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Mike Huckabee Defends First Lady in Food Fight With Sarah Palin

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee knows a thing or two about obesity. Huckabee, who lost more than 100 pounds after learning in 2003 that he had diabetes, says fellow Republican Sarah Palin maybe doesn't get it when it comes to First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity.

Huckabee, a once and possibly future presidential candidate, told New York radio host Curtis Sliwa that Obama is on to something important. "With all due respect to my colleague and friend Sarah Palin, I think she's misunderstood what Michelle Obama is trying to do," Huckabee said. "Michelle Obama's not trying to tell people what to eat or force government's desires on people. She's stating the obvious: that we have an obesity crisis in this country."

On a recent episode of her reality show, "Sarah Palin's Alaska," the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee joked that she was going to make s'mores for a family camping trip, "in honor of Michelle Obama, who said the other day we should not have dessert." Obama has urged Americans to find alternatives to fattening desserts.

Huckabee said the obesity problem is real and has ramifications, even for national security: He noted that "25 percent of the people trying to get into the military today can't do so because they are grossly obese."

Huckabee, who has a Fox News talk show, is widely believed to be considering a 2012 presidential campaign. His friend Palin, the former governor of Alaska, has acknowledged that she too is thinking about a White House bid in two years. And both former governors would likely appeal to religious conservatives in the GOP base.

Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels and host of a program on WABC News/Talk Radio, reminded Huckabee that "you were overweight. You were a rockabilly -- you could play the guitar. . . . But you went out on a mission not only to lose weight for yourself, which you did -- you're very svelte -- but you also promoted it in the schools and every town in Arkansas that both the adults and the kids had to live a healthier life and that it had to start with diet."

Listen to his conversation with Huckabee below, courtesy of YouTube and the "Radio Equalizer" with Brian Maloney.




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86 Comments

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supermomlch

It seems to me that the people in the grocery store who have food stamps eat much more than those of us who have to pay for our groceries. I was a divorced mom, not recieving child support. I managed to raise my children without government envolvement. If we cut back on welfare maybe people would get out and work. I'm really getting tired of taking care of people who don't want to work.

February 17 2011 at 8:01 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
dfiorini16@aolco

Michelle Obama, like her husband, trying to run every part of our lives from DC. Well Michelle Maybelle, how about encouraging the kids to put ther laptops, I Phones and cell phones down for an hour a day and go jog, play some baseball, football, soccer , basketball with the neighbor hood kids or in organized sports at school.
Get them up off their rear ends and get active. That is a big start in stopping obiesity.
The government is not the answer to everything, please relay that to the President.

January 04 2011 at 9:38 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
georgemotroni

For those so called conservatives who keep saying that Palin would do just as good a job as Obama, get real! You ask why so many people in this country get worked up when they hear any story about her. The reason is, that she is a dangerous woman. There is no better example of hubris in a human being than that of this woman claiming that she's up to the task of running this country. She exemplifies a under educated, overly religious attitude that says, "if you just have enough faith" you too can run this country and do a good job. Nothing can be further from the truth. The religious right in this country has hijacked the Republican Party and until the people in the Republican Party who recognize her for what and who she truly is and represents, the party will go nowhere. Why not stand up to the current crop of religious bullies that claim to defend the constitution, while at the same time not understanding the principles that the document represents. I’m talking about the Glen Becks, and the Michelle Bachmanns and the Palins and the Rushs’ of the world who pay lip service to the constitution, then tell you how we should change it. These simpletons think that if only this country would turn to god, we would solve all our problems. Bull! Which god? The answer of course is, their god. They claim that this country was founded by Christians like them. Bull! This country was founded by smart men that new if you mix government with religion, very bad things would happen. This country was founded by Deists (people who believe in god, but that god does not intercede or play favorites) and secularists ( those who believe in a separation of church and state). Glenn Beck can lie all day if he chooses to, but the truth is the constitution mentions god 0 times, mentions jesus 0 times and mentions Christianity 0 times. The founding fathers, in their wisdom, did this purposely.

Stop calling people who use their minds for reasoning and problem solving “elitists”.

Stop electing candidates “who you can have a beer with”

Throw all fundamentalist out of office and this country (THEY ARE DANGEROUS)

Elect smart people who don’t boil down our current problems into simplistic black and white issues, then use religion to make decisions on these complex matters.

Insist on rejecting candidates who reject science.

It’s amazing to me that these candidates will ask the rhetorical question, “do we really want a religious test for those seeking public office?” Of course the answer is no. But at the same time, how about an IQ test?

