Racist Mississippi Governor Defends Record on Race - Huckabee Defends him

From [The Hotline] and [HERE]and [HERE] Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi has signaled that he does not believe past flaps over race would cause him many problems should he decide to seek the Republican nomination for president. 

The AP (2/21, Glover) reports though he's "faced some criticism on such matters, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he carries no political baggage because of his positions onracial issues." The issue "flared as recently as last week, when Barbour declined to denounce an effort by a group pushing for a license plate in honor of confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Barbour says the proposal was never going anywhere," and he "denounces the Klan, but was asked to denounce a specific person." Barbour was in Iowa "meeting GOP activists as he tests the waters for seeking the Republican presidential nomination." 

Last year he also came under some fire after saying in a Weekly Standard profile late last year that he did not remember the civil rights era “being that bad” in his hometown. 

The Hill (2/22, Becker) reports Barbour "asserted that Mississippi has advanced quite a bit over the last half-century or so." Barbour said, "I think there's less regionalism in America than there's been in my lifetime. I think it's obvious to everyone that he different parts of America are becoming more alike and this has been an evolutionary thing since the end of World War II at least." The Hill adds Barbour was "in Iowa to meet with top Republican activists in the Hawkeye State and has said he won't make a decision on whether to seek the White House until April."

Politico (2/22, Hunt,) reports under "pressure to address racial issues swirling around a potential presidential bid, Haley Barbour said on Monday for the first time that he wouldn't sign legislation in Mississippi to honor a former Ku Klux Klan leader with a state-issued license plate." Barbour said, "The bureaucracy denied it, the legislature won't pass it and if the legislature passes it, it won't become law because I won't sign it."

Huckabee Defends Barbour On Race Issues.

CNN (2/21, Hamby) reported in its "Political Ticker" blog that during "a conference call with reporters to promote his new book, 'A Simple Government,'" Mike Huckabee yesterday "defended" Barbour "from recent criticism that he has been insensitive to issues of race and civil rights," saying that the Mississippi Republican "is 'a person of impeccable integrity when it comes to issues of race.' 'I'm not going to criticize Haley,' said Huckabee, who called Barbour a friend and labeled him 'the smartest political mind in America today' and 'a sheer genius of political strategy.'"

Politico (2/22, Summers) reports, "Barbour restated his plan to wait until Mississippi's legislature adjourns in April before making a final decision on a White House bid.