Huck and Obama on 'Meet'

Posted: Sunday, December 30, 2007 10:33 AM by Domenico Montanaro

Say this about Huckabee, he really can handle tough questions. Under intense questioning from NBC’s Tim Russert, Huck never lost his cool. He passed the Pakistan pop quiz of sorts and even got in some harsh Romney digs, calling him dishonest. And in defending his running on his faith, Huckabee reminded viewers he didn't try and replace the Arkansas capital dome with a steeple. Bottom line: The guy is comfortable in his own skin and despite the array of tough questions he received, he never didn't smile or stay calm.

As far as Obama, who followed Huckabee on Meet the Press, the senator sounded a bit stuffed up. Then again, so are we... Obama stuck behind David Axelrod's comments about Clinton, her Iraq vote and Pakistan. While he didn't accept the idea there was a causal relationship with the Iraq vote, he used it as an example on judgment.

Obama compared himself to Bill Clinton and claimed he had more formal foreign policy experience now than Bill Clinton did in ‘92. That's something the Clinton folks may pounce on.

"We're not that far away from normal." Might be one of the more fascinating quotes, he said in terms of saying what he meant when he said his wife said he wouldn't run again if he lost...

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Comments

I really liked what Obama had to say. I think he sealed the deal for me with his performance today. I'm sure the media will find some way to attack him as the above post shows, but I think the people of Iowa are too smart for that petty nonsense.

Mike (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 10:46 AM)

Huckabee's the one who looked desperate in this interview.

Mike was desperately hoping he could get through Iowa without people taking a close look at his positions and his record. But national media have started exposing his horrible record on immigration, on pardons for criminals, on reducing the penalties for meth lab dealers and on taxing and spending.

So he has been lashing out at Rush Limbaugh and most of the other major conservative columnists. They have taken him to task for increasing Arkansas spending from $6 billion to $16 billion when he was governor of the state.

Huckabee also has faced their criticism for granting convicted criminals 1,033 pardons and commutations of sentence - about twice as many acts of amnesty as his three predecessors combined. He pardoned or commuted the sentences of 669 criminals, including 11 murderers.

On top of that "Mr. Health" accepted $40,000 in contributions from the R.J. Reynolds tobacco company to campaign among evangelicals against a national cigarette tax.

The Arkansas Ethics Commission sanctioned Huckabee in five of its 14 probes. The Politico reported Huckabee accepted gifts as if every day were Christmas. A $200 stadium blanket, $250 in dental care, a $600 chainsaw, and a $3,700 pair of cowboy boots were among 300 gratuities Huckabee accepted totaling $130,000.

Like the Clintons loading their moving van with White House antiques, Huckabee tried to claim for himself some $70,000 in furniture donated to the governor's mansion. Though already married 32 years, wedding registries at Dillard's and Target let friends donate roughly $7,000 in gifts that the Huckabees selected for the home they occupied after departing the governor's mansion.

WakeWashington (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 10:46 AM)

Know hope.

T. Warren, Aimes IA (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:11 AM)

So now obama wants to return to bill clinton's days?
lets do that,,,,, choose HRC!

Chuck,SanD (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:21 AM)

I was sooo impressed by Sen. Obama today. Huckabee did well, but I don't think well enough to get him out of the hole he has been digging for himself on certain issues. That being said...I am a Mormon who has lost their father to AIDS due to heroin use. STILL, I think I could cast a vote for Huckabee rather than Clinton.
Obama perfomed like a champ today. He responded to every question clearly and succinctly. If you disagree...please explain in detail.
Right now, I think Obama is my first choice, McCain my second. There are more Dems I coud vote for (only 2 repubs)but no way will I ever support Clinton. That became official in the last two weeks. I just can't put up with her games for 4 years. I will leave the party for as long as she is in office.

makeba, Houston TX (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:21 AM)

Wow, here it is again, hillaryclinton.com

P.J. (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:26 AM)

Why isn't he using his whole name "Barack Hussein Obama"?

Bob Smith, Des Moines, Iowa (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:33 AM)

I have to admit -- Huckabee did an incredible job. This can only help him four days out.

