Good Heavens: Huckabee "Not Really That Aware" Of Issues Surrounding Cuban Embargo

Are you kidding me?

Fred Thompson knocks him for flip-flopping -- not supporting the Cuba embargo after calling for it to be lifted as late as 2002 -- but what is jaw-dropping is this:

Since then, Huckabee said, he had been able to find new markets for the rice market by going to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea to find Asian markets for the state’s rice. Another reason for the policy change, explained Huckabee, was that he was "really not that aware" of the issues that exist between Cuba and the United States. "Being in Arkansas, that’s not one of the issues I am in close proximity with," he said.

I'm sorry, but Arkansas is located on Planet Earth isn't it?

It's astonishing to me that he believes this level of ignorance is a defense. And even more astonishing to me -- I halfway believe he's as ignorant as he claims.

Has he heard of Afghanistan? Just checking.

Update (Slublog) - Dave at Garfield Ridge points out this article.

Arkansas played a part in the international drama of 1980, when 125,000 Cubans left their homeland for a new life in the United States. Roughly 25,000 of these Cuban refugees—called Marielitos because they had departed Cuba from the port of Mariel—were housed for a time at Fort Chaffee in Sebastian County. Their presence in Arkansas created social and political tension widely thought to have had an impact on the Arkansas governor’s race of 1980.

Update [Ace]: I wasn't going to post this, finding it a bit tenuous, but since Sluey has done so, I'll note that Dan Riehl has similarly flagged this as an inconsistency.

I dunno. This was years before he became political. Furthermore, I am sort of accepting his country-bumpkin act as basically legit. What with him claiming Bush had the NIE just released last week for four years and all.

Which is not a good thing, mind you.

posted by Ace at 06:53 PM

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