Is anyone really surprised? When 3,000 fellow citizens were killed on a September morning, Pat Robertson and fellow nutty Jerry Falwell opined those deaths happened because the country was filled with feminists, abortionists, ACLU members, and gays and lesbians as opposed to God fearing Christians.  An American city under water? Robertson offered another theological  reason that had nothing to do with a poorly made levee system. In 2006 when Israel’s prime minister Ariel Sharon had a stroke, the Robertson said it happened because Sharon was “dividing God’s land.”

Once again the  good reverend decided it was time to share some of  his theological, political, and historical musings. When discussing the disaster in Haiti,  on the Christian Broadcast Network, he  blamed the act of nature on “a pact with the devil” Haitians made ages ago.

“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French … and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.’ True story. So the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’”

Considering his past, Robertson’s yammering don’t shock. However, what is up with his black co-host? Her name is Kristi Watts and after Robertson is done all she has to say is “Absolutely, Pat.” I don’t expect sister girl to go Harriet Tubman or Ida B. Wells, but come on. Some old fool says some silly mess and she’s got nothing to say?

By the way:  Robertson’s  grasp of Haitian history is weak. As in very. He should read Madison Smartt Bell’s Toussaint Louverture: A Biography. Might learn a thing or two.

The religious right has its anger in the red zone over Amanda Simpson, picked by the Obama White House to be a  senior technical adviser for the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. For 30 years Simpson worked in the aerospace-defense industry, is a certified flight instructor, and has been a test pilot. Nice credentials but you know how righties are. They want everyone to be Christian and straight (morning Brit “I do not proselytize even when I do” Hume). 

The right is foaming because Simpson, who is on the board of directors of the National Center for Transgender Equality, clearly has some agenda outside of commerce.

“Is there going to be a transgender quota now in the Obama administration,” wondered Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth (that name always makes me laugh). “How far does this politics of gay and transgender activism go? Clearly this is an administration that is pandering to the gay lobby.”

The LaBarbera needs more intel. If Obama really wanted to pander to gays and lesbians he would end DADT by the end of the year. One appointment, even a significant one, is not going to work.

In all of the teeth gnashing, the fundies have said nary a word about Simpson’s credentials. Instead they are yapping  the faithful will use this against Obama in the 2010 and 2012 elections. A super qualified Commerce Department appointee an election talking point? I’ll take that fight.

Rachel started us off by noting that unemployment has become a bit of a pressing national issue. In kind of the same way that plagues of locusts are a bit of a nuisance.

Rachel took a look at the proposed solutions and you will never in a zillion years guess what some of the Republicans are proposing. I don’t want to spoil it, but it rhymes with “shmax smuts”.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

TRMS Investigates: Uganda Be Kidding Me

Rachel took a look at how the United States, and in particular its politicians from the religious right, helpfully dismantled Uganda’s successful AIDS prevention program.

So we’re responsible for the rampant spread of a cruel disease and no doubt thousands of deaths by imposing methods we knew full well didn’t work, but it’s easy to see that all the suffering was worth it, because at least the government didn’t indirectly fund a program that failed to piously condemn any sex outside of heterosexual marriage.

And then the C Street boys helpfully picked up the sex-outside-of-marriage slack just to keep the world averages up.

Along the way, they stirred up a swirling brew of hatred that coalesced into the new kill-the-gays bill.

Rachel and the TRMS staff checked in with some of our pals from the religious and political right to see how they’re progressing on that condemning clear, outright evil thing.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Planistan

Do you remember The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from when you were a kid? The apprentice animates a broom to help him with his work and can’t believe how helpful it is, but then it gets so aggressively helpful that it’s not helpful anymore and the whole castle is in danger but he can’t make it stop? And the more the apprentice tries to stop it, the more the broom just keeps multiplying and suddenly it’s way too scary for a kid’s story and still happening faster and faster and the brooms can’t be stopped and won’t go away?

Somehow I think certain members of the Bush administration only paid attention to the very first part of that story.

In this next clip, Rachel and Jeremy Scahill of The Nation are going to talk about Blackwater, and you are going to long for the simplicity and comfort of unstoppable evil humanoid brooms.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ms. Information

Rachel, still invigorated from Wednesday night’s fantastic Brainorama, took a moment to fact-check Ambassador Rice’s claim that Pakistan’s government is now actively going after extremists.

Rachel pointed out that based on a recent statement by Pakistan’s prime minister, the government is actually taking more of a laid-back approach towards pursuing terrorists. Maybe the idea is to get them feeling secure enough to come in for a hug?

