While I was on my way to Minnesota and the Mall of America (Bubba Gump
Shrimp Co. was really good eatin' too!), I took a minor detour over to
Spirit Lake, IA to listen to former Arkansas governor (and 2008 Iowa
caucus winner) Mike Huckabee, who is now the sixth 2016 presidential candidate I've got to meet.
While I was a bit late and did not get to
hear all of his talk and Q&A session at a retirement community, I
did get to hear him re-iterate his support for traditional values and
his strategy for dealing with ISIS, which includes expanded bombing and
building a coalition for a ground war to topple the budding caliphate.
On
a personal level, I found him to be a very nice guy. I told him my
dad's family was from Greene County, AR and he told about how that his
son attended Arkansas State in Jonesboro (which borders Greene County)
so he could partake of Greene County's duck-hunting options. While I am
undecided on who I am supporting for president, Huckabee's geniality was
refreshing on a cold and snowy Friday in northwest Iowa.