Hotline After Dark -- Hammer Time
The hits keep coming at Mike Huckabee:
NBC's Myers examined the gifts Huckabee received as AR GOV in a piece for "Nightly News":
Myers: "Financial disclosure forms reveal in more than 10 years, Huckabee and his wife took hundreds of gifts -- large and small -- more than $112,000 worth in one year alone. Guitars, gold jewelry and diamonds, vacations, gift certificates, free dental care and dry cleaning, $23,000 for Mrs. Huckabee inaugural wardrobe and 50% off hamburgers at Wendys."
More Myers: "All the gifts were legal but over the years the state ethics commission admonished Huckabee five times for failing to report gifts and for failing to report thousands he paid himself and his family from campaign funds."
Myers: "Today Huckabee vigorously defended his record."
Huckabee: "In all of the complaints ever filed, there was never, ever once, one instance where I was found ever to have taken an illegal gift" (NBC, 12/11).
Karl Rove, on Huckabee: "I think he stands a good chance of running well in Iowa. I'm not certain that he is organized in-depth beyond that. We will see" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 12/11).
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ABC's Raddatz spent the day with Pres. Bush:
Raddatz: "The president left the residence and headed for the Oval Office well before sunrise. Once inside, he reviewed overnight intelligence and worked on speeches until his national security team arrived, including the vice president. The daily intelligence brief is a world tour, including Iran."
Speaking to Raddatz after an event on teenage addictions, Bush: "It's a difficult thing to do kick an addiction. ... I quit drinking. I had too much to drink one night and the next night I didn't have any. The next day I decided to quit and I haven't had a drink since 1986. You know it's hard for me to speculate for but I doubt I'd be standing here if I hadn't quit drinking whiskey and beer and wine."
Asked if he'll miss the WH, Bush: "I'll miss parts of it. I'm very comfortable with changes of power" ("Nightline," 12/11).
HEAD'S UP
Mitt Romney made the morning show rounds. Full details will be in today's Hotline. [EMILY GOODIN]