Did Huckabee Just Get Nuked?

Update: For anyone thinking this below is a dirty hit on Huck - take a look at this. h/t Hot Air

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, asks in an upcoming article, ''Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?''

Bloggers often receive anonymous tips, I'd be lying if I said this one was typical. As near as I can tell, there's only ever been one blog post made on the blog and it's a doozy. As of now, it's never been linked before. I checked.

But I'll let the evidence, or should I say the inference, speak for itself. If it's true, Mike Huckabee is more than a political huckster, he would be something of a fraud.

In essence, if true, his weight loss book, state health care program, and the very thing that gave him his initial national exposure, his weight loss, is based on a lie. The evidence is compelling and while obviously a blog post can't prove it - it does a pretty thorough job of raising the question. It isn't light reading, it reads like a professional job. After reading thousands of words and looking at many graphs and graphics - I'll just leave you with this - does that guy on the right look like someone who exercises constantly to lose and keep off over 100 pounds?

Huckabee’s signature issue is fitness and weight control, and his evangelism on these matters never strays far from his own example.

"Even if Governor Huckabee had lost weight by having bariatric surgery, there would be no shame in that,” says Alice Stewart, press secretary for the Mike Huckabee Exploratory Committee. “

Except that he's on the record denying it and profited from a diet book. Why the hedge? Anyway, as they say, read it all. It'll take some time.

Huckabee dates the onset of his weight loss to June 2003. In 2003, Huckabee attended the Council of State Governments’ spring meeting, held May 15-18, in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported on May 21 that Governor Huckabee was extending the trip to include a personal vacation with an indeterminate return date, adding portentously:

“The governor chooses for his office not to disclose all of his travel plans”

When we hear, however, of the growing popularity of gastric bypass surgery, the thought occurs, what if that is how Huckabee lost his weight? Could he have had such surgery secretly? Would he then attribute the subsequent inevitable weight loss to his determination and discipline? Use his weight loss as a model for Government anti-obesity efforts? Author a fraudulent “How I did it” diet book? The media hasn’t as much as hinted at this possibility. Surely, such a scam wouldn’t be possible…would it?

Comments

[Dagpotter]

I think this is a big deal, if he lies/lied about this, what else is there? Anyway, the whole weight thing is annoying.

[Amish]

Wasnt Huck in several Marathons?

From Wikipedia:

Huckabee has run in several mararthons: the 2005 Marine Corps Marathon, the 2005 and 2006 Little Rock Marathon and the 2006 New York City Marathon.[89] The 2005 Little Rock Marathon featured an impromptu challenge between Huckabee and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Huckabee completed the marathon in 4:38:31, defeating Vilsack by 50 minutes. He wrote a book chronicling his experience, Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork. Huckabee was one of 10 recipients of a 2006 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Impact Award acknowledging his work as a "health crusader."

Anybody who is really fat knows that your skin will never be tight again after losing weight. If he was weight training or something that might help, but not just running and eating healthy.

[Sara]

I know 4 people who have had bariatric surgery for weight loss, each lost well over 100 lbs, 3 women, 1 man. In all cases, they were left with as much as an estimated 25 lbs. of loose skin, mostly in the upper arms and stomach area.

There is a quick way to tell. Has anyone ever seen Huckabee eat? All 4 of my friends eat like birds. Just a few bites and they are full, although during the course of a day, they may consume a normal amount of food, they do it in very very small increments. 1 piece of pizza, or half a sandwich, or a burger but no fries. They just don't have room for more in a stomach that after surgery has gone from the size of a football to the size of a large walnut. And they all say that they have to stay away from mayonnaise and heavy creamed foods or suffer the consequences. Tell me how much he eats at one sitting and I'll tell you if he has had the surgery.

[lurker]

I gotta tell you man. I read that guys post and it is pure speculation and pretty stupid. I didn't have bariatric surgery and I lost a lot more weight than Huckabee is claiming in a years time. I didn't really start exercising a great deal until I had already lost a large amount of weight because I wasn't able to before hand. I exercised the whole time I was losing weight but it really didn't get kicked up to where I was running for almost a year. Sounds like Huckabee. As to his appearance, well when you lose 100+ pounds after you lose it sometimes there is some change as the skin gets loser and its real hard to get back any muscle tone. I feel fantastic but still look kind of strange from having been a lot bigger. Unless you've got some kind of proof I think this is kind of low.

