Mike Huckabee On Sarah Palin: Katie Couric Was "Extraordinarily Gentle" With Her

Unlike John McCain's daughter Meghan, former GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee doesn't have a policy against talking about Sarah Palin. In an interview with A.J. Jacobs from Esquire released Tuesday, Huckabee refused to join Palin's cabal against Katie Couric, saying the anchor was "extraordinarily gentle, even helpful" to the candidate. Read the excerpt on Palin below from the article.

I ask him if she was treated fairly by the media. "There were a lot of unfair things. Sexist things that would never have been asked of a male candidate." He pauses. "Now I must say I did not think that either the Charlie Gibson interview or the Katie Couric interviews were unfair. In fact, if anything, Katie Couric was extraordinarily gentle, even helpful. [Palin] just...I don't know what happened. I can't explain it. It was not a good interview. I'm being charitable."

He pauses. "I think it was overpreparation. She'd been hammered by McCain's aides, 'Say this, don't say that.' "

Huckabee has met Palin a few times and talked to her backstage at the Republican National Convention.

"Did you give her any advice?"

"I didn't figure that she was shopping for my advice."

"But she sure was shopping."

"Yeah," chuckles Huckabee. Then stays quiet. I set him up for an easy spike, but he holds his tongue.

Comments

[JerryTheAngel]

How many Vice Presidents on the losing ticket have gone on to get the nomination in the last 50 years? Two. Walter Mondale and Bob Dole. No one else and both of them lost handily. As time passes, even Republicans will abandon this freak. She had her 15 minutes of fame and will become very wealthy because of her selection. She has no future as a serious presidential candidate.

[Hunffingtongreen]

Wow, a Sarah Palin hate page. What a surprise.

[TomTheAlmostUgly]

"Wow, a Sarah Palin hate page. What a surprise."

Then let me say some nice things about Sarah Palin --

1) She has nice legs.

2) Her voice is distinctive.

3) I really, REALLY, a whole bunch, hope that she is the Republican candidate in 2012.

[payos]

I'll be nice too and second that

[JessWonderin]

oh yes, that would be REALLY REALLY nice.

[sippewissett]

More "nice things" to say:

4) Her diction is distinctive too. ("G"s are on the endangered species list, ahead of beluga whales.)

5) She has nice clothes for a hockey mom.

6) She has a close marriage to the First Dude, so close that he uses the governor's office and telephone for personal use (vs. intimidating officials to fire his former brother-in-law).

[scooperss]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/a-cry-for-help-from-rural_b_157997.html

[cjk002]

Wow, someone's been watching O'Reilly..

[weatherwaxx]

When Palin acts like a grown woman, says something intelligent, and stops whining like a runner-up who thought sheeee should be Miss Mooseburger, I'll take her seriously.

I wish Huffpo would stop giving her publicity.

[dubster]

I'm a loyal progressive Democrat, however I always thought Huckabee was a pretty affable person. Even though I disagree with his conservative politics he's not as conservative as he campaigned and his rhetoric seem to insinuate. He's a far superior candidate (during primaries), human being, and politician than Sarah Palin. And I'm glad he let a few barbs go against her, it needed to be said by someone on their side. Sarah Palin is such a gaffe machine and don't wish her any luck or success in life. Ironically, McCain/Huckabee would have been a far more dangerous ticket than McCain/Palin because Huckabee is as "religious" as Palin but actually can construct coherent and grammatically correct sentences unlike Palin. He would have easily gotten the same segment of conservatives as Palin got (remember he proved to be a successful regional candidate) but his speech giving and less incendiary style would have been able to get their ticket more votes. Thus, I'm glad McCain picked such an inept ninny and unqualified pol.

[FZliveson]

"I'm a loyal progressive Democrat"
What does that mean, you support anything the party says
and you think the constitution is subject to change according
to how people FEEL?

[dubster]

No nimrod, It means that my interests and philosophical ideology are values that I share with democratic party. It's always been that where it was my economic interests and philosophic ideals were best represented by the Democratic Party - hence my loyalty in that regard. Does it mean I regurgitate everything the Party says? Certainly not. There are some issues that I'm more left on than your average democrat; there are some issues where I'm more in the middle. However, the moment the Party no longer represents my best interests that's when I start looking at alternatives that better do. If there are no better alternatives, then I certainly will not vote for someone whom I don't trust.