Jake Benson, Portland, OR (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:40 AM)

Mike has run a clean campaign, Willard is a pathological liar... easy choice here.. Vote Huckabee

Joe (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:41 AM)

Obama is so great. I love that man

Robert (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:42 AM)

www.trueromney.com says it all. I hope people will wake up and see what a dirty scum of the earth he is.

Rick (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:45 AM)

"Under intense questioning from NBC’s Tim Russert, Huck never lost his cool."

You think that was intense questioning? Please. I follow all of the candidates, he didn't ask Huckabee a single question that hasn't already been out in the media. He slapped Huckabee in the face on his lack of Foreign Policy experience but that was it. Even my wife who doesn't follow politics like do but did watch the Meet The Press interviews noticed how biased he was towards certain candidates in his attacks.

Obama and Russert seemed like old pals kicking back having iced tea.

Tim Russert obviously showed his true colors. I have watched him interview many of the candidates :

First and foremost, the candidate he was the toughest on was Ron Paul. Russert gave the first 5 minutes to Ron Paul and asked him questions about his positions and naturally tried to tear them all down in the process. He then spent the next 25 minutes dredging up anything he could, going back some 20 plus years for anything he could try and throw Ron Paul on. He fired questions at Ron Paul in machine gun fashion not allowing Ron Paul to answer the question before posing another one... frankly I was in shock while watching the interview. Russert failed miserably in his evisceration attempts on that interview.

The next candidate that he was the most harsh on would be Rudy. He hammered on him and Rudy slipped several times and was fairly evasive in directly answering.

Russert was also very hard on Hillary and got her to trip up as well. I don't recall her answering any questions directly other than the soft ball ones.

Why was he so much softer on Huckabee and Obama?

I truly hope that most Americans take their news with a grain of salt.

-- Appalled

David Crosby, Missouri (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:49 AM)

To Dememico, What does stuffed up mean; did you have a hangover this morning?; what kind of lame post was that?

Frank Gill, Portland,OR (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:59 AM)

Great job reminding folks about "judgment" Senator Obama. As your 2002 stance against the War demonstrated, this is your strong suit and what we have to put back in the White House.

Matthew Sutton, Central Point Oregon (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:00 PM)

John Edwards and Hillary Clinton did not read the NIE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLJFujflVmY

Obama SmackDown Series: Smacks down Edwards on Iraq.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4x_KnWEDjs

Hillary Rodham Clinton Flip-Flops on Iraq

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dFmTAPmrbo

Hillary Clinton flip flops at Democratic debate 8 John Edwards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT1EWKFjkP

he Many Apologies of John Edwards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pOZML6P0Vg

banko (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:02 PM)

Well, Mr Bob Smith....why didn't you sign with your middle name? Do you always introduce yourself to others with your full name? Maybe you don't have a middle name, but **I** would feel pretty silly introducing myself everytime as James Allen Duffy the 3rd. Get a clue!

James Duffy, Evansville, IN (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:04 PM)

To you who keep asking why Senator Obama doesn't use his whole name? Why don't YOU? Why don't I? Most people don't! It's only those people who are trying to use Muslim "fear" who keep bringing that up! Remember it has been proven that there was NO link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11!! So those who keep bringing this up as if it were an issue are ridiculous.
Also remember, Hillary Rodham (her maiden name, not her middle name) didn't use "Clinton" until Bill was running for President and it became politically expedient for her to do so.
When is America going to STAND UP and stop running on manufactured fear?

waterprise2, Detroit MI (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:08 PM)

David Crosby:
Maybe it appears that Russert was easy on Obama, because this was Obama's second appearance in the last 2 months. If you watched the last appearance, that is when Russert went after him. This time, he focused on the most recent topics.

Regarding Huckabee, I think Russert really tried to go after him, but Huckabee is a master at handling tough questions. It's that simple.

Jim Brown (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:12 PM)

Domenico is such a Republican. I watched the MTP interview and felt rage as Huckabee claimed women who choose to abort are "victims" who would not be jailed if abortion were made illegal, while the doctors "who take money" to perform the operation should be punished. It enrages me how the Republicans politicize this issue just to get votes. It makes no sense intellectually to claim abortion is murder, and then not to punish women who choose it. As far as I know, doctors don't attend to poor women to make big bucks. If voters can't stand the idea of jailing women for terminating pregnancies, then perhaps its not murder? Huckabee is a worm, a hypocrite, a slimy politician.