PS I hate Huckabee also.

[someone]

Sara, read the article. It explains:

"Details on Huckabee’s diet are found in the numerous human-interest stories his weight loss spawned. He does not eat at banquets and receptions. At events, he will have special food supplied for him from a cooler kept in his car or does not finish his meals. He eats six small meals per day. Avoidance of restaurant-type banquet meals is telling because such meals create difficulties for bariatric surgery patients. These diet peculiarities bear little resemblance to maintence of weight loss, but tally quite well with characteristic bariatric limitations."

[jj]

Wow, a conspirary theory to rival the Troofers. Do you people know how utterly stupid you look?

Dan, I do believe you've found yourself another Natalee Holloway. Congratulations!

[Sara]

Oh and two of my four surgery friends are very health and exercise conscious. They do 10Ks, started skiing, swimming, and working out at the gym. I don't think either has done a marathon, but wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong. It is amazing what freeing yourself from a prison of fat will do to your desire to get active and keep working at looking trim and fit. They also began a newfound love of fashion as soon as they'd lost enough to start buying their clothes at regular stores instead of the Big Men's or Oversized Women's shops. I was with my girlfriend when she reduced to a size 14 from a 26 and she bought her first dress off the Nordstrom rack since she was 17. She cried. It meant so much to her. She is now a very attractive size 8, and went from 292 lbs. to a trim 137 lbs. at 5'10" tall. She's gorgeous.

[Sara]

Someone: Just from what you posted, this would make me highly suspicious that he is a surgery patient. I'm going to call my girl friend and see what she thinks. She had her surgery when it was still considered experimental many years ago and acts as a counselor for her bariatric support group.

Good grief, there is nothing to be ashamed about. This surgery saves lives for the morbidly obese. It isn't someone does on a whim, nor will the doctors do it for you on a whim, but it is a viable choice for those who have struggled with weight all their lives. The biggest downside is making sure you keep up your proteins and other nutrients using megadose vitamins since a post surgical patient will only absorb 30% of everything they eat and will not absorb any fat at all. My friend says eating fatty foods is like putting Ivory Snow down a PVC pipe. The upside is that one of the side effects seems to be a loss of desire for fatty foods. She was a McDonalds addict before surgery, after surgery she couldn't stand to go into a McDs. She said she couldn't stand the smell of the grease. They don't know why, but the surgery seems to have an effect of increasing the sense of smell. Also spicy foods like Mexican seem to sit better than bland foods. I'm pulling all this from memory of reading her manual she was given before the surgery and that was a long time ago.

[HeraThera]

Sara, that is the shame of this potential scandal. Huckabee did not have to lie! In fact, had he told the truth, more people may have considered the gastric bypass surgery as a viable option and instead, have been hoodwinked by the myth that diet and exercise alone was the key to his success. The author of the post reveals medical studies that show Huckabee's results as being way outside the norm and thus unlikely.

Why then would Huckabee go to such great lengths to deceive? Clearly, he wanted us to admire him for his extraordinary discipline and also create a platform from which he could promote himself nationally. (The author references a 12 city tour and multiple radio interviews to promote his book.) What does this say about his integrity?

If Huckabee has been telling the truth, he will agree to the barium swallow test referenced in the post that will definitively prove or disprove a normal stomach. If Huckabee refuses to take the test, Republicans should dismiss him as a viable presidential candidate.

[vanderleun]

Damn, the level of scandal has dropped very low recently. It used to be that you had to be caught getting eaten. Now you just need to lie about what you eat.

[Sara]

You are right, it would be a shame. One of the reasons I know four people who have had it is because we all worked together. When the first person, a brave soul indeed who agonized over the decision for weeks, came through it and began to show incredible results, everyone paid attention. When she was still alive 6 months later, the 2nd person started attending support group meetings with her and a month or so later made the decision to go ahead. With two successes, it wasn't long before the word spread and others were asking questions and getting information. That was back when it was still experimental. Today celebs are doing it and having it filmed for the Net. I think when Al Rokar had his, he probably saved many lives he'll never know about. My girlfriend's cholestrol dropped from a whopping 335 to a low of 210. Her borderline diabetes went away. The one man supposedly was on the verge of needing heart bypass and now is healthy as a horse. I remember my friend telling me they were encouraged to tell others and to remember how grateful they would have been had someone approached them and told them there was help out there. Afterall most morbidly overweight people have tried just about every remedy and diet known to man and just gained it all back and more.

