On his third visit to Iowa since winning the caucuses last year, Mike Huckabee sounded an optimistic note during an interview with Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson.

"A lot of people are wringing their hands and acting like it's the end of the world. I see things quite differently," he said. "I think there's a lot of excitement. People are reminded that when we stand for something, we win. It's when we get mushy and squishy -- that's when we lose and people are beginning to realize that."

Huckabee said there needs to be "a clarity of conservative principles," and said he was "stunned when I saw many people who pretended to be conservative who went out there and supported everything from the TARP bill to the bailouts."

"There's nothing conservative about that," he said.

Asked about his organization in Iowa for a potential 2012 run, Huckabee said there's nothing formal yet. He's focused now on helping individual candidates like Bob Vander Plaats, who's seeking the governorship in the Hawkeye State. "We'll certainly see many of the people who helped us get back into the fray for him, and I'm certainly hoping for that," he said.