The Occasional Observer

Now that he's flying to the fore, the opposing campaigns are obviously conducting an oppo research dump. Makes for some fun at Drudge. It's all to the good. Get it all out now. If Huck has Teflon, he'll put in the rear-view. If not, he's not the guy the GOP needs.

My guess? He's up to the challenge.

To wit:

Huck on those with AIDS ca. '92:

In 1992, Huckabee wrote, "If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague."

"It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."

Huck called homosexuality aberrant and sinful (now there's a shocker for a minister...):

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, surging in Iowa polls in the Republican presidential race, wrote on a questionnaire while running for U.S. Senate in 1992 that homosexuality is "aberrant" and "sinful."

"I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk,"

And of course, more drum beating on the Dumond case.


UPDATE:

Huck has responded on the AIDS story. Here's a piece of what he had to say:

At the time, there was widespread concern over modes of transmission and
the possibility of epidemic. In the absence of conclusive data, my focus
was on efforts to limit the exposure of the virus, following traditional medical
practices developed from our public health experience and medical science in
dealing with tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

We now know that the virus that causes AIDS is spread differently, with
a lower level of contact than with TB. But looking back almost 20 years, my
concern was the uncertain risk to the general population – if we got it wrong,
many people would die needlessly. My concern was safety first, political
correctness last.

My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for
dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between
the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a
realistic path toward our goals. We must prevent new infections and provide more
accessible care. We must do everything possible to transform the promise of a
vaccine and a cure into reality.