Best case scenario

Is that Huckabee was very careless

On CNN’s “The Situation Room” Wednesday, Mike Huckabee disavowed a contentious quote he provided in a lengthy New York Times Magazine profile published online, and said he never expected to see the remark in print.

However, both the article’s writer and editor have a different take.

In the article, Zev Chafets wrote that Huckabee, “in an innocent voice,” asked him, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?”

Huckabee wants us to believe that he wasn't trying to attack Romney or address theological questions:

The Huckabee campaign stated on its website Wednesday morning that the “full context of the exchange makes it clear that Gov. Huckabee was illustrating his unwillingness to answer questions about Mormonism and to avoid addressing theological questions during this campaign.”

However, Huckabee himself characterized his question like this:

Huckabee went on to say that Chafets was telling him “things about the Mormon faith, because he frankly is fairly well-schooled on comparative religions. And so as a part of that conversation, I asked the question, because I had heard that, and I asked it not to create something — I never thought it would make the story.”

So, let me get this straight, we're supposed to understand that, in context, we'll understand that Huckabee wants to avoid discussing theology. However, by his own account, Huckabee asked a question of a reporter about the theological components of his opponents religion. Assuming we take him at his word that he just wanted to learn more about Mormon theology, how else could he possibly believed this question to be taken given the context? (This was an interview with a reporter in the height of the GOP primary.)

It would be best for Huckabee if he really did try to avoid theology during the campaign. Even if you are making valid theological points, the chances that the nuances involved will be picked up and correctly reported in the press are slim. There's very little chance even an innocent question about a difficult theological question will come out as anything good for you.

So, if we spin this the best possible way for Huckabee, he showed very poor judgment. However, I doubt his campaigns spin. I think it's far more likely, in context, that he was taking a cheap shot.

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