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Huckabee: Confederate flag a state issue Friday, Jan 18, 2008 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau COLUMBIA, S.C. - Mike Huckabee on Thursday dove head-first into the long-running South Carolina controversy over the Confederate flag, saying it should be up to the state to decide how or whether it should be displayed. The comments came at a rally in Florence, S.C., where the Republican presidential candidate attempted to separate himself from other contenders he said were "Washington insiders." Saturday's South Carolina primary appears to be a two-man race between Huckabee and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., also is hoping to make an impact in the first-in-the-South primary. At the rally, Huckabee criticized those who "have been in charge of all the problems of this country and haven't fixed them." "I'm the one guy running that doesn't have a Washington address, that hasn't been a Washington lobbyist or a Washington insider," he said. His comments on the Confederate flag came as he bashed opponents in the anti-tax group Club for Growth. The organization has been campaigning against Huckabee, calling the former Arkansas governor a serial tax hiker. Huckabee said Arkansans wouldn't be swayed by out-of-state pressures, nor should South Carolina on the flag issue. "We tell them, you're going to tell us what to do with our flag? We'll tell you what to do with the pole," Huckabee said. Huckabee would not say whether he thought it was offensive to fly a flag seen as a racist symbol to some and a sign of Southern pride to others. The matter should be left to the state, he said. In 2000, McCain took the same position when he campaigned for president in South Carolina. He later said he was not honest about his opinion and that he opposed flying the flag. South Carolina had flown the Confederate flag on its Capitol dome, but later moved it to the Capitol grounds. When he was South Carolina governor , David Beasley angered conservative Republicans when he called for the flag to be removed from the dome. Now an active Huckabee supporter, Beasley on Thursday called on state residents to turn back McCain, who won the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary. Beasley pointed out McCain also won in New Hampshire in 2000 before George W. Bush took South Carolina. "Just like in 2000, when New Hampshire messed it up, South Carolina straightened it out," Beasley said. Huckabee never mentioned McCain on Thursday, but focused on illegal immigration - an issue that is considered a McCain weak spot among Republicans. On Wednesday, Huckabee signed a pledge to reject amnesty for illegal immigrants. He also supports a fence along the Mexican border and has proposed sending illegal immigrants back to their home countries to wait to enter the country legally. Huckabee pledged to initiate job growth as president, citing his work to raise Arkansas' gross domestic product. As the country looks to be headed toward a recession, South Carolinians in a recent poll indicated the economy was a top concern. "People don't want to sit around and wait for the government to do something for them," Huckabee said. "They want to have a job so they can put food on the table." The Associated Press contributed to this report |
