The American Spectator

Campaign Crawlers

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Times ' values: the willingness to abandon conservative principles, "reach across the aisle," and adopt liberal government spending practices. Didn't we hear that kind of praise about a certain Texas governor during the 2000 campaign? It took nearly eight years before the nation saw a spending veto.

Political commentator (and former Huckabee consultant) Dick Morris also came to his defense -- albeit weakly -- in a column last week, calling him a "fiscal conservative." How does Morris identify such an animal? By ignoring all of Huckabee's tax hikes and by only drawing attention to his comparatively small tax cuts. Morris also disingenuously claims that the state Supreme Court "ordered him to" raise taxes to pay for education improvements, which is not the case. The dictum required, as in most similar state court cases, that funding for poorer school districts be increased, with budget decisions left to lawmakers.

Besides Morris and the Gray Lady, Huckabee himself has defended against the Club's charges about his tax hikes by citing his ranking by Time magazine as one of America's top five governors; praise he earned from Governing magazine; that he balanced the state budget every year; that he left office with a nearly $1-billion budget surplus; and that Arkansas passed a property taxpayers' Bill of Rights. "I've got more executive management experience running a government than anybody running for president," he told Hannity & Colmes on Fox News Channel.

But plaudits from a liberal newsweekly and another "we love government" magazine are hardly good arguments that you're not a public money wastrel. As for balancing the budget, Arkansas's constitution requires it. And in the eyes of many, the fact that you helped get a $1-billion budget surplus likely means that government would do fine if it returned twice that amount to taxpayers.

There are things to like about Huckabee, but distracting from the evidence and telling half-truths about his tax and budget record are not two of them. In fact, it takes away from his other conservative policy stances.

Huckabee's not only putting lipstick on this pig; he's dressing it up in eyeliner, a fancy dress and a bouffant wig. But the "oinks" still come through loud and clear.

topics:
Taxes, Education, Constitution, Law, Supreme Court, NATO