Moreover, I don't appreciate you putting words in my mouth. Who said anything about the Constitution? I certainly did not. I think the Constitution should be adhered to not circumvented and trampled on as it has by the Republican president and other neoconservatives, conservatives, republicans.

[weatherwaxx]

Changing the Constitution is a Bush trick. And I'll bet you are too.

[FZliveson]

Thanks. I HATE labels, pigeonholes, stereotypes and assumptions. Hence I request clarity. Jus' checkin. There are a lot of semi-articulates out there who shake stereotypic phrases out of a can and then type them into the HP for all to see. "Progressive" is such an "exclusive" sounding word. Aren't we all in favor of progress, after all? Keep addressing the issues for us, will ya? You have the intellect to lead people someplace, not to merely discuss crap on a controversial venue.

[ChristopherTracy]

Guess someone needs to defend Palin. But not me. I'm elated Obama won, estatic that McCain lost, and licking my chops at another run by Palin as a principal candidate in 2012. I would love to see her get crushed by the Obama machine which will have mutated four-fold by then. But alas, if there are any Republicans anywhere near Huckabee's candor and honesty, Palin will lose the primary race early, so I won't get to see a "rematch".

Another conversation for another year.....

[redsongia]

Knee jerk reactionaries like Ann Coulter need to stop criticizing Huckabee because they think "liberals love him." The fact is, liberals don't love him, they don't agree with anything he says, BUT he is a reasonable person who presents his values and point of view in a reasonable way, without all the "spin" and "tactics" and hysterical nonsense.

That said, Palin should really listen hard to Huckabees perspective on this, because, as usual, he has a very level-headed point of view.

[weatherwaxx]

Oh, let the crazies cannibalize each other. They'll have less time to gnaw on Obama.

[Wilson201]

Everyone read the post on the politics page by AKM of Mudflats. Here is what Sarah should be paying attention to.
She's pathetic.

[scooperss]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/a-cry-for-help-from-rural_b_157997.html

So, what is the state of Alaska doing to help its citizens as they face these conditions of scarcity that are beyond what many of us can imagine? The answer is, nothing. According to Mr. Tucker the lack of heating oil and food and the resulting threat to life did not count as an emergency to the State of Alaska.

[JohnFObama]

I really disagree with most of Huckabee's policies but i do admire him on a personal level. Unlike most republicans who blindly support every republican and hate on every democrat he has had some nice things to say about Obama and he is capable of dishing out honest and fair criticism of fellow republicans, nice change from the usual for the GOP.

[Axekick]

yeah... almost like the days we read about in history books now?

[trisha08]

Wait till Palin hears about his comment. She will start bashing him too.

Anyone who crosses her is toast (in her mind). She doesn't let it go.

Oh goodie....more Palin bi*ching.

[emariejon]

Huckabee held his tongue because he remembered that on that particular topic he lives in a glass house. During his tenure as governor, he was investigated multiple times for ethical violations, including accepting many thousands of dollars worth of new clothes as an unreported gift from a wealthy friend.

[trisha08]

She has a lot of nerve to pull the "class bias card" when she was wearing 190K of clothes (way more money spent on clothes than most women spend in a lifetime) and had Hollywood hair and makeup artists. I still don't believe that she didn't ask for anything or she didn't shop for those clothes.

When the primaries roll around, I think we will hear more about this from some insiders who witnessed her actions.

[blkbtrfly1]

Oh, I thought it said "Huckabee hits Paiin." Now that would have been worth reading.

[Indie2008]

So she's nibbling away at your share of the crucial rube vote, eh Mike?

[Lavafalls]

now That's what I meant to say!

[Euranya]

I don't care WHY Huckabee subtly slammed Palin here. Even if he thinks he'll be competing with her in 2012, what's more important to me is that he spoke truthfully about her, um, performances in these interviews without going over the top, even though Jacobs baited him.

[wingsabre]

Huck's a social conservative, if he's running again in 2012, she's gotta go, or else they'll split that vote. He's very smart, he's trying to turn her into another Dan Quail. When he tried to run again, his image was so damage from his potato incident that he didn't get any traction.

[readmewell22]

She is beyond another Dan Q. Surpassed him when she winked all the way through the debate with Bidden...