Right, delving into politics here.

[zengar]

Following a chain of links, I ended up here where bradhicks quotes an article and asks a question that I think need to be spread even further.

On page seven of this article in The New York Times, the writer included this section summarizing part of Mike Huckabee's own book, Character Makes a Difference, about how he became governor of Arkansas:

In 1993, Huckabee won a special election for lieutenant governor. Then, in 1996, Gov. Jim Guy Tucker was convicted on federal charges of fraud and conspiracy in events relating to the Whitewater scandal.

What happened next is related in the first 31 pages of ‘‘Character Makes a Difference.’’ This is Huckabee’s ‘‘Profiles in Courage’’ (if J.F.K. had been writing autobiography). He gives the book to reporters as a testament to his skill at crisis management. The crisis in question took place on July 15, 1996. Governor Tucker was supposed to resign, and Huckabee was scheduled to be sworn in at 2 p.m. But at 1:55, Tucker called to say that he had changed his mind. He wasn’t quitting.

This was ‘‘arguably the greatest constitutional crisis in Arkansas history,’’ Huckabee writes, as though his state never seceded from the Union or had its capital’s high school forcibly integrated by the 101st Airborne. Still, Tucker’s change of heart was a big moment. As Huckabee recalls it, the Arkansas State Legislature fell into chaos. ‘‘Many of the old-time Democrats all but fell on the floor and ripped their garments in twain. . . . Keeping your word is a sacred thing in Arkansas.’’ When it became clear that garment-rending wouldn’t get Tucker to go away quietly, Huckabee took direct action. He addressed the people in a statewide telecast, informing them that he was now in control; he threatened impeachment proceedings against Tucker; state troopers were mobilized to protect the capital. All this activity had the desired effect. Tucker re-resigned. In fact, the whole affair was wrapped up by the 6 o’clock news.

As bradhicks put it, isn't that a coup d'etat? If there was never anything more than a "gentleman's agreement" that Governor Tucker would resign in the first place, then Huckabees actions would be almost unquestionably illegal. Even if there were more binding promises in place, I doubt Huckabee had a legal leg to stand on. He may have been (and from other parts of the article it sounds like he was) a far better governor than the one he replaced, but this is not the sort of person we want in the Whitehouse. Especially now.

Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe Zev Chafets at the Times is miss-quoting Huckabee in the article. Maybe Huckabee exaggerated in his book. But unless someone proves to me that this is all a miss-understanding, Huckabee joins Ron Paul on my list of "must be voted against whenever possible." There are people I just don't the politics of (most of the field, it seems) and then there are those who I have very specific worries about...