Huckabee Loses Some Shine

Republican presidential long-shot Mike Huckabee is taking some serious heat for his stance on illegal immigration.

Jim Boulet, executive director of English First, recently released a report card on the issue -- which is likely to be a biggie for the upcoming election -- for all the candidates. Hillary Clinton and other Democrats earned an "F" (no big shocker there), but Huckabee didn't score too well, either. At one point on the campaign trail, Huckabee labeled an effort to crack down on illegal aliens in Arkansas as "inflammatory and race-baiting."

Already a long-shot, Huckabee is relying heavily on the conservative Christian base to have any chance at winning the Republican nomination. Unfortunately for him, illegal immigration is not an issue that that demographic has taken lightly, and could ultimately doom a Huckabee nomination.

It's too bad, because I really like Huckabee otherwise. But, this issue is critically important to a lot of people, so it could spell big-time trouble for him. A lot of time remains, but it's good to start seeing more in-depth info about all of these candidates, even the second-tier ones.

There's my two cents.