Rachel also brought us the disturbing story of Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani, who was apparently slipped a lethal dose of a hypertension medication after he testified that he had seen jailed Iranian protestors being tortured.

The Iranian government has released several very different versions of Pourandarjani’s death, and now asserts that he committed suicide. By putting blood pressure medicine on his own salad.

If, as is entirely possible, those last two news items have bummed you out to the point where all you want to do is sit around in your bathrobe watching cartoons only so far it’s too much effort to even put on the bathrobe, you may be in need of some motivation.

Fortunately, both George W. and Laura Bush are on the case. And will probably give you motivational speeches right there in your living room if you cough up enough cash.

Be sure to close up that bathrobe first.

Don’t Dwell on It

Rachel reported that the troop increase in Afghanistan will mean that “dwell time,” the time that soldiers get to be at home before deploying again, will probably decrease.

And goals such as ending the stop-loss program will probably be on hold for a bit.

But at least we’re not rushing into anything outrageous like allowing openly gay and lesbian soldiers to continue to serve.

Moment of Geek

…And after that depressing note, it’s time to bounce back with a super-nerdy Moment of Geek and a balloon-finding contest or two.

You may be feeling just a tad superior and thinking you’re not geeky enough for a balloon-finding contest. If you’re reading this recap, I beg to differ.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

If you didn’t see the show last night, you may be thinking that it’s far too late to start in on MaddowQuest. (Or, for my fellow Twitterers, #MaddowQuest.)

It’s true that one nanosecond after the segment aired, several – if I may borrow a term – hard-core nutballs were already well into the fray, but in my opinion the challenge is engaging enough and the clips are fun enough that it’s well worth taking on the quest.

And you never know – sure, a few people think they’ve already sent in the correct URLs, but it’s possible that they have the tint settings on their monitors wrong. It’s easy to confuse a red balloon with John Boehner’s bright orange head under those circumstances.

Go get ‘em.

This is getting silly. And sad. Put a microphone under the mouth of a conservative and he/she will spout out theories that can’t even pass the smell test. From porno equaling gay and same sex marriage being a talking point for the socialist revolution, conservatives have harangued us for the past few days. Well let’s end the week with a former child actor going a few rounds with Charles Darwin.

Kirk Cameron, whose last decent project was Growing Pains (and the show wasn’t all that), is taking on Darwin’s The Origin of Species. According to Cameron the book is the reason why so many people are atheists and he isn’t about to let that influence continue.

“Atheism has been on the rise for years now, and the Bible of the atheists is ‘The Origin of Species,’” Cameron said. “We have a situation in our country where young people are entering college with a belief in God and exiting with that faith being stripped and shredded. What we want to do is have students make an informed, educated decision before they chuck their faith.”

Cameron should be a little bit more honest, but I assume as a no talent hack veracity isn’t a strength. The “educated decision” of college students is not his care. He would rather everyone pray to his God. Makes life a whole lot easier.

As for atheism being on the rise, it is of course more complicated than that, but why would Cameron feel a need to go into details? They always frustrate the crazy.

The accuser is a young man “in his early 20’s,” (Barber is 53), and the alleged assault happened at Barber’s home, sometime between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

Um…

Barber has not spent his entire career as a Catholic priest. He used to be an Episcopal priest, but left the church because he disagreed with the new policies of allowing LGBT priests and sanctioning same-sex relationships.

Um…

Obviously, I have no way of knowing what happened between the accuser and the accused.

And I’m sure this is a painful situation for Barber’s congregation. Please believe that compassion is in my thoughts when I say this:

Duh, you guys.

This is what happens when you try to force people to be something that they aren’t. Or worse, when you tell them that what they fundamentally are is a bad, bad thing.

Many people will run away from your flock (have you noticed?), but some will try their best to squeeze themselves into the rigid boxes that have been set up for them.

And while they tie themselves up in knots and pray to be better people and hate themselves for not being straight, some of the gay can’t help but leak out the seams.

And what you get is this: A situation that was either nonconsensual or consensual at the time but so wrapped up in guilt and loathing that it’s now being reported as an assault. Who is being brought closer to God by this?

We’ve been shown over and over that spirituality doesn’t have to be like that. There are two stories today on 365Gay alone that note the widespread, active involvement of members of the LGBT community in Christian churches, and other religions with open, inclusive attitudes see similar enthusiastic participation.

Spirituality, while hardly essential for a happy, moral, and fulfilling life, can be a wonderful thing, adding a heartening and invigorating depth to one’s experience.