Amy B Portland, Me (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:13 PM)

David:
Russert clearly admires Obama. I wish he would have have quizzed him on Pakistan too.

Bob:
Which candidates used their middle name?

Adam , Pittsburgh, PA (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:14 PM)

If you are MTP regular, it is not hard to see that Tim was, as expected, played soft on Obama today. Basically he gave Obama's time to attack Hillary the way he wants. How many times he has mentioned "HILLARY " ? I lost counting. I wonder this is an interview of Obama or Hillary. CHEAP SHOT, as always. Now voters can see why people say it is media pushed Obama to frontline. He himself never walks to the front. There is no where you can find this guy qualified to be the president of this country. NONE, TOTAL FAKE !!!
Tim, you should ask yourself today. "Do I still have heart and soul to be truthful to the fact, and to the American people ?" I guess, you don't care. Shame on you !!!!!!!!!

SIN (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:20 PM)

unlike Clinton, Huckabee looked Russert in the eye and Russert Blinked

Obama08 (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:28 PM)

Why isn't he using his whole name
Bob Smith, Des Moines, Iowa

__________________________________

Do you know what his middle name means "Handsome"
Something clearly you are not famliar with.......

PBrown (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:30 PM)

obama did an excellent job on tim russert ; it shows his knowledge on foreign policy and pakistan. he actually does have more foreign policy expertise than bush and clinton when they ran

ayak (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:40 PM)

huackabee and obama both did well ; they are both honest people ; I like both of them ; although huckabee needs to stop using religion as a means to get elected ; I think thats foul. remember our founding fahers emphasized on the separation of church and state

ayak (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:42 PM)

AMERICA, reject Fear as a pretense for your vote, we have lived with Terrorism in spurt's all thru our lifetimes. Our Government let there guard down on 911, & that is the REAL TRADGEDY.
As far as the middle name thing as mentioned so many times, on all these threads, What a Joke those poster's are to even try such a thing.America( and the WORLD) has more problems, than what someone's 1st, middle or last name is.Ask your employer if they Hired you because of your name, or was it because you were the BEST for the job? Most would Fire You, ( it's called Conduct unbecoming an Employee)if they overheard you saying such thing's.
Barack Hussein Obama is the Most Electable of Any candidate on either side & the Voter will show YOU!!!!

Rick,ky (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:43 PM)

Yes, Pastor Huckabee apologized for the Pakistani affair, but he did that because he is a true Christian and that is what Christians do. And since he has a theology degree and as he mentioned, most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were clergymen, it carries extra weight with Christians, so he was able to raise $89,000 in the one day 'money bomb' on December 27. Pastor Huckabee also knows that we must protect Israel at all costs for it is in the Bible. He has the power of a multinational corporation, Amway, at his disposal to bring the countries who won't get in line on terrorism to their knees. Oh, how happy everyone will be when Pastor Huckabee is president and puts the Christ back into Christians!

Dr. Ward Ciac II, New York, NY (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:57 PM)

Obama: "We're not that far way from normal..." Let's please vote close to normal for a change. No ex-president's wife, no millionaire lawyer/hedge funder now turned fighter the worker. How about, just close to normal -- Obama.

bob10001 (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:58 PM)

Huckabee was good, but Obama was great. It would be interesting to see these two in the final contest.

Tina, Tinley Park,IL (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 1:03 PM)

Bob Smith --

Why didn't you use your full name in your comment?

BT Kilmer Chicago, IL (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 1:11 PM)

I agree with David. He is very much "fair" to all the candidates except for Huckabee and Obama. He was able to grill Ron, Hillary, Rudy and he tried to do that to Mitt as well but Mitt's knowledge in topics as stem cell research did not allow Tim to grill him. It seems very clear to me that he is biased towards Obama and Huckabee.

Darshan (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 1:15 PM)

Wake I don't know how much of your diatribe on Huckabee is true but the story of the Clintons looting the white house was a total fabrication put forth by white house staffers. A republican senator asked GAO to get a list of everything the Clintons stole and he would make them pay for it. The GAO investigation turned up ZERO ZILCH NOTHING was taken. Stop spouting proven lies I know it is a republican thing to do so but try to rise above tradition for once you will feel better for it.

