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July 14, 2008

Huckabee on New Yorker Cover, Campaign

Hannity & Colmes

COLMES: Welcome to HANNITY & COLMES. We'll get right to our "Top Story" tonight.

Everybody talking about the cover of this week's "New Yorker" magazine. It's said to be a parody of all the misconceptions that people have about Barack Obama, but the senator isn't laughing. His spokesperson called it tasteless and offensive today.

A closer look at the cover reveals the senator and Michelle Obama in the oval office with the president wearing traditional Muslim clothing, Mrs. Obama is smiling and giving her band the much talked about fist pound with an assault rifle strapped on her back. H

In the fireplace one clearly see the American flag burning, while above on the wall hangs a portrait of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Joining us now with reaction in our New York studio tonight former presidential candidate and FOX News contributor Mike Huckabee.

Good to have you here in person, Governor.

MIKE HUCKABEE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It's great to be here, Alan.

COLMES: Thank you.

HUCKABEE: Thank you.

COLMES: First person we ask everybody in your position, are you being vetted by John McCain?

HUCKABEE: If I am, it's a big secret to me.

COLMES: You have no idea.

HUCKABEE: I really don't think so. I mean there's been no calls, no contacts, no documents requested.

You know the reality is, if there was a vetting process, I think I've been through it as a candidate, but I'm not sitting around by the phone.

COLMES: Waiting.

HUCKABEE: . waiting for it to ring and thinking that John McCain's going to be there saying hey, I've just decided you're the guy.

COLMES: All right. No indication of that so far.

HUCKABEE: That's why I'm sitting with you guys. I need a job.

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: By the way, this is not a good moment in your career.

COLMES: Sitting between us.

HUCKABEE: Yes.

COLMES: But anyway, so let's talk about this "New Yorker" magazine cover. It's clearly satire.

HUCKABEE: Well, I don't know how clear it is, though. It's clear to people who keep up to politics, but if you're walking down the corridor of an airport, you just happen to look over the bookstore, you're just going to see that image, and, frankly, I don't know that the average person who doesn't know "The New Yorker," who doesn't read the article, is going to get that it's satire.

COLMES: If you see an image of Barack Obama -- Michelle looks like Angela Davis, you know, assault rifles, burning flag, Osama bin Laden, who in their right mind would take that seriously?

HUCKABEE: A whole lot of people who don't bother to do anything other than just look at the image. Believe me, I've been a candidate, I'm telling you that there are a whole lot of people that don't get beyond the surface.

There are a lot of people who follow every bit of the news, but there are many Americans who just read the headlines or they hear the lead story, they don't dig down deep.

That cover -- I can understand why Obama was, you know, pretty burned about it. He was more burned than the flag over this.

COLMES: That's a very good line. But shouldn't Obama have taken in, you know, no skin off my back? Couldn't they just laughed at it as a joke, it's satire, rather than act in anger? Even the McCain campaign was upset about it. But.

HUCKABEE: Yes.

COLMES: I think the Obama campaign overreacted to it.

HUCKABEE: Well, you know, that's easy to say. But I've got to defend Obama on this one, because, here, he has been battling an image that he, you know, was a Muslim, which he isn't, and he said all these issues that have been thrown at him, so now here's one picture on a cover of a magazine.

COLMES: Yes, but so over the top.

HUCKABEE: That's the point. It is so over the top. But you know what? There are a lot of things in politics today that are totally over the top.

COLMES: Anybody who looks at that image.

HUCKABEE: Yes.

COLMES: ... as we're seeing again right now, and believes any of that stuff is not likely to be an Obama supporter to begin with.

HUCKABEE: Alan, you need to log on the Internet sometime. There are people.

COLMES: I'm on all the time.

HUCKABEE: . some real weird stuff out there. Some really strange stuff.

COLMES: If you were the candidate and they parodied you like that, what would you -- and you've been a candidate. You've been in that position. What would you do?

HUCKABEE: You know my campaign was so obscured I would have loved the attention.

COLMES: What about that Huck-a-boom we had?

HUCKABEE: You'd given me that opportunity to at least come on and say, that really wasn't about me.

COLMES: But is the Obama supporter -- anybody who's.

HUCKABEE: The Obama supporter is not going to believe that. Now the Obama supporter is pretty boiled about it. That's not who he's worried about. He's worried about that guy that doesn't know a whole lot about Obama except some of these images that have been going out on the Internet, and if he walks by and sees that magazine cover, he might just say see, I told you.

HANNITY: Hey, Governor, good to see you. Welcome to New York.

HUCKABEE: Great to be here. Thanks.

HANNITY: We love having you as a FOX contributor. We're glad you're on board. You're going to be filling in for Paul Harvey.

HUCKABEE: For a couple of days, yes.

HANNITY: Wow. You this -- here we have more competition in radio. Just what we needed.

HUCKABEE: Oh no, there's no competition. I'm Miss USA going out on the stage, slipping, falling.

