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  Huckabeeisms: The Hunt

  Posted Thursday, December 27, 2007 9:56 AM | By Chadwick Matlin

  Any time Mike Huckabee has a gun in his hand, it's a good bet he'll say something quote-worthy. The Huckster has a penchant for semi-morbid quips (he's even said he speaks in "Huckabese"), and yesterday's pheasant-hunt photo-op was the perfect opportunity to unleash a new one. But journalists are beginning to trip over themselves in their search for the money quote.

  Ever since the press has gotten used to Huckabee's half-quip, half-stump speaking style, they've been trying to coax campaign-damaging jokes out of Huckabee. The strategy has yielded mixed results.

  As CBS news reports, when Huckabee was asked how shooting birds is a metaphor for the campaign, he said, "Don't get in my way." Threatening, vaguely morbid, alludes to Republican opponents: 7 out of 10 on the Huckabese scale.

  Then, desperation started to set in. Somebody said, “Governor, you haven’t made one Dick Cheney joke.”  Huckabee threw her a bone, “I really do want to survive all the way through to the deal here.” Stokes the "Huckabee hates Bush narrative," reminds us he’s quick on his feet, but is child’s play compared with The Daily Show: 4 out of 10.

  At some point Huckabee tired of the journalists' pleas. As he stood over the dead birds, one woman asked, "Do they have names? Like Romney, Thompson ... ?" Huck said, “I'll let you guys decide that. I would never be so coarse and crude as to do something that would be insensitive. I'm a sensitive guy.” Party pooper: 0 out of 10.

  Filed under: Mike Huckabee

About Chadwick Matlin

• Chadwick Matlin is the staff reporter for Slate's The Big Money, a new business site launching in the fall. He can be reached at Chadwick.Matlin+TH@gmail.com

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