"... if we had played by the rules of the Democrats, I would have won, and if the Democrats have played by the rules of the Republicans, Hillary would have won this long ago."

"The greatest threat to classic Republicanism is not liberalism; it's this new brand of libertarianism, which is social liberalism and economic conservatism, but it's a heartless, callous, soulless type of economic conservatism because it says "look, we want to cut taxes and eliminate government."

...... Fred Thompson's presence took votes from me. We would have won by 10 points had Fred not been in the race. We would have won handily in South Carolina, but because the conservative vote split, in essence, three ways, and even though I had more than Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney combined, the fact is, their presence kept me from the two points I needed to beat John McCain in South Carolina. [He lost 29.9 percent to McCain's 33.2 percent.]  

 "He [Obama] told me he didn't think it was a big deal, that he knew I didn't mean anything by it and not to worry. He was a class act and gracious. Too bad the people who blew it up on the Internet weren't as classy or calm as he was."

... Republican officials said they were enlisting President Bush, a formidable fund-raiser who has raised more than $36 million this year for Republican candidates and committees, for three events on Mr. McCain’s behalf. They will appear together at a fund-raiser in Phoenix on May 27, and the next day the president will take part in a luncheon with Mitt Romney in Salt Lake City and then an exclusive dinner at Mr. Romney’s vacation home in Park City, Utah.

"Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and defeated contender for the GOP presidential nomination, is currently at the top of John McCain's short list for a running mate. At least that's the word from a top McCain fundraiser and longtime Republican moneyman who has spoken to McCain's inner circle."

"... let the 'anonymous' sources either show the courage to stand up and be accountable for their comments or shut up and leave commentary to people who aren’t afraid of their own shadow."

... credible activists are spreading the word that Huckabee secretly allies himself with the bitter-end opposition. That hardly seems possible considering his public backing, but critics of Huckabee's 10 years as governor of Arkansas say he is all too capable of playing a double game.

... One experienced, credible activist in Christian politics who would not let his name be used told me that Huckabee, in personal conversation with him, had embraced the concept that an Obama presidency might be what the American people deserve. That fits what has largely been a fringe position among evangelicals: that the pain of an Obama presidency is in keeping with the Bible's prophecy.

... "The truth of the matter is just as I said, that he doesn't have a record of accomplishments in the private sector or in the governmental sector ... hasn't pushed a major piece of legislation.

"He seems like a charming guy who's very well-spoken. But in terms of actually having led, actually having accomplished something, actually having a kind of leadership that America needs at a critical time with our economy ... he's untested. ... Frankly, Sen. McCain is someone who is tested and very proven ..."

Obama later fired back, saying this was the same kind of argument Romney had used against McCain.

Meanwhile, writing in the Buffalo News, Curt Smith makes the Huck for Veep case, arguing McCain needs Huckabee's voters:

Specifically, Huckabee would clinch what McCain aides wrongly “believe that he has already won,” the Wall Street Journal says of bornagains. Despite his recent “guns and religion” gaffe, Barack Obama could loosen such evangelical states as Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and even Mississippi. Recently, Houston TV megachurch pastor Joel Osteen lauded Hillary Clinton for “all you’ve done for America.” Kennedy’s fire wall was LBJ. Huckabee would be McCain’s. Overnight he would make the Republicans’ largest block a GOP pro, not con.

"... that Huck is still drawing votes this far removed from having dropped out of the race is a reminder of his lingering appeal among Christian conservatives.  He got 12% of the vote statewide in Carolina, but out in Billy Graham country near the Tennessee border he was well into the teens in county after county.

Do these folks know Huck has withdrawn?   Are they just voting for him to register their support for a fellow believer?  

"Former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Wednesday Barack Obama's bid for the White House is not being derailed because he is black, but because his former pastor does not want him to show the country's race relations have progressed.

Obama, a Democrat, has struggled in recent weeks to distance himself from incendiary comments made by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

"His (Obama's) campaign is not being derailed by his race, it's being derailed by a person who doesn't want him to prove that we have made great advances in this country," Huckabee told reporters.

... "Jeremiah Wright needs for Obama to lose so he can justify his anger, his hostile bitterness against the United States of America," Huckabee said."