>Having zoomed to the top of the Republican presidential field, Mike
>Huckabee is apparently finding the view from the top isn't so much
>fun, because once you get there, people actually start paying
>attention when you screw up.
>
>And since the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir
>Bhutto, the Huckster has been absolutely on fire, and not in a good
>way:
>
>Mike Huckabee strode out to the strains of "Right Now" by Van Halen
>and immediately addressed the Bhutto situation, expressing "our
>sincere concern and apologies for what has happened in Pakistan."
>
>Uh, "apologies"? Governor, I am sure you'd like to blame this on Bill
>Clinton or somebody, but this is a bit extreme.
>
>Anyway, Huckabee has a fascinating take on this whole Pakistan
>business: apparently, it underscores the need for a border fence.
>Because it's all about illegal immigration:
>
>"In light of what happened in Pakistan yesterday, it's interesting
>that there were more Pakistanis who illegally crossed the border than
>of any other nationality except for those immediately south of our
>border, 660 last year form Pakistan who came into our country
>illegally because we don't have secure borders," Huckabee told
>reporters at the Pizza Ranch in a town that has probably supplied one
>of the windows in your home or office.
>
>Six hundred and sixty! Good God, man! That's almost two whole
>Pakistani immigrants per Congressional district, stealing our jobs!
>
>Even for Huckabee, this is an unbelievably idiotic statement,
>especially considering the very serious foreign-policy concerns
>associated with Pakistan (like, say, the fact that it's an
>increasingly unstable nation with a sizable nuclear arsenal).
>
>To try to twist Bhutto's assassination into an argument against
>illegal immigration would be a hilarious political contortion...if it
>weren't actually coming from the Republican frontrunner for the
>Presidency of the United States.
>
>Let's not forget, either, that Huckabee is just plain wrong about the
>immigration numbers:
>
>In fact, far more illegal immigrants come from the Philippines, Korea,
>China and Vietnam, according to recent estimates from the Department
>of Homeland Security.
>
>Frankly, I completely understand if you're not inclined to trust
>Bush's DHS, Governor, but I think they might be right on this one.
>
>He used the Denver Post for the "660" figure, in fact...ignoring, of
>course, that that was not their estimate for last year, but for fiscal
>years 2002-2005.
>
>Well played, Mikey. Well played.
>
>Don't worry, though: the Huckster isn't really concerned about the
>masses of Pakistani immigrants flowing into the country and stealing
>jobs:
>
>"The fact is that the immigration issue is not so much about people
>coming to pick lettuce or make beds, it's about someone coming with a
>shoulder-fired missile," he said.
>
>Yes, I completely agree. We ought to be terrified of the idea that
>Pakistani illegals are massing at the Mexican border with shoulder-
>fired missiles. Terrified, I say. It's a fantastic argument for a
>border fence.
>
>This might be the most preposterously bizarre and utterly
>inappropriate use of deceptive political hyperbole I've heard since
>Condi's finest: "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom
>cloud".
>
>Seriously, the fact that Huckabee is actually dismissing the economic
>implications of illegal immigration shows that he doesn't even get it
>on domestic policy. His party has finally succeeded in manufacturing
>an issue out of whole cloth to instill fear in the populace (the only
>way they can win elections), to try to save them from the dire
>electoral straits they're in...and their frontrunner can't even use
>the scare tactics properly.
>
>No wonder the GOP powers that be can't stand Huckabee.
>
>But it's probably best that Huckabee stick with the immigration line,
>after all, since clearly, he doesn't know a damn thing about Pakistan
>and its borders.