Mike and Me
September 14th, 2007 at 1:25 pm | posted by Steve.Wilson
Today I had the chance to talk directly with Gov. Mike Huckabee over a conference call the governor held for bloggers.
The governor and I got off on the right foot: before I even got the chance to ask my question, the governor told me that this morning he sported a ONE t-shirt at his breakfast event in Iowa, and that he’s proud to be a part of the ONE movement.
I asked him about how addressing global poverty can play an important role in America’s security and how saving children from preventable diseases not only is a moral obligation, but presents an opportunity for America to generate goodwill and create a more stable world.
The governor answered that he also sees the issue as having two sides, or as he put it “two arms on the same body.”
One arm is humanitarian. When children are needlessly dying, communities are being ravaged by disease and families are struggling to obtain safe water, the governor said America has a moral obligation to act.
The other arm, the governor said, is strategic. He said one way to combat terrorism is to take away the terrorists recruits. Terrorists prey on the desperate and the uneducated. They are allowed to organize and grow in unstable places. He said that by helping to save lives and helping countries develop sustainable, productive economies, America will make a safer world.
The governor finished by saying that he admires ONE not only because of the issues it talks about, but the manner in which it does. He said ONE is doing something remarkable and effective: instead of being divisive and muddling in the typical partisan debate, ONE is rising above political parties and reaching out to all Americans.
Thanks to the governor for his support and, of course, for wearing his ONE gear!
