Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has some gall.
In the wake of this week’s silly spat over the Doonesbury series of comic strips depicting a woman undergoing a state-forced transvaginal sonogram before getting a completely legal medical procedure, Huckabee called out Doonesbury author Garry Trudeau for not checking his facts. In doing so, Huckabee ironically failed to check his facts and instead relied on — of all people — far-right Texas state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, for his information.
The controversy originates with Texas’ forced sonogram legislation, signed into law last year by Gov. Rick Perry and co-authored by Sen. Patrick and state Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville. It requires a woman seeking in abortion be forced to undergo a sonogram, have the fetus described and wait 24 hours after the sonogram before the abortion.
The law has been targeted for ridicule in this week’s Doonesbury strips.
Says Huckabee, after receiving a note from Patrick:
“Sen. Patrick notes that the bill does not stipulate the type of sonogram required. It could be a simple belly rub sonogram. So claiming that the law requires an invasive procedure that’s comparable to rape is not only offensive, it’s factually incorrect.”
Uh-huh. Sure it is.
Huckabee is technically correct, the law does not stipulate what kind of sonogram should be performed. But doctors have said that for pregnancies in their first trimester the only way to get the level of detail required by the law is with a transvaginal sonogram.
For many women the transvaginal option will be the only option. So while both Patrick and Huckabee are correct when they say the transvaginal sonogram is not required explicitly in the law, the reality is that it is required by default.
Huckabee continued:
“So if you’ve been relying on comic strips for your facts about law, politics and medicine, please consider doing a little more research. Because Garry Trudeau apparently didn’t.”
Yes, better to rely on a note from Dan Patrick for your facts.
Let that be a lesson to all you comics readers. Fox News host Mike Huckabee wants you to be careful where you get your facts. LET ME REPEAT THAT: Fox News host Mike Huckabee wants you to be careful where you get your facts.
Just remember the three “F’s”: Facts and fictions are fungible—to right wing conservatives like Huckabee. And this is a perfect example.
I know this is a sad observation but Huckabee is simply an uneducated version of Santorum. And Palin doesn’t even rise to the level of Huckabee. However, it would be SWEET to see a Palin/Huckabee roll out of the convention. Is 50 states considered a landslide?
Hey Doc Bill–from your lips to G-d’s ears. That would be the perfect GOP ticket!
Huckabee pontificating without correct information. Fox News commentors flying off the handle based on half-truths (or, usually, more like quarter-truths) or outright lies.
None of this surprises us any more.
But I’m glad you haven’t given up on reporting it, TFN.
What is most dangerous here is that “pontificators” like Huckabee go beyond the belief they are doing God’s work………..they actually believe that God is on their side ………… and therefore by default, NOT on the side of their opponent person or concept. Women, to include my wife, two daughters and four grand daughters …….rise up and denounce these idiots!
It is hard to believe how anyone can use Fox news, Rush, O’riley any of the rest of the far, far right wackos for information. Their collective record is probably the worst in broadcast journalism history. The Taliban movement in Texas and some of the other GOP states is propagated by these “news” groups. It is truly amazing the lengths some of these folks will go to get votes and financal support to carry on their political careers. The collective memory of the electorate is often quite short, but in view of the mess the GOP has created this year it shouldn’t be difficult. All we can do is hope!