I get sickened and saddened when I see it twisted into a vehicle for showing – or hammering home – what is “wrong” with people.

I just saw Jesus Camp for the first time this weekend. Many of my friends were most disturbed by the political indoctrination, and, yeah, that’s creepy as all get out.

But what struck me the most was the number of times the kids in the movie – kids of 8 or 9 – were shamed into crying. In between being told they were to be the new young warriors of God, they were taught, over and over, how unworthy they were.

I bring it up because, while it’s hard to feel sympathy for the adult Barber’s homophobia, I do feel some compassion for the young Barber and the process that turned him into what he is.

We all know, both from anecdotal evidence and the occasional psychology experiment, that the people who rail hardest against The Gay tend to be people who are fighting off their own same-sex desires. Which makes sense: You don’t have to worry about people or magazines or television turning you gay if you’ve never been interested.

And heaven knows Barber tried not to be gay. He got married and had kids. (The Catholic Church allows converted priests to maintain their marriages.) He fought against LGBT encroachment in his own church and finally ran to Catholicism to get as far away from it as he could.

And yet somehow there he was with a young man in his house sometime after 3:00 in the morning.

I don’t know Barber or the situation well enough to say anything about whether he, personally, is good, bad, or somewhere in between.

But I do know that the process that leads to these painful situations is awful. And it doesn’t have to be this way.

So how do we offer compassion and a lifeline to people who are caught in the middle of it? As tempting as it is to peacefully demonstrate at, say, a rally by a hostile Evangelical church with literature and helpline phone numbers, it seems like setting up an ongoing game of Rainbow Rover would be unproductive in the long run.

And would probably play into the accusations of trying to “turn people gay”.

But I still feel bad for the young people being hammered into those little boxes, or the people who are still trying to fit even when there is so much that squeezes out the edges in such a painful way.

I take heart in the fact that so many religions are offering a warm welcome to those in the LGBT community, and hope that word gets out that being who you are doesn’t have to mean giving up your favorite deity. In fact, it can help you meet a friendlier, more relaxed, and more positive version.

And I also take heart in the fact that information tends to seep out the seams on the Internet too.

If you’re here because of a Google search and some feelings you’re not comfortable with, hello and welcome. Take a look around and know that there are plenty of organizations – including churches – that don’t think there is a thing wrong with you.

Take care and good luck.

The Nevada Republican once called on President Bill Clinton to resign, declaring “the truth must come out.” In October 2007, he was sharply critical of former Sen. Larry Craig, of Idaho, calling the Republican’s arrest in an airport bathroom sex sting “embarrassing for the Senate.”

His own admission Tuesday came at a time when the two-term Nevada Republican was building his national profile and assuming leadership in his party. He had recently traveled to Iowa, fueling speculation about his White House ambitions.

The senator has said the Republican Party was in need of new leadership. He hoped to be among the fresh faces, and he built his resume by serving as the GOP’s top Senate candidate recruiter in 2008 and as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the Senate, the fourth-ranking leadership post. On Wednesday, he resigned from the position on the policy committee.

For Nevadans, he was known as a polished pro-business Republican and well-spoken ally of the state’s religious conservatives. He was a member of Promise Keepers, a men’s Christian group that espoused devotion to family and marriage.

As such, he talked openly about his biological father’s failing, calling himself the child of a deadbeat dad who never “told me once he loved me.” At a “Fatherhood Summit” in Reno in 2004, Ensign – himself a father of three – said fathers have been the biggest letdown in society.

Ensign was adopted at age 15 by his mother’s second husband, a Las Vegas casino mogul. He went on to veterinary school, ran an animal clinic and worked the family business as a casino executive before entering politics.

Ensign’s political life was entwined with his religious beliefs. Once in Washington, he lived for a time with other Christian lawmakers who organized prayer breakfasts and Bible study. When in Las Vegas, he continued to attend an Evangelical church in Las Vegas with his wife, Darlene, who did not move to Washington with him.

Ensign has opposed abortion and gay marriage and backed school vouchers.

“He’s been a very reliable ally and outspoken on marriage issues, on life issues,” said Richard Ziser, a leading religious conservative in the state. “His religious beliefs were a very high identifier with conservatives.”

As a candidate for Senate in 1998, Ensign was critical of Clinton’s handling of his admission of infidelity. Clinton blamed “other people for his problems, and that’s when he lost me.”

“He did lie to the American people. But he never looked at us and said he was sorry,” Ensign said.

On Tuesday, the senator apologized for his affair.