Look, if someone is changing the brakes on my car, I do not care if he or she believes that the world is 10,000 years old. I do not think that will impede their performance on fixing my brakes or on a hundred other jobs that they might be doing. But if someone is running for public office, a job that includes influencing what my children are taught in school, or if my children will eventually be drafted into the military, or if this country gets involved in world war three, then it is HUGELY important what they believe. I would like to know if they believe the rapture is going to occur, I’d like to know if they believe Armageddon will occur in their lifetime, I’d like to know if they believe that there was an ark that carried two of every animal during a flood, and I’d like to know if they believe that we all came from two people named adam and eve. Because if they believe these things are real and not allegory, then they ARE IDIOTS! These types of people think that scientists can be dismissed because they have all the answers that they need from a book called the bible. If you then ask them where the bible came from, they then give you that deer in the headlights look and answer “god of course”. They don’t know anything about the history of the bible. Who wrote it and who manipulated it. This is too complicated an issue for them. Even though they could go on the internet to wikepedia or a hundred other sources and educate themselves, they refuse. Why, because they live their lives with their heads in the sand and if you ask them a reasonable question, their reaction is to stick their fingers in their ears and sing loudly, like a child would, when confronted with facts that might cause them to think for themselves.

You elect a fool like Palin at your own peril.

December 30 2010 at 11:18 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
ELLEN

I am really glad to hear a Rep let Palin know what they really believe, usually they are afraid to say anything, they are proably worried she will get her gun out and re-load against them. Palin needs to disapear, one hateful women, the sad part is their are so many people out there that think she is right.SPREAD THE HATE.

December 25 2010 at 11:54 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
mtmdm325

So you want the government to run your life. don,t say no because its to late. parents have slowly been stripped of there rights to raise there kids as they see fit for many years now and as kids have gotten smarter they are in better terms getting away with merder.most any kid from the age of 9 to 16 know that if there parents even raises a hand to them to call the cops. and people wonder why little johnny turned out to be a fat crack head.any one whom is over the age of 40 knows that if you ever bad mouthed your mom or dad like the kids do these days we would get the spit smacked out of you.now days I have seen kids tell there there parents to go f*** them self's with no fear from them at all .there lays the problem.most parents are set in a spare the rod & spoil the kid syndrom. so if fat little johnny starts acting up and and getting bad grades and etc.etc a perent has no choice but to reward them for there nasty behavior by sitting his ass in front of a tv screen and shoveling food down his neck to shut him up..just try takeing away the cell phone and the vidio games and computer and them twinkies you will see just how bad your kid will be . your fat little johnny may just have to murder you !

December 23 2010 at 6:41 AM Report abuse -10 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to mtmdm325's comment
shelcreates2

kids who have PARENTS start learning right vs.wrong at birth and by teaching and modeling examples by their PARENTS learn values , respect and self-respect.
Given children mostly have 'raisers', not parents, terrible things are done to them, so the law is necessary. The problem is that people have never read all aspects of the law and took it as a way to get out of the hard job of disciple from their shoulders. The law is good to stop abuse of youth. Parents just use it to avoid responsibility.

February 10 2011 at 11:48 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
ssgooent

I have two words for Mr. Huckabee. these words are the reason he will never be president and no matter how hard he tries, he'll never be able to run from them. Maurice Clemmons. The entire state of Washington will make certain that this name will be mentioned every single day of his candidacy to any media that will listen. If you don't recognize this name, do some research and it will become apparent that Huckabee doesn't have the judgement to be president!

December 23 2010 at 6:33 AM Report abuse -10 rate up rate down Reply
Carol

There are lots of things that Sarah Palin doesn't get, and mostly it's because she's just too full of herself to listen and accept what others are saying. When it comes to Palin, her motto is: "Me, myself and I."

December 23 2010 at 6:18 AM Report abuse +17 rate up rate down Reply
robert kennedy

First of all I for one would never vote for Huckabee,because I believe he conspired with McCain in WVA in the 2008 presidental elections which Rommey had to withdraw.McCain was the worst canidate that the right could have nominated and it cost this country.

December 23 2010 at 5:59 AM Report abuse -5 rate up rate down Reply
Retta

The First Lady is to be commended for modelling(not shoving it in anyone's throat) that healthy eating is the key to healthy living. I once heard that obesity will ultimately take you out in one way or other. It may take a while but sooner or later an obesity related disease will show up on your doorstep. Had I known this years ago, I would have made greater effort to lose weight. I am now at fifty three trying to lose 100 pounds to combat hypertension. Press on Mrs Obama! Keep putting out this message and hopefully young people will adapt somehting positive for a change.

December 23 2010 at 5:56 AM Report abuse +16 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Retta's comment
dfiorini16@aolco

Dont you understand Retta, Michelle Maybelle and her husband are trying to run the entire country from Washington. What you can eat, what you can drive, where you can live. Does Socialism/Marxism ring a bell. WAKE UP.

January 04 2011 at 9:48 AM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
amdm

is this the michael that goes with the presidential dope to have burgers? wake up, its not the smores , its the fast food and all the crap they put in our food, i have just spent 3 months in aisa, lost 36 lbs. america wake up, the demorats prey on the poor the gready the weak and the stupid

December 23 2010 at 5:55 AM Report abuse -6 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to amdm's comment
shelcreates2

It's not the Democrats! Its every one who abides by the CAPITALIST founding /creation of America. It's our history. The 'rich', those who control the wealth and therefore power, run this nation at the exploitation of the workers. See defination. However, I support the policies of the Party of 'honest Abe', the Democrats, for the small opening of some fairness to those being the exploited.

February 11 2011 at 12:11 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply

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