I don't think it is a scandal, but it would be disappointing, knowing as I do that at least my friend feels the surgery gave her back a life.

[Jed Jackson]

As for the Mike Huckabee's question that "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?", it's common knowledge that Mormons believe that they are spiritual brothers (see The Kingdom of God, by Oscar McConkie Jr pg 46; Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses, 4:1-3).

For more insight, visit http://www.inplainsite.org/html/mormonism.html

[seekeronos]

"--- He eats six small meals per day. Avoidance of restaurant-type banquet meals is telling because such meals create difficulties for bariatric surgery patients. ---"

Not defending the Huckster here - but this sort of diet is also recommended for bodybuilders and folks trying to shed body fat (variations of the Zone and Adkins diets also use this kind of eating plan).

It is not easy to plan for, unless one has the discipline to moderate their portions across the span of a day.

[Sara]

Jed Jackson, see Allah's post at Hot Air:

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/12/11/huckabee-dont-mormons-believe-that-jesus-and-the-devil-are-brothers/

[Joe Smith]

Mormons do believe Jesus and Satan are brothers. Here is a link to official LDS webesite.

http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,11-1-13-6,00.html

[seekeronos]

What Mormonism teaches (on YouTube).

This ain't my video, but it came up on a google of "Mormon Beliefs".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy0d1HbItOo

[tally]

oh jesus, this is just plain silly.

[Sara]

Why are you all so concerned about Mormon Beliefs? Why don't you question Rudy's catholic beliefs? They believe you have to pay your relatives out of purgatory and all kinds of other weird beliefs. The thing is, it is our right as Americans to define our own faith and to follow the dictates of our conscience in matters relating to God and religion. Go believe whatever you want, let the Fundamentalist snake handlers believe what they want, LDS to believe what they want, Methodists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, etc to believe what they want. Or don't believe at all. How does someone's Mormon beliefs threaten you in any way? It is ridiculous. Frankly, when I know I have a God-centered life, I know it without a doubt, I feel it through my mind and body. I don't need a pastor or a priest or a rabbi or a mullah to tell me so, I can feel the spirit of God working inside me. When I'm not in a God-centered way, I feel empty and alone and no amount of pastoring is going to bring me back until I'm ready again to open my heart and mind. I have not been inside a church in 20 years and I doubt I will be again accept for weddings and funerals of others. But, I've spent 25 years searching and studying and researching everything I could get my hands on. I discarded the teachings of my youth and those 12 years of perfect attendance at Sunday School and started with a clean slate and an attitude of convince me as I went through my research. I believe in the power of prayer and even more so in the power of collective prayer. I believe that the Glory of God can be seen in the night sky, in the birth of a baby, in the bud of a new flower and in the majesty of a soaring eagle or in the majestic mountains. I believe in good and I believe there is true evil in the world. I believe God gave man free will and we set our path in the way we exercise that will for good or evil and that we will be judged on that, that faith alone is not enough.

Now I'm out of here. If you wish to continue this discussion, send me an email and I'll set up an open thread on my own blog.

[seekeronos]

AS I said - the video wasn't anything that I produced. I was trying to locate source info for this idea that LDS teaches that Satan and Jesus were brothers.

That tends to run against the grain of the rest of the body of Christian (incl. Roman Catholic and most mainstream denominations).

Now this really doesn't matter to a hill of beans in terms of a candidate's ability to govern capably. The bulk of Mormons who have tried to proselytize me have never mentioned this particular teaching, and being that I am not a Mormon, this (scripturally incompatible) teaching does not impact on my life or my loved ones.

Now, if the candidate is a member of a cat-sacrificing Satanist coven, an extremist Muslim, or one of those extremist atheist DawkinsBots that seem to infest YouTube with their foamy-mouthed denunciations of God...

... then I personally reserve my right to:

(1) withhold my vote for such a person on the grounds that his belief system adheres to practices and beliefs that are largely inimical to the majority of Americans and the core founding principles of this nation, and that their beliefs are inherent antithetical to my existence, and

(2) that I will be inclined to share my dispassion for said candidates, and recommend that they consider withholding their vote, or selecting a person whose beliefs are more in concert with the mainstream of American society.

