Media Credit: Chris Griffin [Click to enlarge]

Mike Huckabee (R) Former Governor of Arkansas

Vineet Tiruvadi: Mike Huckabee doesn't exactly have the spotlight on his campaign, but he is still managing to weave an interesting run for the White House. Recent nationwide polls of Republican and Republican-leaning voters put Huckabee in fifth place among an ever-vacillating field of candidates.

Huckabee has made his platform clear - faith - which is not a big surprise coming from an ordained minister. His stance on some of the religiously charged issues can hardly be called novel. Still, I found myself oddly drawn to learning a little more about his campaign when I found out about his unique perspective among the other Republican candidates.

Abortion, gay marriage, illegal immigration, gun control, health care, evolution - his views fall neatly in line with predominant conservative views.

The one thing that could possibly be seen as progressive is his view on the environment and energy independence. Unfortunately, it's hard to gauge Huckabee's devotion to true energy independence as opposed to short-lived price drops. Heck, who actually has the courage to say they're against energy independence? Apart from the openly faith-oriented aspects, it's difficult to see this campaign as anything other than generic and uninspired.

Unfortunately, the one standout feature of his campaign may be his biggest obstacle. His faith-oriented platform won't appeal to those who don't subscribe to his particular brand of faith.

Huckabee is, indisputably, a real conservative. Whether that's what we need is up to the voters. All that is clear is that today's problems require a certain level of openness and innovation, but I can't envision Huckabee as a leader willing to go outside the box to find the necessary solutions.

Ben Williams: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is the dark horse candidate in the Republican Party. He stands for faith, family and freedom, and is largely known for his stance on tax reform. As a member of the Fair Tax Coalition, he has lead the charge to scrap the current tax code and replace it with a consumption tax.

Huckabee also strongly believes in the "sanctity of life." While he believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned, he differs from President Bush's position on stem cells, believing that existing stem cell lines should be used for research. However, he does not believe in creating life for the sole purpose of destroying it.

On health care, Huckabee is conservative to the core. He advocates policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to lower costs. He values the states' role as laboratories for new, market-based approaches. He believes that Americans should have more control of their health care options. It is time to recognize that jobs don't need health insurance - people do - and to ease the burden on American businesses. The employer-based system has outlived its usefulness. The answer is a consumer-based system, not socialized medicine.

Where senators lack executive experience, Huckabee is a former governor, which is a great testing ground for the presidency. Huckabee probably won't get the nomination from the Republican Party, but in four or eight years he may have another chance.

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