Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee bowed out of the Republican presidential primary race last night and that news has the members of one particular key Republican constituency "bushy tailed with joy." Chip Nuttingham, chief spokesman for NRSA, the National Republican Squirrels Alliance (pictured above) spoke with reporters from his favorite oak tree Tuesday evening, as news of Huckabee's defeat and concession became known.
"We see this as a real vindication, not only of our place in the party, but of our central role in determining policy, refining the party message, and bringing four more years of constructive squirrelly insight to the White House," Nuttingham commented. "I realize Mr. Huckabee had a certain appeal to elements of the electorate. And that the Republican party has even allowed for a certain kind of thinking to enter into the political discourse. But I think the Republican primary results have proven to be a resounding rebuke and renunciation for that kind of thinking."
Huckabee had attempted something of an insurgent campaign in his quest for the nomination. Appealing to Evangelical voters wasn't seen as all that radical, as these voters had been a key voting bloc of support for President Bush in 2000 and 2004. His disparaging remarks about gays came as little surprise and his advocacy for a "more Christian" constitution had won him some support. The most radical aspect of the campaign had been Huckabee's view towards squirrels.
The Arkansas governor had boasted to the press of his past exploits in capturing, killing and actually eating squirrel during his college days, even going so far as to offer up a recipe in one, now infamous interview.
"I think Huckabee's defeat just shows that squirrel hate isn't going to sell in America anymore, not with Republicans, not with the general electorate either," Nuttingham remarked last night.
John McCain will actually lunch with President Bush today and it is expected that the president will offer the Arizona senator his endorsement. Republican political analysts observe that it has been a "long strange trip" to bring McCain to this point. McCain had actually defeated Bush in early primaries in the 2000 campaign and it was in a brutal and bruising South Carolina primary contest that the tide was turned. Many attributed the Bush victory to hardball political dirty tricks such as an anonymous press release calling attention to McCain's bulging cheeks and squirrel like eating habits.
"Those politics are behind us, now," Nuttingham observes," with groups like NRSA and host of other private think tanks, media sources and advocacy groups, squirrelly thinking is well represented in Republican policy —today and for a long time to come."
One thing is for sure as John McCain dines with President Bush today, as the presumptive Republican nominee. Squirrel is not on the menu.
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