HANNITY: No, no. Well, you're a broadcaster. You -- this is.

HUCKABEE: I started when I was 14. And, you know, I was telling you earlier, this is really true. To be able to sub for Phil Harvey is the equivalent for pinch-hitting for Mickey Mantle.

HANNITY: Well, that's how it was for me when I first subbed for Rush. I mean I just -- it was like a dream come true.

HUCKABEE: Yes.

HANNITY: And I never -- I never thought I'd ever get an opportunity like that. So good luck, we'll be listening tomorrow.

HUCKABEE: Thank you.

HANNITY: First of all, think back in your campaign. What was the worst thing or things or caricatures that were made about you?

HUCKABEE: You know one of the things was, we did a spot, and in it, it said "Christian leader."

HANNITY: Right.

HUCKABEE: It was not intended to be an affront to anybody, and people went nuts. Now later Barack Obama stands in front of a stained glass, at a pulpit with a Christian cross, and nobody on the left thinks there's anything wrong with that.

HANNITY: Right.

HUCKABEE: It was that kind of double standard that I had a problem with.

HANNITY: Right.

HUCKABEE: And it was constantly battling this perception that I just stepped out of a church last Sunday and said I think I'd like to be president, foregoing the fact that I had.

HANNITY: Yes.

HUCKABEE: . 10 1/2 years as a governor, three years as a lieutenant governor.

HANNITY: I would argue that he has 15 press secretaries in terms of the mainstream media that are working for him on his behalf.

I want to talk about how oil and the price of gasoline is going to impact this campaign. If I had to use words to describe the current situation, I think this country is facing a clear and a present danger.

HUCKABEE: Yes, it is.

HANNITY: And tell me if you agree, I think we may be headed for an energy war, and this is a moment that I think John McCain must seize. When JFK gave his speech about going to the moon, he's got to give a speech about energy independence in five to ten years, and how important it is for national security and economic security.

HUCKABEE: People laughed at me in the campaign when I said that one of the major goals ought to be that we are completely energy independent in 10 years.

HANNITY: I remember you said it.

HUCKABEE: And the reason I said is because it's no longer an environmental and an economic issue, it's a matter of national security, and it is. I would let people drill in my backyard today if they thought there was oil underneath. I'd let them drill even if they just thought there might be some day.

We've got to become energy independent. But it's not about oil. It's about wind, this is about solar, and hydrogen, and nuclear, it's about any and everything that we can do to keep our energy sources no longer being in the hands of people who hate us and would destroy us in a heartbeat.

HANNITY: I don't understand why more people don't understand this. And if I had an answer in the short term, it would be -- Alan would be happy. I've been driving the Tahoe hybrid, and I love it. It's a great car.

COLMES: I can't get a ride in that thing.

HANNITY: Oh you can so. But I do wind.

HUCKABEE: He'll let you borrow his bike.

HANNITY: I hope you're listening. Wind, solar, I would expand coal mining, nuclear facilities, refineries. But it's not Sean Hannity that needs to say this. I really appreciate that John McCain sees that the American people are in pain, but doesn't he need to go further?

HUCKABEE: He does, he needs to talk more specifically about that in the short term. This is not a long-term solution (INAUDIBLE) fossil fuels, but in the short term, ANWR, outer continental shelf are realistic ways while we transition to alternative forms of energy, but more importantly we've got to make this the most aggressive single policy we have in the country.

I got an e-mail from a truck driver, a friend of mine, who lives in Michigan today. He isn't even making his expenses today because of the price of diesel which is almost $5 a gallon.

HANNITY: Yes.

HUCKABEE: And you know what, you can't have small business operators like truck drivers -- and that's what they are, small business enterprise - - who can't even make their expenses, and, Alan, one of the problems with Barack Obama -- his platform of tax increase qualifies everybody in small business.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Put your analytical hat on for just a second.

HUCKABEE: Yes.

HANNITY: Because Barack Obama is against nukes, against drilling, against expanding coalmining, you know, he just wants to go after the oil companies. I don't think that's going to resonate with the American people, and I think this is an economic pocketbook issue and a security issue.

HUCKABEE: It is a huge issue. Every.

HANNITY: Is he making a mistake?

HUCKABEE: He's making a huge mistake. It may be his undoing and the reason is, is because most people understand if you put a windfall tax on an oil company, you don't penalize the oil company, you penalize the single mom trying to get three kids to school today.

That's what.

HANNITY: Do you think we may be headed for an energy war, possibly, or war as a result of this?

HUCKABEE: I hope not. I hope we have enough sense to realize that the better alternative is an alternative to energy that's produced by somebody else.

HANNITY: Governor, honestly, can't wait to hear you on Paul Harvey tomorrow.

HUCKABEE: Thank you.

HANNITY: One of the greatest broadcasters of all time. And what an honor for you. Congratulations.

HUCKABEE: I appreciate. Thanks.

HANNITY: All right, thanks, Governor.

COLMES: Thanks, Governor.

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