Rufus Gibbons, DC (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 1:20 PM)

Hey Bob, I don't think I know the middle names of any of the other candidates. Why is it important?

I watched MTP purely for Obama today and I was impressed. I think he totally put to rest questions about his health care plan and why he thinks mandates won't work. Also I spewed my OJ laughing when Russert asked him about any surprises in his background and he said that if there were the Clinton campaign would have found them by now. Anyone interested who didn't see it should check the webcast. I thought he did great.

AP from IL (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:05 PM)

"Obama perfomed like a champ today. He responded to every question clearly and succinctly. If you disagree...please explain in detail."

Obama has voted in congress to allow illegals to collect social security benefits. He has also stated that he wants to give illegals in state college tuitions and drivers licenses.

It is because Obama wants to cater to illegal aliens that he will never get my vote nor will he ever be president.

Paul Windham, NH (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:20 PM)

What's John Edwards middle name? or Joe Biden, or Chris Dodd? I don't even know their middle name and who cares? Those of you who want to make a big deal of Obama's middle name, are showing their bigotry. Not just for an African American, but Muslims.

Get out and see the world a little bit. Maybe it would help to educate you and improve your ignorance.

RAH (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:26 PM)

Great response by Huckabee, and what other candidate has stood up for another like he did for McCain. I think Iowans are smart and evaluate and like the early polls send a decent person to the Whitehouse.

David Anders Pharr,Tx (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:27 PM)

Bob Smith:

You ask, "why isn't sen. Obama using his whole name?" Is Bob Smith your whole name? Why don't you use your full name? In fact, I have kept my middle name a secret for years......we had no control as to our given names bud, no more than we had control over a lot of things coming into the world.....Names have meaning....So, what does Bob mean? Why don't you find out what Hussein means? Perhaps you may learn a thing or two.....Trust me, senator Obama is more than a name.....He represents change....get it?

Tony, Charlotte, North Carolina (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:39 PM)

David Crosby - Obama already had his "grilling" by Russert in his Nov 11th interview. You can watch the whole thing on the MSNBC site. Then (as now) Obama handled himself well. Russert goes after EVERYONE.

If you're not tough enough to defend yourself to this nation's journalists, you're not tough enough to be president of this country and stand up against the world's terrorists and madmen. I am tired of listening to Hillary's supporters complain.

Ava (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:48 PM)

Obama did an excellent job of explaining the issues and some of the current News events. When he is asked pointed questions, he uses good judgement in formulating what he is going to say, without excitement, etc. and totally understanding that the media is trying to trip him up in his stands.

He does not attack his competitors, but point out the differences in an intelligent way. NoT a slam or character assination, like they try to do to him, even when he would be justified in doing so. I hope that well read voters who think for themselves and not believe all of the hype by the other campaigns, polls and coronation, of certain candidates, by Mainstream Media see an honest politician for a change. In someways he even points out with truth the very things they are using against him are the same things they ask voters to trust them on and their judgement, like in the case of Bill Clinton. Some have even tried to co-op his theme "Change".

So for showing intelligence and forsight, I think the voters of Iowa really only have one choice - OBAMA'08. It is truly in their hands to make history in this country.

Rosemary, California (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 3:08 PM)

I watched Barack Obama on MTP today. He acquitted himself excellently. On occasions such as this I listen for the waffling whenever a question arises which addresses charges of negativity on his part. First, there is no waffling, next the supposed negativity is NEVER ad hominem and finally, he has a logical answer for his comments/responses/reactions. As I commented elsewhere, the politics of hope is NOT a euphemism for let them mislead, prevaricate, and have their cake and eat it too.

The Democratic establishment want the uninspiring Sen. Clinton. Rest assured this goes for the black establishment also. The ridiculousness of the Andrew Young convoluted arguments as to why it should NOT be Obama is an example. But what really prompts this direct reference to Young was his disgraceful so-called joke. I will also say this, I trust that the revered (and deservedly so, I opine) John Lewis is, at least, embarrassed by the Clinton campaign, post his endorsement, when her coronation ("It WILL be me," she said to Couric) seemed threatened. She is a manager/manipulator/crass political calculator, NOT a leader. Again as I have proffered elsewhere, there are only two ways to lead, by inspiration and by example and they are not mutually exclusive.

