Huckabee and Dean Square Off

Former Presidential Candidates Mike Huckabee and Howard Dean squared off on Fox News Sunday to debate health care reform, the economic stimulus, and their own future political careers. Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean continued to voice his support for a public option and warned against moderate Senate Democrats watering down real reform. Dean said, "I think it's tough right now. We've got to get a decent bill with a public option in it so that we don't, aren't forced into this, what we've been forced into for the last 30 years." Republican Mike Huckabee expressed the current state of health care reform this way, The American population is like an NFL football game, 22 people on the field in desperate need of rest, 70,000 people in the stands in desperate need of exercise. If we don't address this fundamental difference between the health and unhealthiness of the American population, we can spend all kinds of money, but we're never going to spend our way into a system that will be functional and affordable. The economic stimulus worked its way into the conversation as both Dean and Huckabee debated its effectiveness. Governor Dean defended the effort by saying, the stimulus package, which has come under come under Republican attack, has been unbelievably successful in saving jobs, hundreds of thousands of teachers and police officers that would have been laid off by the states. Governor Huckabee disagreed and said, The only jobs we're creating are government jobs. This nonsense about we're creating and saving jobs, they're non-existent. Finally Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace asked Governor Huckabee about his future in Presidential politics. After Wallace cited a few favorable polls showing how popular the former Arkansas Governor is among other potential candidates, Huckabee framed his political future this way, A lot of it depends on how the elections turn out next year and whether Roger Ailes continues to like my show on the weekends. And if all those things factor in, you know, it's less likely than more likely.