"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." - Ronald Reagan

For some time now, I've waited and watched for a presidential candidate that I could support - one who not only scored high on my issues surveys but also who stood a chance of winning both in the primary and next November. You may remember that Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo fit the first criterion, but were long-shots at best. When I would talk to anyone about either of those candidates, the reply would generally be, "who's that?" For a while, I thought that if Fred Thompson would step up and run, he'd be the answer I'd been looking for, but I've been very disappointed in just about everything he's done. Of course, there's always been Rudy McRomney - the three stooges of the Republican party. I can't really tell the difference between Rudy and Hillary; McCain seems too weak on national security; Romney says his faith doesn't define him, and I remember all too well what happened the last time we had a president whose faith didn't matter.

After several grueling months of campaigning and debating, it almost seemed like Ron Paul was the best candidate . . . and that was REALLY starting to worry me. Enter Mike Huckabee in the blind spots of all the frontrunners, leaving the second- and third-tier candidates behind. Finally, someone who shares my beliefs on fiscal and social issues, national security, and even religion. A Southern Baptist preacher running for president, who recently beat all the Democrats in a head-to-head poll. I never dreamed Huckabee would be a formidable candidate, but it seems like he's in this race to win, and he has as good a chance as any of them.

A few weeks ago, I started worrying that this whole Huckabee craze would wear off by the time the primaries rolled around, or that he might actually win the nomination only to be defeated in the general election by Hillary or Obama. I kept focusing on the negative and thinking about how horrible it would be if that happened. But then I started thinking. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" God already knows who will win the 2008 election - He knows the foreign policy, healthcare plan, and moral values of the next president. He also has the power to make anything happen - He can even put a Southern Baptist preacher in the Oval Office if He wants to. The only thing we can do is pray for His will, and then for the man (or woman) who ultimately gets the job.

Would Jesus vote for Hillary? Obama? Giulianni? McCain? Huckabee? I don't know. I do know that, no matter what happens, God will still be in control on November 5, 2008, and He'll still be in control on January 20, 2009. My favorite verse is Habakkuk 1:5: "Look at the nations and watch, and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." That's what I'll be counting on in the weeks and months ahead.


"Recently, out on the campaign trail, a voter asked if my personal faith informed my decisions. My answer was simple, just as it always has been: my faith is my life - it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them." - Mike Huckabee