(Video of Huckabee's CPAC speech coming soon ...)
In addressing CPAC this morning, Mike Huckabee made it clear he was not dropping out: "Am I quitting? Well, let's get that settled right now. No, I am not!" (cheers and applause).
Always a powerful orator, Huckabee noted that: "My conservatism is rooted in my understanding of the scriptures." He then jokingly quoted this Bible verse, saying: "A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but a fools heart directs him to the left."
The speech was inspiring; the sort of thing you'd hear at a motivational conference. He opened the speech focusing on his personal background, and how this country allowed him to rise from near-poverty to become governor of Arkansas. Huckabee said that growing up in Arkansas, he only knew 7 Republicans. He said that, growing up, they had three heroes: Jesus, Elvis, and FDR.
He said Phyllis Schlafly's book, "It's a Choice, Not an Echo," inspired him as a teenager. This is interesting, as Schlafly has been an outspoken critic of Huckabee.
Huckabee said that America is a great nation because our founding fathers, "were first on their knees before they were on their feet. We are a nation rooted by our faith."
Regarding the war on Islamo-Fascism, he said: "This is not a war for soil, this is a war for our soul."
He gave a very conservative speech, which spent a lot of time focused on the tax code that is, "choking the life out of small business."
Addressing fiscal conservatism, he said he would like to be the president that puts the IRS out of business. Then, as a prop, he ripped up a piece of paper that was to represent a tax form.
At several points, the crowd erupted into the chant: "We LIKE MIKE!, WE LIKE MIKE!
He closed by saying that some pundits say of his chances, "... the math doesn't work out," but he added" ... I didn't major in math, I majored in miracles, and I still believe in miracles."
He also noted he's the only candidate who has, "run against the Clinton machine, and beat it four times."
(Doug Glies was the emcee, and Star Parker introduced the former governor.)