I immediate assume it could have been purpose or maybe just a coincidence. When I saw the commercial without the highlighting that many shows put on the bookcase in back, I didn’t give it any relevance.

Again it is much hype about how people interpret it though their bias perspective. Bias can be for or against a view. No one has shown any proof that it was intentional.

Even if it was intentional what is the big deal. Many politicians have used religious references. How many are intentional film coming out of a church or visiting a religious organization. It is only because many have tried to label Huck as being a religious zealot that it gets press.

300 million people in America and look at our lousy choices for leaders -present and future hopefuls: surely we can and need to do better!

Huckabee's combination of social conservatism and economic populism precisely reflects the cultural values and economic interests of working class and lower middle class Americans whom the GOP always expected to be the footsoldiers of cheap labor free trade policies that decimate them. Well, the rabble are pushing back. This isn't just about religion (well, given that GOP libertarian elites have no respect for Christians or Christianity it is largely so). It is about the same populists vs cheap labor elites power struggle we saw over "comprehensive immigration reform". And the American people are on the populist side.

People seeing floating crosses from a bookcase in the background only shows their own bigotry

For what it is worth, I am a regular church-attender at a religiously conservative church and have a Southern Baptist background and I immediately assumed that the cross imagery was on purpose when I saw that commercial. I see no reason that thinking that is bigoted.

And really, I think one of the previous commenters is quite correct: Huckabee himself has made religion part of this debate.

I don’t like people making this a religious issue.

Huckabee made religion an issue. But yes, the focus on his xmas commercial is over the top. That, and it doesnt bother me one whit (I'm agnostic) said, if he or his campaign did not see how the background could be construed as a cross, then both he and his campaign are really obtuse.

Hm... seems like the perfect choice. I mean, that's what they're going to get anyway. Or rather: that's what they're going to complain about, no matter who wins the nomination.

People seeing floating crosses from a bookcase in the background only shows their own bigotry. Knock it off and let us get back to real issues.

I have always been a 'Fox News' and Rush fan, but now I am finding out just who the Conservative elite are...

The conservative elites you speak of have a fair grasp upon the overall pulse of right leaning voters. Pro-life is not the end-all-be-all issue. Moreover, being right on this issue while wrong on virtually all else hardly makes a conservative. That is the reason for the recent scrutiny of Huckabee.

Huckabee has a significant chunk of the GOP coalition as his stakeholders, Christian conservatives, and they are willing to push back and push back hard. Miers had no one who was willing to push back in her defense.

I still think Huckabee loses due to his lack of organizational capacity and the movement of primaries away from his friendly terrain, but I think his downfall will be significantly different than Miers that only looking at his opposition's similiarity to Miers is an analytical weakness.

SJ Reidhead
The Pink Flamingo

Now I'm not a church going Christian conservative but I respect those who are and understand why they would see your remarks as offensive.

Twisting the conservative agenda in the way you do does a real disservice to serious debate concerning public policy. "War in instead of love"? How about freeing the oppressed and protecting America from terrorists? You see it can be viewed very differently. In fact all of the examples you cited can be viewed differently.

It is wrong for either side to invoke Christ as being on on their "team". The bible is very clear that our religious lives and sectarian lives are separate. Public policy positions can sometimes seem harsh and un-Christian but may be grounded firmly in Christian beliefs. Even then that doesn't mean they should get a pass as being good or justified.

Strange way of putting it. It seems that his interest in "what jesus would do" is the doorway to his liberalism, not the only example of his conservatism.

Is there any part of the modern American conservative agenda that aligns with the spirit of Jesus?

War instead of love? Pursuit of ones private wealth instead of concern for one's fellow citizens? Fear of the "other" instead of embracing them?

Seems to me that the "christian" right promotes the least christ-like agenda possible.

I always thought Fox News was fair and balanced, but I now know that that statement is one of the biggest lies in the media.