Huckabee Yet to Decide on Presidential Run

Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas from 1996 until last week, has yet to decide whether he will be a candidate for the Republican Nomination for President of the United States.

However, leaving us in little doubt that he is seriously thinking about it, Huckabee has engaged on a national tour to promote his new book, "From Hope to Higher Ground".

Huckabee appears to be emerging as a real dark horse in this race, and one that may well be able to step up to the plate if the big guns like McCain and Giuliani fall over.

Huckabee was a southern Governor from Arkansas, only the third Republican in the last 130 years to hold that title. That gives him credibility - he is electable.

Then add the fact that he is socially conservative, he is an Evangelical Christian. He appeals to the conservative GOP base.

And then consider that for health reasons, Huckabee lost over 110 pounds through disciplined dieting. If you look at the before and after photos, the difference is stark - this man knows how to make a commitment and stick to it. In 2006 he ran the New York City Marathon.

Huckabee was notably in the news during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, when Arkansas helped with many of the thousands of displaced people. At a time when disaster relief nationally failed, Huckabee's state of Arkansas was one of the first to step in.

We don't know how long it will be before Huckabee makes a decision. But it would be expected that he will announce something after he concludes the book tour.

If he does run, expect the media to take his candidacy for President a lot more seriously. And expect the same from his opponents in the GOP.

It wasn't that long ago that a former Governor from Arkansas was elected President. Mike Huckabee will be a credible candidate if he runs, make no mistake.

Mike Huckabee appeared on the Jon Stewart Daily Show recently. Huckabee is witty and down to earth. A very polished performance, so its worth a view. Watch part 1 here.