in their attacks toward me," he said. "And I have not responded in kind."
Huckabee contrasted his campaign's approach with Thompson's, which he said exhibits its most activity in its prolific anti-Huckabee press statements. "There were six of them before ten o'clock on Sunday," he added mischeviously, before laying down a characteristic zinger.
"Most of us were in church, he was cranking out press releases."
Today, Huckabee painted himself as the high-minded victim of petty attacks from his rivals, saying that he doesn't want to be elected just because he "disabled" the other candidates by negativity in the race. In that vein, he continued to condemn push-polling calls allegedly made on his behalf, and said that he's "fine with" Mitt Romney's threat to enlist the aid of the Iowa Attorney General to investigate the group conducting them.
The Arkansas governor made the remarks at a press conference announcing the support of over thirty religious leaders, as well of Tim LaHaye -- the author of faith-based book series "Left Behind -- and LaHaye's wife, the founder of conservative group Concerned Women for America.
In addition to questions about negativity in the race, faith was clearly on the minds of reporters who gathered for the endorsement announcement. Huckabee faced questions about his support for intelligent design and about a litmus test for Roe vs. Wade. Huckabee stopped short of explicitly saying he'll appoint judges who would overturn the abortion ruling, but insisted that he would appoint strict constructionists, who by nature of their judicial philosophy would immediately recognize the error of the 1973 decision.
