Huckabee Doesn’t Know What the NIE is: God Help Us All
To paraphrase Dave Barry, I’m not making this shit up. From the Politico:
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My colleague David Paul Kuhn attended an on-the-record dinner with Mike Huckabee and a group of reporters tonight in Des Moines.The transcript speaks for itself:
Kuhn: I don’t know to what extent you have been briefed or been able to take a look at the NIE report that came out yesterday …
Huckabee: I’m sorry?
Me: Good Lord. I’m an office worker in a podunk town in Florida, and I know what the NIE is.
Kuhn: The NIE report, the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. Have you been briefed or been able to take a look at it?
Huckabee: No.
Me: No? The hell? You’re not running for Mayor of Happytown here, pal. Leader of the free world means you have to, you know, actually KNOW something about the world.
Kuhn: Have you heard of the finding?
Huckabee: No.
Me: Holy shit. He doesn’t even know what the NIE IS! This is the Republican rising star? Going through the motions internationally, blowing shit up and killing innocent civilians, that’s all OK, but if we can’t force our women to breed to shore up our limp dick self images, America is going to hell? What happened to the Republican Party on the way to the forum?
Kuhn then summarized the NIE finding that Iran had stopped work on a clandestine nuclear program four years ago and asked if it “adjusts your view on Iran in any sense.”
Kuhn: What is your concern on Iran as of now?
Huckabee: I’ve a serious concern if they were to be able to weaponize nuclear material, and I think we all should, mainly because the statements of Ahmadinejad are certainly not conducive to a peaceful purpose for his having it and the fear that he would in fact weaponize it and use it. (He pauses and thinks) I don’t know where the intelligence is coming from that says they have suspended the program or how credible that is versus the view that they actually are expanding it. … And I’ve heard, the last two weeks, supposed reports that they are accelerating it and it could be having a reactor in a much shorter period of time than originally been thought.
Me: You don’t know how credible the NIE is??!! Jesus. Somebody just shoot me. If this guy gets elected, he’ll get his intelligence from Rush “I’m a sex tourist and I need a fix” Limbaugh, that bastion of immoral values. Dear God, he’ll trust entertainers trying to drum up the numbers more than our committed, educated, professional analysts.
Kuhn: Does the United States face a higher burden of proof on Iran in light of Iraq, in the international community?
Huckabee: Probably so. First time I’ve been asked a question like that. But I think probably so because there is going to be a real anxiety for us to take any type of action without there being some very credible and almost irrefutable intelligence to validate our decision.
Me: Smack!! First time? This is the answer to our next step in superpower foreign policy? Perhaps we should get that credible and almost irrefutable intelligence from, say, the NIE. Ya think? Or is Rush’s mid-day show enough to push the red button?
Kuhn: And then on the flip side of that. a conservative concern might be, does the United States, might they hedge, might they be timid from taking necessary aggressive action due to the failures of intelligence on Iraq, and our failures in Iraq itself?
Huckabee: I think that’s a possibility as well. And that would be unfortunate if we actually knew we needed to take action but were fearful of doing so because of getting burned in the Iraq situation. That would be a serious challenge for us.
Me: Arrrrghh! Dude, if the credible and almost irrefutable (read NOT manufactured intel) is there, you have a nation behind you. If it’s another BIG FAT LIE, it’s not a challenge, it’s a wakeup call.
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Seriously, what is the Republican Party smoking these days? They’ve alienated the core traditional fiscal conservative, drumming many out of their party, embraced the fanatical one issue crowd, and stand in public forums denying evolution as if that somehow makes them look intelligent. Maybe it was fun listening to the radio and mocking Democrats for a decade, but jeez, you’re paying the price now. Is international scorn, oil trading in Euros, currency parity with Canada, out of control spending and debt a sound trade for two seats on the Supreme Court?
You sold your soul for a few yuks to whited sepulchers.
