Huckabee on religion and the government

Chris Matthews Host of 'Hardball' • Profile

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST:  Right now, we go to the man with all the momentum, Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee.  Governor, thank you for joining us. 

Governor, I think you, like a lot of conservatives, believe in the original purpose of the Constitution as written.  It’s our sort of secular bible.  It says there should be no religious test ever required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. 

Why are you Republican candidates submitting to religious vetting about your belief in the literal nature of the Bible?  Why put up with those kinds of questions?

MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR:  Well, Chris, when guys like you quit asking it, we’ll quit answering it.  But the fact is, we get asked these questions in the debates, and if we evade them, if we act like we’re not going to answer them, then we’re going to get hammered for being unwilling to address the questions that are put to us.  So that’s why I keep answering them.

MATTHEWS:  But these are religious test questions.  They’re not about public policy.  They’re not about what you believe the country should be about.  They’re what you believe about the Bible.  They’re particularly religious testing of you fellows.  Why didn’t somebody raise their hand last night and say, "This is not what America’s about." 

If there was a Jewish fellow up here, an Arab fellow up here, a non-believer, he’d have to say, I don’t believe in the Bible.  Then where would we be?  Some people giving the correct answer, according to some, and others giving the incorrect answer.

HUCKABEE:  I would love for us to be asked questions about education and health care and energy independence.  Unfortunately, those were the questions that nobody did ask us last night.  We instead got the questions that we got, tried to do them the best we can.

You tell me.  You control debates.  You’re the ones who moderate them.  I didn’t get to pick the questions.  If I did, I promise I’d have picked some different questions for me and for the other candidates, as well.

MATTHEWS:  Your campaign slogan is “Faith, family and freedom.”  On your TV ad we just saw here last night, it has a big line on it, “Christian leader.”  How does that separate you from the other candidates?  I thought all the candidates running this year on the Republican side are all Christians.  Why do you single yourself out as the Christian leader, if that’s not a religious case you’re making?

HUCKABEE:  Well, now, you used the wrong description there.  I never said I was “the” Christian leader.  I’m simply giving a description of who I am, introducing voters to me, since right now, there’s not been a lot of media for me in Iowa.  This is our first attempt to sort of introduce me.

And I think it’s a matter of letting them know that I have a background that I think they’re comfortable with.  But I’m not trying to impose my faith.  And Chris, very importantly, I certainly never said I am “the” Christian.  There’s no such thing as “the” Christian.  There’s only one “the” Christian, and that was Jesus Christ.  The rest of us are never going to be anywhere near Jesus Christ as “the” Christian, just a Christian following in his steps.

MATTHEWS:  But you said the only reason you answered questions about your Bible beliefs is because the question was put to you on a TV show. 

And now you admit that you’re putting up TV ads advertising your Christian belief.

There’s no message there when we see the big sign “Christian leader.”  You’re not saying you’re more a Christian leader then anyone else running.  What’s the point of mentioning it as a selling point?

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