Time For Huck To Go?

I know, I know - just a couple days ago I was arguing that it made sense for him to keep on keeping on. But looking at the landscape Geraghty lays out, there aren't many places between here and Texas where he's likely to make the kind of noise he did in Kansas and Louisiana (or even Virginia, for that matter); what he's facing, instead, is a slew of 55-35 or even 65-20 drubbings. At the moment, his exit strategy seems to be to wait till McCain reaches the magic number and then concede, which makes sense if he can keep up the respectable showing he's made in the last two weeks - winning some states here and there, making McCain sweat in others, and earning free media attention along the way. But it also makes sense for him to go out on a high note, and if he's just going to get pasted from now till Texas there's something to be said for making his strong showing in Virginia the last thing that voters and journalists remember about his primary-season run.

Comments

just going to get pasted from now till Texas

Hmm, who does that sound like?

Posted by neil | February 13, 2008 2:32 PM

The "road to Texas" includes Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Washington State, and Wisconsin. I don't think anyone will give a damn if Big John cleans up in the territories. In the first step of Washington State caucus, the Republican Party had to stop counting the ballots in order to give McCain a "victory."

Now, it's hard to believe that Wisconsin is Huckabee territory. So Mike could easily win one and lose win before he gets to Texas, which, in case you hadn't noticed, is one of the biggest states in the union, and one in which McCain could receive a major butt kicking. Time for Mike to go? Some might say he's just getting started. And some might say that that is just what Ross Douthat is afraid of.

Posted by Alan Vanneman | February 13, 2008 2:36 PM

I want Huckabee to fight all the way to the convention, so his followers show up with their snakes and their bibles and their "God Hates Fags" signs and spend the whole time screaming about how McCain needs to be "saved." This would be good for the nation.

Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | February 13, 2008 2:48 PM

Huckabee might win American Samoa, if I recall correctly most Samoans are fairly devout Protestant Christians (Congregationalist).

I didn't even think that Guam, Samoa and Puerto Rico could vote for the President...is this a new thing??

Posted by Hector | February 13, 2008 5:51 PM

maybe he is staying in for the attention, i.e. how it will improve his book sales and fees for speaking gigs. just saying

Posted by Piled high, Deep | February 13, 2008 9:28 PM