Rethinking this insanity... I'll rescind my earlier remarks about Romney. If Romney gets the nomination, I'll support him in the general election against Hillary - but do so with nose thoroughly and painfully pinched with a modicum of disgust.

Rudy and Huck however, will earn a vote for Hillary from this man. If I'm to suffer under a liberal regime, I might as well pick the least left-wing liberal of the bunch.

Yes, you read me right. Hillary is marginally to the right of Huck and Rudy (though on differing issues).

[Sara]

I decided to say one more thing and I think most can agree. My research has led me to one incontrovertible conclusion, love is the proof that there is a God. Love is unnecessary to propagate the species, only reproductive equipment is needed for that. And yet God commanded us to love one another and Jesus said love is the greatest of the commandments, the one that supersedes all others. The unconditional love for a child that is so great it is worth more than my own life, the love of our parents, or our precious pets, or dearest friends and those who have moved on from this world. The ability to love great beauty. The great love I can feel for that special man in my life. There is nothing more glorious than loving. It is liberating. It is empowering. The love of country, the love of freedom. Without love, you have evil and love does not grow from evil, only evil grows from evil. Love is worth protecting from hate, it is worth fighting for. Evil knows only hate. You could say that when the scriptures say God breathed the "spirit" of life into his creation, mankind, that spirit was love. The ability to love, to feel the love others. The one thing within the evolutionary tree that defines us above all. Love.

Just my parting thought. Nite nite.

[BobInStamford]

Did any of you unbelievers ever consider that it was the HOLY SPIRIT that took away Mike's flab as a thank you for being such a good Christian (i.e., hating the gays and loving the Mexicans)??? You patriots need to get your noses back into the GOOD book.

Amen.

[Ali]

Come on, this is dumb. People in Arkansas would know, because they would have seen him gradually losing weight or not. Ask some ARK bloggers.

[yo]

Just do a little google searching and you'll find many mormon theologians who say that jesus and lucifer are brothers. The attacks are ignorant and with an agenda.

[jj]

Bob, I think you're finally on to something. The Holy Spirit probably helped Mike resist the temptations of overeating, and yes, you and the other people on this blog "need to get your noses back into the GOOD book", as you say.

Great advice, Bob, I'm proud of you. All that intercessory praying I've been doing on your behalf seems to be working, and frankly, after some of the posts I've seen here lately, you make more sense than Dan, and let me tell you, that's saying something.

[HeraThera]

Ali, if you read Plutarch's post, he states that the gastric bypass surgery rumors having been swirling around Arkansas for some time. Also, he mentions the HIPAA privacy laws which prohibit conversations about medical records. Violating these HIPPA laws can lead to stiff penalties, apparently. Thus, Huckabee would have to voluntarily agree to provide access to his medical records if he is telling the truth about his weight loss and wishes to put this compelling circumstantial case to rest.

[FbL]

It's just one person's memory, but I swear I saw a bit on TV years ago where he either spoke of having bariatric surgery or someone referenced it to him without him disagreeing. In fact, whenever his history of supporting healthy lifestyle has come up, I've always remembered that TV bit with the thought, "Good for him. He had the surgery and has kept himself active and healthy since then."

[Jim in Virginia]

He lost me at the fuel belt. I’ve run 26.2 miles. Trust me, you get hungry. I carried snacks with me. That’s evidence I had gastric bypass surgery?
100% of wife beaters are men. I‘m a man. Therefore….

[TheSpartan]

I've lost 88#'s in the past 8 months or so. Huck's loss is possible with dedication and self control. If I maintain the pace I'm at I'll be at 133 lost after a year though my goal is 104#. I hope he did it through diet and exercise but whatever way you do it is an accomplishment.

[HT Springer]

While there is no shame in gastric bypass surgery, there is great shame in telling everyone that you lost weight through diet and exercise when you didn't, and even exploiting such a lie to the point of writing a book about it.

[HT Springer]

As far as Jesus and Lucifer being brothers... so what? Does that have anything to do with the presidency? That being said, Huck had only one reason to ask the question... to cast the Mormon Church in a negative light. Therefore, Huckabee is a bigot... he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He won't come right out and say he hates Mormonism... he pretends to run a positive campaign and then hypocritically takes stabs at Mitt's religion. Huckabee isn't fooling anyone.