Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is defending the First Lady from attacks by Sarah Palin over her anti-obesity campaign:
Potential GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says Sarah Palin’s wrong and Michelle Obama’s right, at least when it comes to the first lady’s push to combat childhood obesity.
“With all due respect to my colleague and friend Sarah Palin, I think she’s misunderstood what Michelle Obama is trying to do,” the former Arkansas governor said Tuesday on the “Curtis Sliwa Show.”
Michelle Obama has pushed several initiatives to encourage kids to exercise and eat well, including advocating for the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law last week.
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Overweight for most of his life, Huckabee lost more than 100 pounds after a 2003 health scare and has since become an advocate for healthy eating and exercise.
“Michelle Obama’s not trying to tell people what to eat or not trying to force the government’s desires on people,” Huckabee said. “She’s stating the obvious, that we do have an obesity problem in this country.”
He added: “The first lady’s campaign is on target.”
As much as I am loath to agree with Mike Huckabee, he’s right on spot here. As I noted on Monday, Palin’s snarky criticism of what amounts to mostly a public education campaign encouraging kids to eat healthier, and parents to resist feeding them fast food, is just patently silly.
