Mike Wintroath, AP
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is a potential 2012 presidential candidate.
Well, I don't think by everybody. But, I do believe that there are people who would be very happy if we never, ever said the word Christmas again. And I find it amazing because whether we like it or not, that's what this day is. It's the day that celebrates the birth of Christ. The very word Christmas means Christ mass or Christ worship.
And it's a recognition, whether one is a Christian or not, of the extraordinary impact that Jesus Christ had on the world. Whether one looks at the number of hospitals built, or schools, universities, churches, missions that feed people and house homeless people, the Christian impact is unmistakable. I don't know why we're so afraid just to acknowledge it without having to force anyone to embrace it as a way of life.
But isn't the "war on Christmas" just a few isolated cases of political correctness gone amok? For example, a few years back, the City of Boston announced it was renaming its Christmas tree and calling it a holiday tree. It sounds stupid and goofy. But, to me, it seemed like they were just trying to be more inclusive. I didn't read it as anti-Christmas.
Well, I think what happens is a lot of people are afraid to call it Christmas. For example, just yesterday I got a copy of an e-mail from a schoolteacher in Georgia that the school district gave to all of their teachers regarding the very mention of Christmas. It was almost comical to read this. They were told please wish your children happy holidays. If you do say Merry Christmas, just don't say anything religious. Don't explain anything. When I read the entire memo, it just made you want to laugh or cry.
I was at a Hanukkah festival the other night with 2,000 Jewish people. I was the only gentile there. It didn't ruin me. I had a wonderful time. It's not offensive to me if someone says you know I can't be there because I'm observing Ramadan this month. That's fine. It seems like the only faith we're so afraid to mention and to give any place to is the Christian faith.
So, are you running for president?
Well, no decision is made on that. I haven't ruled it out. The honest answer is that being a person in my position with the polls as they are, I can't just completely ignore it. But, that's a long way from jumping in and saying yes, I'm going to do it.
When do you think you'll make a decision?
For me, later is better than earlier. So, I don't look for it to happen in the first quarter of the year.
If you choose to run, one of your top opponents may be Sarah Palin. What do you think about her?
I love the energy that she brings to the party. She's brought an extraordinary level of excitement for many people. And I think that she speaks for so many people that feel that they've been excluded or left out of the discussion. And she has been a real asset to conservative candidates across America.
Joe Scarborough wrote a column for Politico saying Republicans are afraid to criticize Sarah Palin. Is he right?
I've seen a lot of criticism toward her from Republicans. So, I'm not sure how I would agree with that because a lot of Republicans feel pretty comfortable in criticizing her. I think she's stood on her own pretty well.
Finally, I have to ask you, if you do run for president, have you secured Chuck Norris' endorsement again?
I haven't talked to him about it. I would hold that off until I was ready to actually run.
David Goodman is the host of 77WABC Radio's "Goodman to Go," a newsmaker interview podcast on wabcradio.com. He has also produced some of the top talk radio shows in the country. He is currently the associate producer of WABC Radio's "The John Batchelor Show." He previously served as senior producer of WABC Radio's "The Bob Grant Show." Before that, Goodman was the drive-time news anchor at WERS-FM in Boston.