I have a confession to make.  I am crushing a bit on presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.  He is an engaging speaker with a smart sense of humor (”Government spends more than John Edwards in a hair salon”… that’s good stuff).  Regardless of party affiliation, I know that we are all desperate for a president that can effectively communicate his ideas.  Huckabee seems to fit the bill here.  More importantly, I think he has a common sense and consistent approach towards the issues.

I was first drawn to Huckabee when I saw him on The Daily Show discussing his thoughts on abortion.  His position is posted on his website as follows:

To me, life doesn’t begin at conception and end at birth. Every child deserves a quality education, first-rate health care, decent housing in a safe neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water. 

Yes!  I strongly believe that advocates of pro-life need to continue their concern for children after they are born.  Do not encourage a mom to carry her baby to term and then say, “Alrighty then.  Good luck!  Bye, bye now!”  I don’t think we hear enough about the need to provide a good life to kids once they have made it outside the womb.  I appreciate Gov. Huckabee’s approach towards the abortion issue.

Upon further purusing of Huckabee’s campaign website, I came across this statement:

Music and the arts are not extraneous, extra-curricular, or expendable - I believe they are essential … It is crucial that children flex both the left and right sides of the brain. We all know the cliché of thinking outside the box: I want our children to be so creative that they think outside the cardboard factory. 

In my opinion, these creative disciplines should be required of all children through middle school and strongly encouraged in high school.   Being a proponent of states’ rights whenever feasible, I do not favor the involvement of the federal government in setting educational guidelines.  But, I do like that a presidential candidate sees the importance in promoting a well-rounded education.

I am not endorsing Huckabee for the Republican nomination (and realize that it would be irrelevant even if I did … not exactly a “stop the presses” moment) and have no intention of becoming a “shill blog” for the former governor from Arkansas.  There may be plenty of unsavory things I don’t know about Huckabee.  I’m just saying that, right now, I like the man and I may or may not have printed out his media schedule and taped it next to the TV so that I won’t miss a single appearance.