Many Christian conservatives will see Ensign’s public admission as brave and necessary, Ziser said.

“Some will be more forgiving than others, of course,” he said. “But I think his apology will be viewed as sincere. There is nothing wrong with holding yourself to high standard, even if you fail.”

Political science professor Fred Lokken said he believes the timing of the infidelity revelations won’t necessarily hobble Ensign’s ambitions.

It could be a tremendous bombshell – just as similar revelations damaged the career of former president candidate John Edwards, he said.

But Nevada has a long history of forgiving the personal troubles of its politicians, he said. Just two years ago, U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons was elected governor while he was under investigation for assaulting a cocktail waitress. Charges were never filed in the case.

“I really do think that Nevada has a different standard for its politicians than the rest of the country,” said Lokken, of Truckee-Meadows Community College.

Prejean, 21, said officials from the Miss California USA pageant were worried that her comments would cost their contest financial backing and tried to prepare her for a string of post-pageant media interviews by discouraging her from discussing her religious beliefs.

“`You need to apologize to the gay community. You need to not talk about your faith. This has everything to do with you representing California and saving the brand,’” Prejean recalled being told. “I was representing California. I was representing the majority of people in California.”

She offered her version of the tense hours following the April 19 Miss USA pageant while appearing at the San Diego megachurch that has helped shape her views. The Rock Church, founded by former San Diego Chargers defensive back Miles McPherson, was active in the campaign to pass a constitutional ban on gay marriages in California last year.

Prejean, who was named first runner-up to Miss North Carolina and will remain Miss California until November, has spent the last week defending her comments, made during the pageant’s final round. They came in response to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton’s question about legalizing same-sex marriage.

“I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage,” she said. “And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”

Hilton, who is gay, stoked the 30-second exchange the next day when he cursed the beauty queen on his blog and suggested her response may have cost Prejean the Miss USA crown.

Officials from K2 Productions, which produces the Miss California USA pageant, did not immediately return a phone call Sunday from The Associated Press seeking to verify Prejean’s account.

The San Diego Christian College junior, model and member of the San Diego Padres “Pad Squad” received a heroine’s welcome from fellow members of the Rock, where she was the guest of honor at morning services. Seated onstage across from McPherson, she recalled resisting multiple opportunities – from her appearance on NBC’s “Today” show to a performance with Miss USA pageant owner Donald Trump – to edit, explain or expound upon her remarks.

“I knew I had to stay true to my beliefs and not let them intimidate me into taking back what I said because I don’t take back what I said,” she said.

Rashad Robinson, media programs director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said Prejean’s honesty would have been admirable if, in frankly expressing her opinion, she hadn’t misspoke.

“Contrary to Miss California’s claim, people can’t choose, gay and lesbian couples don’t have a choice except in a handful of states,” Robinson said. “In her extensive public platform since then, she hasn’t clarified that, she hasn’t walked back from what are clearly misstatements.”

Because the contestant’s scores are supposed to be kept secret, it may never be known whether Prejean would have won had she not drawn Hilton’s question. Trump has said one part of the pageant would not have decided the outcome. Other pageant veterans, however, say that based on her standing as first runner-up, low scores from one judge would have been enough to cost Prejean the title.

Besides Hilton, at least two more of the pageant’s dozen judges have said Prejean should have given a more politic, if not politically correct, answer to avoid offending anyone and that it was her lack of tact, not her opposition to same-sex marriage, that ruffled feathers.

“I do not fault her for her beliefs. I fault her for her complete lack of social grace, and that’s a quality I want my Miss USA to possess,” judge Alicia Jacobs, a former Miss Nevada, wrote on her blog.

Others, though, have applauded Prejean for her forthrightness. The other four finalists were asked whether they would speak out against domestic violence, favor using taxpayer money to bail out corporations, give immigrants access to health care and help fund elections in Afghanistan.

“A question like that is not relevant in a platform such as the Miss USA pageant. It’s far too political and it’s divisive as well,” said Kenya Moore, the 1993 Miss USA who was one of the judges that named Prejean Miss California in November. “Half of the audience is going to agree and half is not, no matter what she said. It’s a no-win situation.”

As for Prejean, there is still the possibility she could go on to become Miss USA if winner Kristen Dalton wins the Miss Universe pageant this summer. Meanwhile, she plans to continue making the public appearances that comes with her Miss California USA duties.

On Thursday, she received a standing ovation while presenting an award at the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards in Nashville, but said, “up in Hollywood, I’m not sure what their reaction would be to my showing up at a movie premiere.”

