Tuesday, October 23, 2007

HA! HUCKABEE PANDERS TO THE FUNDIES

(Via Atrios)

Josh Marshall picked up on this comment by GOP hopeful Huckabee at the presidential debate on Sunday:
HUCKABEE: When our founding fathers put their signatures on the Declaration of Independence, those 56 brave people, most of whom, by the way, were clergymen, they said that we have certain inalienable rights given to us by our creator, and among these life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, life being one of them.

Josh also mentions another site, Politifact.com, that points out Huckabee is WRONG:

Only one of the 56 was an active clergyman, and that was John Witherspoon. Witherspoon was a Presbyterian minister and president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).

A few more of the signers were former clergymen, though it's a little unclear just how many. The conservative Heritage Foundation said two other signers were former clergymen. The religion web site Adherents.com said four signers of the declaration were current or former full-time preachers. But everyone agrees only Witherspoon was an active minister when he signed the Declaration of Independence.

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