POLpursun (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 3:25 PM)

Obama all the way.....08

Chris, Adaville, Iowa (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 3:38 PM)

How can anyone think Obama's comments about still being "close to normal" were anything but demeaning and arrogant? Aren't our elected officials supposed to ALWAYS try and relate to our problems, not just when it suits them or before they become too rich to care??? Also, why would he announce that his wife told him he can't run again? Can't he make his own decisions? Do we want someone so indecisive as president of the USA? Don't forget about all those "PRESENT" votes either...Hillary will turn this country around as the next PRESIDENT!

Cathy, Upstate NY (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 3:40 PM)

@David Crosby, Tim Russert said in an interveiw back in the summer. That there were only 2 political candidates that he had ever interveiwed, that answered each question honestly (after checking the information). That was Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama!
CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!

Fasteddie, Houma (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 4:15 PM)

Neither one of these guys did too well today, IMHO. Huck, did fine until they got to the gay and abortion issues.. where he is so painfully out of the mainstream, it hurts. I mean, why do we have to beat up on gay people, republicans? Can't we just let that drop? I mean, does it really matter who marries who? And I wish Russert would have asked Huck point blank... Does his ban on all abortions include rape victims? As a smart woman, his characterization of women seeking abortions as "victims" offended me. As if, all women in that situation are too stupid to know what they are doing.. they need big daddy to protect them from themselves. More extreme views this country doesn't need.

And Obama, while I like him, continues to appear naive to me. And I see the inexperience in him in these one on one interviews. The healthcare questions is where this was most pronounced. Ron Brownstein is correct.. without a mandate, these healthcare proposals won't work. Mandates, have been a critical component in the state plans (MA) that have been good first steps. Obama's insistence that it's all COST as why people won't buy insurance is naive. While that's the case most of the time.. sometimes, people would just rather spend their money on other things. Unless you make them do it, they'll continue to buy designer shoes and big screen TVs instead. Truth be told.. we are going to have to mandate health insurance, like we do car insurance.

Amazed, Atlanta (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 5:14 PM)

Think you know who is most honest among the democratic candidates? Think again. The facts paint a very different picture. Analysis of the truthiness of the statements of the candidates is very revealing:

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/personalities/barack-obama/statements/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/personalities/hillary-clinton/statements/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/personalities/john-edwards/statements/

Michael (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 5:23 PM)

I saw the interviews. I was not impressed with Obama - he looked like a kid. This election will give him the Govenorship of Illinois and everyone will know him and notice what he does. But he is not ready yet.

BionicWoman, Tucson, AZ (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 6:01 PM)

BionicWoman,
You are wrong about Obama looking like a kid. You wrote not ready yet? I DISAGREE WITH YOU 100%. Mr. Obama is READY....

ify (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:11 PM)

BionicWoman,
You are wrong about Obama looking like a kid. You wrote not ready yet? I DISAGREE WITH YOU 100%. Mr. Obama is READY....

ify,mn (Sent Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:12 PM)

Huckabee really shined in his interview, if the Republican Party nominates anybody but Huckabee they are signing there own death warrant.

I LIKE MIKE!

Derek Sacramento, CA (Sent Monday, December 31, 2007 5:49 AM)

Let's all face reality, Gov. Romney is a male clone of Hillary Clinton. He is spending all of his inheritance in TV ads. Regardless of what he says now, He is or was pro-choice, He is or was pro-gun control and has a different mis-interpretation of history and what has really happened and what he has dreamed up or wished happened. He has had no choice but to go negative in Iowa because obviously money or nothing else he has to say seems to be working for him. I've lived in the South for the last 16 yrs. He will never win in S.C., I'm from N.H. orginally and trust me the people in N.H. and else where see right through Gov. Romney's used car salesman and TV Anchorman techniques.

Glen Davis, Dixieland VA (Sent Monday, December 31, 2007 9:53 AM)

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