Huckabee Hearts McCain

Even up to today it still looks like former governor Mike Huckabee is jumping up and down waving his hands saying ”Me! Me! Let it be ME!”

Mike Huckabee hearts John McCain and wants to be his Vice President.

On Meet the Press this morning:

“MR. RUSSERT: But if he said to me, ‘In order to become president, you could help me. Would you be my vice president,’ you'd say yes?”

“GOV. HUCKABEE: There's no one I would rather be on a ticket with than John McCain. You know, let, let me point out that all during the campaign, when I was his rival, not a running mate, there was no one who was more complimentary of him publicly and privately. He was my number two choice. I want to make sure you know he was my number two choice. I still wanted to win, but if I couldn't, John McCain, from always, was the guy I would've supported and have now supported.”

This was apparent even last March as Huckabee was slowly withdrawing from the campaign, leaving a string of burning bridges between his chief rival for the #2 spot, Mitt Romney, and McCain.

From The Politico:

“But as long as Huckabee is campaigning vigorously, he is likely to draw a sizable bloc of social conservatives — and deny former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the direct one-on-one contest he is hoping for against McCain.”

“Huckabee did not mention Romney in his concession statement Saturday. But Huckabee and his aides have barely disguised their disdain for Romney, whose chameleon-like stance on issues and free-spending negative ad campaign have made him the most unpopular candidate among his GOP rivals.”

Hilariously, Democratic political consultant Bob Shrum, has had only good things to say about Mike Huckabee as the GOP presidential nominee, and equally now, as McCain’s VP of choice, as he stated on Meet the Press this morning:

“MR. SHRUM: You don't have to be culturally--well, actually, I endorsed you for president. I thought the Republicans should've nominated you, and I think maybe McCain should pick you for vice president. And I mean that with all due respect.”

Obviously the only reason Huckabee would make a good fit on the ticket is that this would bring balance to a John McCain campaign that does not wear religion on its sleeve or anywhere else. It would give the evangelicals something to cheer about.

But this time we are looking at a VP who may just have something more to do than cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate – a hopefully rare event after this year – in staying alive and well. A 72-year old president on Inauguration Day should give one pause, and make GOPers look long and hard at the VP.

And the problem there is that where McCain’s self-admitted strength is in defense and security, it is long viewed as Huckabee’s weakness. Putting a Baptist minister in charge of the nation’s military would be, at best, a display of American audacity.

But really, Huckabee’s main problem is going to be his “tax problem”. As governor he raised Arkansas taxes and anyone knows that only Democrats are allowed to do that. I think that this is just going to follow him around.

No, I’m with Shrum, I want Huckabee on the ticket. First I wanted him as president, but I’m not proud, I’ll take him on the VP slot and throw in 3 Clinton superdelegates to boot.

So it’s not going to happen because they know we want it to. Who will McCain choose? I am going to go out on a long, long limb and predict that he will at some point approach Hillary Clinton. Not saying she’ll accept, not at all. But if you saw McCain in his appearance on Saturday Night Live last night you know that the best thing we Democrats can do is come completely apart during this campaign, and one way to do it is to have Clinton on McCain’s ticket.

It would be a Limbaugh “Operation Chaos” writ large.