December 5th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
[…] Read the rest of this great post here […]
December 5th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
[…] Jet Netwal placed an interesting blog post on Huckabee Doesnât Know What the NIE is: God Help Us AllHere’s a brief overview […]
December 5th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
National Intelligence Estimate. Perhaps we need to order up a Presidential candidate intelligence estimate. Basic competence in that area seems to be badly needed. i do hope the american public will sort things out using this as a primary criteria. but i’m not optimistic.
just for a laughs I’ll begin, i believe Thompson may be the dumbest based on my personal criteria of having watched most of the debates and being somewhat familiar with the issues. I know they are just playing to the bases of a bunch of groups, but seriously from what i have read and watched this Thompson is deficient. unfortunately Hillary seems to be the brightest but who wants to continue the dynasty thing we have going on in America.
December 5th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
[…] caucus is Mike Huckabee’s to lose. And as Jet Netwal pointed out earlier on this site, that means we’re all in trouble. Tags: General, BIO, Brownback, christian, Faith, God, GOP, […]
December 5th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
I’d love to see an aptitude test for Presidential hopefuls. Not on policy, but on critical thinking skill, communication abiliity and basic economics.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Jet:
So you want like a Wonderlich Test like they do for NFL quarterbacks for Presidents? The smartest one ever plays for SF in Alex Smith…. too bad he doesn’t have the athletic ability behind it.
I don’t know what you guys are worried. There could be worse Republicans out there running for President. I mean, what would you do if Pat Buchanan was the leader right now?
December 5th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Pat Buchanan. Well we would not be in iraq for openers.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
I guess it’s time to pick apart Huckabee since he is gaining momentum,God forbid!
December 5th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Yeah rube… we might have gone backwards 40 years on civil rights too.
December 5th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Stupid is as stupid does, Lisa. Based on this interview, this candidate is not ready for the presidency. I’m not being a big meanie Democrat by pointing this out. We’re all in this boat if he wins, and he’s not ready.
December 5th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Steve, the only thing i can think of that would be worse than the current field of repubs would be if we had a third term for the office. but we may get that anyway.
jet, i agree with your criteria, except for the economics part. i am no longer convinced basic economics as we practice it, has anything to do with reality.
December 5th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
It doesn’t say he doesn’t know what the NIE is.it is that he hadn’t heard the latest finding 30 minutes after it was released.
He didn’t say “Im sorry what is the NIE?” He just said “sorry”Which in context is the same as “Excuse me or “what”.
You will be riding his ass from now until the election because his poll numbers are going up and it scares the bejesus out of you.
December 5th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
“Steve, the only thing i can think of that would be worse than the current field of repubs would be if we had a third term for the office. but we may get that anyway.”
Dude… rube, are you smoking the regular stuff that’s like $50 for an 8th or that ultra expensive shit that the kid from American Beauty smoked? If it’s the cheap shit, that’ll give you paranoia… Paranoid people are the one’s saying Bush is going to get a third term because of some power hungry struggle he apparently wants.
Last I checked this isn’t a totalitarian socialist nation like Cuba or like the one Hugo ‘the Human Pineapple” Chavez is trying to create. Though… sometimes I think you people would rather live in one.
Jet… So Hillary and Obama are ready to be President? With all the experience they have? C’mon… If you are splitting hairs on Republicans the same can be said about the field of Democrats. It could be said they are in their positions because one is a woman and the other is black. Unfair? Hell yes…
December 5th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
steve…just the cheap stuff. i’m retired on a fixed income. but after what i have witnessed in the past 7 years anything is seems possible. what i can’t understand is people who still defend the piece of s… we call our president. must be the expensive stuff washed down by kool aid.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Rube:
So do you agree with Charles Rangel?
December 5th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
steve i left a message for you but somehow it did not take. are you the one in control of what is allowed to be posted?
December 5th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
I am always in control…
December 6th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Send it to me, Rube.