The Arkansas Times Jan 22, 1997:
"Interestingly enough," Huckabee allowed, "if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, 'This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency'."
See, it makes perfect sense. The political logic is inscrutable.
For example, there was a time to be concerned about how the Bush Administration committed treason by outing CIA operative Valerie Plame. It was back when Scott McClellan was lying about it, covering it up, and dodging questions. Similarly, there was a time for dissent about corporal punishment. It was back when the world's most famous victim, Jesus Christ, was himself executed.
The time has now passed. These issues are just settled. There's no need to issue subpoenas or (heaven forbid!) impeach the President. Likewise, since neither history nor theology shows any record of Jesus condemning the practice of corporal punishment, it should just be considered a done deal. Too bad, death-penalty opponents, Jesus missed the news cycle.
Besides the fact that this is just a sick and cowardly stunt to shut down debate, it should be considered revolting to any person of faith. Moreover, it's a singularly telling example of how the modern American conservative movement is dangerous to both politics and religion.
In American politics, the extreme right believes that if Jesus is on your side, you should just quit talking and get on with it. Any time you invoke His name, your word, by association, becomes gospel. The truth is the precise opposite, and Mike Huckabee, an ordained minister, should know better. None of us is without sin. The value of faith is how deliberately it's practiced, not how loudly it's preached.
Watching the rise of religious zealots in American politics over the course of the last few decades has been terrifying to people of faith. Faith is a critical part of American political life, and always has been, but there has always been a healthy respect for the separation of the values of our Judeo-Christian influenced western world, and the dogma of any particular religious sect or creed.
It was once considered basically indecent to discuss politics or religion in most gatherings, let alone, both together. Now it practically leads our political discourse. From science-reviling "Intelligent Design", to STD-enabling "Abstinence Only Education", to Bush's 8,348th reason for invading Iraq "God made me do it", people of faith look with astonishment and loathing as right-wing manipulators use the vestiges of faith to pursue political gains.
In the words of our founding fathers: "...the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion" - US Senate 1797 Unanimously, the Treaty of Tripoli, Art 11.
Unfortunately, despite the enlightened Deist groundings of our true American founding, the forces of ignorance, foisting religious dogma upon the American body politic has risen unabated for decades. This state of affairs threatens both authentic faith, and the reasonable discourse necessary for legitimate democratic politics.
Mike Huckabee is a leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, and he is a standard bearer for these dangerous and blasphemous politics.
People of faith should be very concerned indeed. Church attendance has dropped significantly since the 1960s and it is hard to see how sullying the sacred with these mundane political matters will serve to get more Americans to practice their faith.
More on Huckabee's war on religion here.