Inside the Beltway: Mike Huckabee gets suddenly presidential

NEWS AND OPINION:

Where was the news media when Mike Huckabee stood in the very shadow of the U.S. Capitol last month, staging a determined rally for Israel, pro-life causes and traditional values? Journalists were mighty scarce that day. But things have changed. In the past 24 hours, considerable press now suggests Mr. Huckabee is striking a presidential pose, especially now that he’s off on a European tour accompanied by 100 pastors, with a new book due out in 10 weeks. He’s getting so much attention that Media Matters for America — the progressive watchdog — is already insisting Fox News suspend Mr. Huckabee’s contract as a weekend host. The network has done it before: Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ben Carson all lost their broadcast perches once their White House glow got a little too pronounced. Among news organizations that have declared that Mr. Huckabee is mulling a 2016 run: The Washington Post, Salon, MSNBC, NBC, CBS and Hot Air.

Should speculation be true, grass-roots America might be in for a treat as far as Mr. Huckabee’s campaign goes. He does not back off his beliefs, his style or his down-home cachet. Ever. There is something to be said for that in an election marketplace that requires politicians to shift their souls to suit the polls. Mr. Huckabee’s new book, due Jan. 20, is titled “God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy.” The author asks the question, “Have I been taken to a different planet than the one on which I grew up?” Voters wonder the same thing. In advance notes, St. Martin’s Press says Mr. Huckabee will home in on the resilience of small-town folk and moving America forward, among other things. “Huckabee’s brand of optimistic patriotism lends itself to discussing the reintroduction of fundamental American values as well as a bright outlook for future generations,” the publisher advises.

WEIRD SCIENCE

“The Rosetta comet mission cost half as much as the U.S. midterm elections. One of the most amazing things about today’s unprecedented comet landing is the surprisingly reasonable cost of the Rosetta mission: $1.74 billion,” reports Joseph Stromberg, a science writer for Vox.

Indeed, he is right. The midterms cost about $4 billion — this according to an excruciating analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

BEHAVE OR ELSE

“Now I know that Republicans and Democrats will continue to have policy disagreements. Nobody is suggesting that’s not going to happen, but this is the place where those get debated, where they get voted on and where majorities will actually pass legislation and send them to President Obama. Dysfunction is not the only choice we have, and now that that’s been rejected by the voters, resoundingly, we know a change is in order. The American people have demanded it, and they deserve it, and they will get it,” Sen. John Cornyn told his peers in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday during a stern moment.

The Texas Republican has a point. Gallup has already revealed this week that while the leery, weary public now wants the Republican Party to shape the nation’s destiny for a spell, less than a third are convinced it will do any good. And now comes another pollster with similar findings. The Pew Research Center also plumbed public sentiment in the days immediately following the midterm election to reveal “divided opinions over who should take the lead in solving the nation’s problems — 41 percent say Republican congressional leaders, while 40 percent say Barack Obama.”

Another 44 percent approve of GOP plans, while 43 percent disapprove. Convincing them otherwise will take consistent civility and plodding, relentless, productive work that yields results, no matter how modest.

“The public is not optimistic that the new balance of power in Washington will improve relations between Republicans and Democrats. Overall, just 18 percent say they think relations between Republicans and Democrats will get better in the coming year,” the researchers advise.

E-E-E-E-BOLA

While Congress and the White House duke it out over $6 billion in Ebola research funding, veterinarians have been all over the disease scare like, well, a big dog. The American Veterinary Medical Association has just issued guidance for health officials and the public regarding Ebola and pets. Should the dog be quarantined? Is the cat contagious?

The organization has collaborated with both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USDA in its research and recommendations. Find it all here: Avma.org/Ebola.

GASSING IT UP

What really happened when President Obama made that feel-good, media-friendly agreement with China to cut carbon emissions in the United States? Lots happened, and it doesn’t have much to do with bettering the environment.

“This deal is the latest move by the president to circumvent congressional approval, in this case by using a ’politically binding’ promise to others that he hopes make his EPA’s rules untouchable here at home. The intention here is to effectively embed his proposed and highly vulnerable EPA rules through soft commitments like this — and the Paris agreement next year repeating it — despite not being legally binding,” explains Christopher C. Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute who also happens to be an attorney.

“Under what is known as customary international law, countries are obligated to keep promises that are repeated so often or so well understood, or at minimum not violate their ’object and purpose.’ However, for President Obama to meaningfully promise to China, or anyone else, that the U.S. will curb our carbon emissions requires Senate ’advice and consent’ ratification under the Constitution,” Mr. Horner says.

“This move is instead a clear attempt to pressure U.S. lawmakers, courts or the next president’s EPA to leave Obama’s greenhouse gas rules alone. He seeks to use promises to others to seal the deal on his domestic war on coal,” he adds.

“The atmosphere of Earth weighs 11,700,000,000,000,000,000 pounds. Reducing our annual emissions of so-called greenhouse gasses by a few tens of thousands of pounds will hardly make a measurable difference. So what the president has committed to do makes no sense. Paying for the federal government’s climate change programs is already costing each average American family $1,200 a year. The president’s actions can potentially triple that. Those are dollars our families need for food, health care and education,” declares meteorologist John Coleman, the outspoken founder of the Weather Channel and a policy adviser for the Heartland Institute.

A MOMENT WITH GEORGE AND SEAN

This should be convivial. Former President George W. Bush stops off to visit with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday — capping off a very busy week of press appearances for Mr. Bush, who is eager to discuss his new book “41: A Portrait of My Father.” Mr. Hannity will journey to the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, for their chat. Yes, this is the turf of George H.W. Bush. Things get underway at 10 p.m. EST.

POLL DU JOUR

91 percent of Americans say consumers have “lost control” over how their personal information is collected and used by commercial companies.

80 percent say Americans should be concerned about government monitoring of phone calls and Internet communications.

71 percent do not feel secure sharing personal information on social media.

64 percent say the government should regulate advertisers who use personal data.

62 percent have used online search engines to look up their own name and reputation.

42 percent have posted information online anonymously.

Source: A Pew Research Center’s Internet Project survey of 607 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 11-28 and released Wednesday.

Happy talk, obtuse predictions to jharper@washingtontimes.com.