10 Questions for Mike Huckabee

By Carolyn Sayre

He was the Governor of Arkansas for more than a decade. With the support of social conservatives, the Republican underdog is aiming for a higher office: the Presidency. Mike Huckabee will now take your questions.

Why should I vote for you? --Brittany Cliff, Little Rock, Ark. Because I believe that America's greatness is not in its government but in ordinary people. I know what it is like to start at the bottom, and I am very mindful of how hard people have to work to make it. I have been an underdog in everything I have undertaken -- not just politically, but throughout my entire life.

You have stated that you believe that the U.S. is "currently in a world war." Can you say explicitly whom we're fighting against? --Mike Murphy Mount Holly, N.J. We are fighting against a perversion of the Muslim faith led by radical clerics who have convinced a growing number of adherents that their purpose on earth is to kill, dismember and destroy as many people as possible.

Do you believe that homosexuality is immoral? --Randy Hunt, New Orleans That's their business. I may not agree with it and, in fact, don't agree with it. But I respect that they have the right to do it. When they want to change the rules, though, of institutions like marriage, I feel I have a responsibility to speak out. The rules are one man, one woman for life.

Why are you so progressive on issues like fitness and proactive national health yet so fixated on relatively unimportant topics such as gay marriage and abortion? --Herb Greenebaum Shelton, Conn. I would disagree that protection of innocent life is insignificant. It is what separates us as a civilization from the very jihadists we are fighting.

Would you enforce workplace immigration laws? Doesn't your state need millions of illegals for chicken-processing plants? --Gary Best, Yorba Linda, Calif. There's a perception that the poultry industry knowingly and wantonly hires illegals. That's fundamentally not true. I would expect companies to take every step possible to ensure that their workers are legal, but no one can guarantee that people won't use fraudulent documents or lie.

What do you think "accepting responsibility" means? Attorney General Alberto Gonzales accepted responsibility [for dismissing eight U.S. Attorneys last month], but he wasn't fired. --Fred Judd, Irvine, Calif. It does not always mean that one has to resign his or her job. Human beings are going to make mistakes. I always told my own staff that I did not expect them to be perfect. I expected them to make mistakes. And, in fact, if they didn't, it might just mean that they weren't attempting great things.

Other G.O.P. candidates have said they would appoint federal judges "in the mold" of Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito. What type of judges would you appoint? --Bill Murphy Salt Lake City, Utah People who believe that the purpose of the judiciary is not to make law but to properly apply it. My own personal hero on the court is Scalia, not least because I duck-hunted with him.

I read about your weight-loss journey in a running magazine. How can you help the American people go through the same transformation? --Noemi Elliott, Seattle Leaders don't ask others to do what they are unwilling to do themselves. The obesity epidemic is a real threat, not just to the health of America. It represents the greatest single economic threat we face. While I don't think we should penalize people for making unhealthy choices, we shouldn't reward it. We should, in fact, create incentives and rewards for those who make responsible and healthy decisions.

What kind of cost-cutting measures would you undertake in the White House? For example, you decided to live in manufactured housing on the grounds of the Governor's mansion during renovations. --J.A. Smith, Greensboro, N.C. I wouldn't hesitate to bring in a manufactured home on the grounds of the White House because I thought it was quite comfortable living. [Laughs.] The greatest level of cost savings, though, would be realized by putting a new focus on preventive health.

Do you cH- the movie I cH- Huckabees? --Steve Dorshorst, Madison, Wis. No! It was horrible! It was as if somebody forgot to give the actors a script and said, For the next two hours, just go out there and do something. I saw it in the theater, and I said to my wife, "Let's wait until everyone else leaves. I don't want anyone to know I came." [Laughs.] Did you see it? Don't put yourself through it.