He's fat, he's thin, he's fat, he's thin- just pick a weight and go with it

(Unfortunately our picture maker is down again. Go here and here for a look at old huck vs. new huck)

Mike Huckabee has gotten a lot of attention about things that aren't necessarily related to his politics. Most notably, the fact that he's in a rock-and-roll band and his astounding weight loss. The New Moscow Times did a feature on Huckabee, weight loss, and the obeseity problem in the American South. Those of us in the upper midwest should be cognizant of this problem as well, as this is not the healthiest part of the country either.

Interestingly Huckabee gets criticism along with praise for his work to make school cafeteria lunches healthier and banning indoor smoking. There is a lot of great material in this article. Below are some of our favorite parts, but we strongly encourage you to read the whole thing.

After the governor’s nutritional guidelines for school lunches took effect, one girl wrote a letter to him demanding “real food” like nachos and pizza. A columnist for The Baxter Bulletin imagined a future of diners picking at their “sautéed soybeans with flavor-free dressing” and discussing the criminalization of cheese curls.

Mr. Huckabee knows what he is up against, namely all-you-can-eat buffets, cheese grits and a local ice cream flavor called Woo Pig Chewy. One of his own family dogs is named Sonic, after the fast-food chain whose cherry limeades are favored by his wife, Janet.

“It’s not just your culture,” he said, speaking in his office in the Capitol building. “It’s your comfort.”

The governor insists he does not want to create a “nanny state” or a “grease police.” Many of his policies include incentives like exercise breaks for state employees. He advocated restricting access to vending machines for high school students and replacing the sugary sodas in them with juice and water.

But some critics say Mr. Huckabee’s crusade has more rhetoric than substance. Part of his Healthy Arkansas initiative is to give a seal of approval to restaurants that offer healthful alternatives and nutritional information, but critics point out that the list of 106 restaurants includes a Burger King, a Pizza Hut and 52 McDonald’s.

Interesting stuff and a good luck into what makes Mike Huckabee a different kind of candidate
in this race.