She said she would be willing to meet with representatives from California’s largest gay rights group “as long as it’s not political.”

If anything, Prejean has solidified her stance in the last week. McPherson, who preaches against homosexuality, has been acting as her adviser and encouraging her to use her newfound fame to persuade other evangelical Christians to share their views, even if they are unpopular.

“I learned that God has a bigger crown than any man can give you,” she said.

In an interesting change of tactics, Rachel led off with the saddest news upfront. Perhaps she is trying to weed out viewers with insufficient moxie.

Ira Furman, former Deputy Director of the National Transportation Safety Board, helped explain what might have gone wrong in Thursday night’s tragic crash. He was clear, informative, and self-composed enough to keep viewers from making panicked decisions to never get on a plane again.

Instead, we all made calm, rational decisions to never get on a plane again.

Then it was time to get stimulated.

In the “Talk Me Down” segment, Transportation Secretary (and Obama Cabinet Republican) Ray LaHood talked about why only three Senate Republicans and not one House Republican voted for the stimulus bill.

Welcome to the wrong side of history, kids. No, my mistake – I see you made yourselves at home a while ago. Who put up shelves?

LaHood also talked about the withdrawal of former Commerce Secretary nominee… Wait.

On your honor, no reference materials out: Is it Senator Gregg Judd or Senator Judd Gregg? Do both exist and one is an evil twin? Would that explain the whole campaigning for the job and then backing out thing? I’m just asking.

La Hood used the ingenious strategy of pretty much agreeing with Rachel on all counts. Well played, sir. And a prudent way to avoid the Delicately Arched Brows of Extreme Skepticism.

Thank you, Ms. Maddow: That may be the best barbecue-based economic metaphor I’ve ever heard.

For the “Ms. Information” segment, Rachel started with an item about Senator Diane Feinstein maybe possibly letting just the tiniest piece of extremely classified information about our missile drones in Pakistan slip out. After illustrating the importance of intelligence security by speaking in impenetrable code, Rachel made the point that maybe knowing a little more about who we’re bombing and why might not be the worst thing in the world.

Then it was on to the truly wonderful story of an international protest that is righteous, necessary, and hilarious. The best-named women’s group in all creation (You’ll have to watch the clip to find out what it is, but trust me: you want to.) is protesting violent attempts at oppression from the far right by requesting shipments of granny panties.

Rachel’s thoughts included the sentiment, “Given the choice of weapons of war, put me on the side of panty warfare any day,” causing thousands of women across the nation to have to breathe into paper bags until they could settle down.

In “Scrub. Rinse. Repeat.” Rachel reported that the religious right no longer wishes to be called the religious right.

Turns out that somehow while they were keeping loving couples from getting married, stopping women from getting accurate information about birth control, lobbying to get public schools to stop teaching basic science, holding creepy purity balls in which girls pledge their virginity to their fathers until they get married and can stop all the saddlebacking, and generally behaving as though they can’t start the day with a smile until they’ve had a steaming hot cup of coffee and stomped all over the civil rights of a fellow human being, they seem to have gotten just the teeniest bit of a reputation for being less than fun to hang out with at parties.

So they went on a retreat of quiet prayer and meditation, took an unflinching look at their true goals and ideals, and acknowledged full personal responsibility for the animosity that’s being directed their way in a profound and moving apology.

No, of course they didn’t. They decided to keep doing all the exact same stuff but get a different, supercool name. Sort of like KFC.

They now wish to be called “Socially Conservative Evangelicals,” and I hereby beg you to join me in finding new and childish ways to use that phrase in unflattering contexts.

Example: “I’m glad Jake didn’t go out with Chris. He spent his teenage years saddlebacking and now has a severe case of Socially Conservative Evangelical warts.”

The new trend in re-branding instead of rethinking does not stop there. Rachel took us through some of the best exhibits in the “Rename Hall of Fame.” (Though she refused to pronounce Congressman Boehner’s name with a long O. I think she might be on to us.)

Among them, of course, was the astonishingly evil Blackwater corporation, now called Xe. It’s officially pronounced “zee,” but I prefer to pronounce it as it’s spelled: Like you’re hawking up the remains of a sinus infection.

Rachel showed us some outdated corporate swag, including Blackwater teddy bears. Because those Vermont Teddy Bear commercials weren’t disturbing enough.

Speaking of disturbing, let’s talk some more about outsourcing our wars. Rachel welcomed Pratap Chatterjee, author of the book “Halliburton’s Army.” Chatterjee explained that we currently have more private contract workers than troops overseas.

