Huckabee Defends Ad: The "Floating Cross Is A Bookshelf.... It's Just Beyond Ridiculous"

Mike Huckabee is making the talk show rounds trying to explain that the floating cross in his Christmas ad is just a bookshelf. He even got conspiratorial on "Today" this morning when he was interviewed by Meredith Vieira. He attempted a joke about looking for coded messages in Morse code when he blinks his eyes as he lamented the uproar of the bookshelf-turned-cross.

That floating cross is a bookshelf.... People are looking for anything in the world. It's so politically incorrect to say "Merry Christmas" anymore.... It's just beyond ridiculous. You can't even say "Merry Christmas" without people getting all sensitive about it.

Watch:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1348280000http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1178199204

Comments

[in4success]

that's why the very nice soft spotlight right on the center, correct? you commandment-breaking (thou shalt not lie) POS!!!

[Pdubya]

and you reduced taxes right tax hike mike?

[Ravenlea]

It's pretty clear that they were not unaware that the shelf looks like a cross and that it is lit to exaggerate that.

I'm as anti-neocon as they come and as I find the religious right to be a bunch of lunatics, BUT... I'm not sure what's wrong with a Christian minister who doesn't pretend to be neutral having a cross in the shot along with his Christmas tree. That doesn't bother me as much as him pretending that it was unintentional. Golly shucks, a cross? Really? I'll be darned. It must have been divine intervention.... why, it's... it's a miracle.... PUHLEASE. Lying about it is way worse than doing it.

[maxfusion]

Oh my, you folks are over the edge. It's reflection from the camera lights off the edges of a bookcase. The left has exposed themselves for what they really are, true believers.

[Xrepug]

What a lying sack of puke! They intentionally scanned that bookcase because they new it be taken as a cross even if it was just a bookcase. Then if there was a big deal made out of it they could just plead the bookcase story. This Preacher/Minister or whatever he is should not be trusted. He's telling us a bald-faced lie and he knows it. He knows very well about subliminal messages... he just used one! By the way I'm familiar with that album and it says "I Buried Paul" not "Pual is dead"

[SkyPilot126]

I beg to differ: I find it HARD to say Happy Holidays (which I have used with Merry Christmas, since I was a boy back ina religious school!, I'm in my 50's now). Back Then, before the neo-con's and republicans started their war on America, IT was OK. Now I get YELLED at when I say Happy Holidays, instead of Merry Christmas. I wonder why the Reubplicans can not seem to understand 2 things: 1) Holidays comes from Holy Days, that SHOULD - Duh! make them happy to use it, instead they get Mad. @) There are many holidays this time of year, even more Christian ones than just Christmas, add New Years and the others faiths, and we have a fun time to celebrate.
Nice twist on words, but once again a Republican can not stand to live in the world THEY MADE.
And I'm sorry IT IS a Cross, no damn bookshelf.
He should be ashamed, but somehow he isn't. This is more of the same of what we have in the White House now, let's CHANGE, for the good of America!
Be Right and Vote Left.

[midtown]

WHO LIGHTS UP THE EDGES of a bookcase?

[Openeyes]

There is probably NOTHING more carefully orchestrated and shot than a political ad featuring the candidate, so saying the production crew was somehow "unaware" of this is beyond stupid, it's like saying we forgot the astronauts when we launched Apollo 13. If you have a stray hair out of place, they shoot again.

Notice his face stays in center frame the entire time - the only reason to have a "moving" backgroud in the shot is to pick up the cross which is clearly lit (notice the Christmas tree is NOT).

I don't really care if he wants to put a cross in his ads - that's obviously part of the message he wants to project. He could have just as easily have filmed this outside of a church - so what?

What's disturbing is the obvious lies to try to pretend he didn't mean to do so. If he can't even be honest about such a small thing as this, what would he do in office?

[ImpeachmentNOW]

.
QUESTION: What do a Radical, Islamic Muslin Jihadist and a Right-Wing American Evangelical Fanatic have in common?

ANSWER: They BOTH strongly support and religiously follow Mike Huckabee's statement that "a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband".

I have no doubt that Huck will bring these two groups together.

Women everywhere: beware of this Neanderthal.
.

[WestLittleRock]

There he goes again. He tries to make us out to be nuts at what's apparent.
THEY MEANT TO DO IT.

The Huck can't ***k us!

[ez14livin]

'It's just beyond ridiculous.' kind of like if you were to actually be nominated, let alone elected, preacher leech

[muffler]

It is so obvious just from the blocking of the shot and the lighting that they intended this effect. If Huckabee is going to lie about this then can you imagine when he is in the white house...

[chendri887]

I could care less whether or not the cross was intentional or not. But I hate this annoying snippy a-hole. Go away, Hucksterbee. You are so unqualified to lead this country it's not even close to funny. Not even close.

[SpindrainDotCom]

Yeah... that "floating cross" was so blatantly deliberate.

He is beyond transparent.

[Smirk]

No. Whoever framed the shot knew exactly what it would look like and imply. The people who film these commercials are very savvy about subliminal cues and how they are used in marketing. Maybe he didn't know, but someone on his staff does.