Via Think Progress, here's Huckabee on Chris Matthews, talking about Scott "Sucker MC" McClellans' "revelation" that Bush was involved in blowing CIA agent Valerie Plame's cover for political gain:

HUCKABEE: Well, I’m just hearing it this afternoon for the first time. It’s stunning. It’s one of those moments where I’m very glad that I’m not a Washington insider. It would not be a good time to have a Washington address.

MATTHEWS: Do you think this smacks of the problem of cover-up and sleaze and underhanded behavior, when even the president is apparently, according to his spokesman, party to a cover-up, willingly or not, wittingly or not putting out false information and then commuting the sentence of the person who shared in that party line, which was to deny any criminality?

HUCKABEE: … these are serious allegations…

MATTHEWS: Scott was told to do something, Scooter did it. I mean, it’s fairly parallel here.

HUCKABEE: Well, they’re serious allegations, but we don’t know yet whether they’re true. Scott’s not saying this under oath. It’s not being denied under oath. And I have a feeling that before it’s all finished through the wash, that’s what’s going to happen.

But these are serious allegations. They deserve to be thoroughly examined, investigated, and the truth brought to the American people.

MATTHEWS: Do you think the American people deserve a statement from the president in this regard, personally?

HUCKABEE: Oh, I think [Bush] will have to respond to it, because the closeness and the fact that Scott McClellan was one of his most trusted aides and in the position of press secretary.

Catch another Republican candidate saying Bush will "have to" do anything! And it's interesting that Huckabee is staking out this position, isn't it? It's almost like he wants to get out ahead of something....

And herewith some entirely fact-free pontification on why the next Republican candidate will be Huckabee, based on interviews with a real American (me). Heck, if Broder can do it, why can't I?

I'm telling you, Huckabee's the one to watch out for. He's affable, he's a Southern White, he's got that obesity story to tell, and he's a Christianist. Heck, he's an ordained Baptist minister*, so he's got the votes of the thirty percent who believe in theocracy all sewed up!

Tooliani will implode, Paul won't make it out of the Paultard ghetto -- though I bet Huckabee heaving Bush over the side is an attempt to peel votes away from Paul -- Willard Mitt is the world's phoniest phony, Uncle Fred's going to stumble climbing out of his golf cart, and the base hates McCain.

It's gonna be Huckabee. Our famously free press will paint him as a Moderate because he's the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with--even though Huckabee is a stone winger loon--and it's off to the races again. Personally, I can see him beating Hillary, since he can run as an "outsider."

NOTE * Whatever being a Baptist minister is going to be good for these days, what with all the Christianist child molesters getting indicted these days. Not to say that Huckabee had anything other than the remotest responsibility for clergy sexual predation, despite his membership in the largest Christian denomination in the United States after the Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention. Somebody should ask Huckabee what he feels about clergy sexual predation, and if, as an ordained minister, he took any action to stop it. In fact, here's a list of Southern Baptist "ministers" "convicted, confessed, or credibly accused" of child abuse. Wonder if there's anybody on here that Huckabee would be anxious to disassociate himself from?