Most of the non-combat scut-work is done by contractors from countries such as India and the Philippines, and vastly different wages are paid for the same work depending entirely on the workers’ nationalities.

On a personal note, the delivery of that piece of information marks the only time I have ever been able to relate military service in Iraq to my old job doing sketch comedy on a cruise ship.

The “GOP in Exile” segment featured a visit from Alexandra Pelosi, whose new documentary “Right America: Feeling Wronged” casts a sympathetic look at the people who scared the bejezus out of Left and Center America during the last election.

Pelosi posited that there are really two Americas, the second of which is apparently just to the right of Attila the Socially Conservative Evangelical.

Have a great President’s Day, and please remember that even though Valentine’s Day is over, it’s never too late to mail your panties to someone.

(To INDIA, people! Mail them to India!)

Mike Huckabee talks faith, family and freedom. But whose faith, whose family, and whose freedom…?

It’s been a long time since Mike Huckabee was a hot property — January 3, to be precise, when the former governor of Arkansas rocked the Republican Party establishment by winning the Iowa caucuses. Huckabee did go on to win a number of other primaries and caucuses, but ultimately had to give way to John McCain in the first week of March, when the senator from Arizona won enough delegates to give him the nomination.

As speculation intensifies over McCain’s choice of a vice-presidential running mate, Huckabee’s name occasionally comes up, but the smart money is on either Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty or perhaps a bit farther afield, on a woman such as Kay Bailey Hutchison or even Carly Fiorina.

For all of that, I think there are at least three reasons why the former governor of Arkansas may well be on McCain’s short list of possible running mates.

First, though the primary season now seems long over, it is important to remember that Huckabee lasted longer than any of McCain’s other rivals and carefully avoided attacking McCain during the primary season, unlike Mitt Romney, who launched attack after savage attack against the Republican front-runner. Even if he ended up coming in a distant second place in pledged delegates won, Huckabee came closer than anyone else to McCain out for the nomination. The fact that Huckabee accomplished this on a shoestring budget that was only a fraction of that available to the independently wealth Romney says something both about Huckabee’s political skills and even more so the almost fanatical support of evangeiical Christians.

And that leads to the second reason why McCain may well be considering Huckabee as a possible running mate: Huckabee has more credibility with the religious right than any of the other also-rans, a credibility that McCain rather desperately needs. The religious right distrusts and even despises McCain, who simply cannot win without a strong turnout from right-wing Christian evangelicals.

At least as important as the two aforementioned reasons for picking Huckabee would be this third quality: Huckabee is a very effective campaigner, as he proved time and again during the primary season. He may not have won the nomination, but Huckabee showed great political skills and demonstrated the appeal of his folksy sense of humor. And Huckabee showed enormous personal discipline in losing over 100 pounds while governor

As Americans, we all too blithely throw around terms like ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative.’ And yet, there are in fact many conservatisms. At the very least, the Reagan coalition that dominated American politics for nearly a generation included economic and foreign policy conservatives as well as social conservatives

On the one hand, Huckabee’s policy prescriptions for the most part are steeped in the Southern Baptist tradition from which he comes and on most issues, and on social values issues — including same-sex marriage and other LGBT rights issues — he is as far right a Republican as one could find in elected office in the United States today. During the primary season, Huckabee suggested that he was open to accepting the support of the Log Cabin Republicans; but the other Man From Hope is unlikely to support rights for LGB people in any form, let alone rights for transgendered people. And Huckabee’s comments about isolating people with AIDS are downright alarming.

But a careful examination of Huckabee’s record shows that he cannot be described as a conventional conservative in economic policy terms. As governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007, Huckabee was all too willing to engage in government intervention in the style of a traditional Southern populist. For example, Huckabee’s support for more music and art education in schools runs directly counter to the test-them-until-they-drop approach to education that many Democrats as well as most Republicans seem to have embraced.

Despite his impeccable religious right credentials, then, Huckabee is not popular with right-wing talk radio heads such as Rush Limbaugh, who calls him ‘The Huckster.’ Or with Sean Hannity, who follows Limbaugh on ABC affiliates on weekday afternoons, and who has gone so far as to label the former governor of Arkansas a ‘radical leftist/liberal.’

Rush Limbaugh may insist that Huckabee is no conservative and deride the Arkansan as a ‘populist,’ but if McCain does pick Huckabee as his running mate, his credibility with the religious right could help deliver just enough votes to deliver the White House to the Republicans for the third time in three elections.