Reverend Mike Huckabee is at the center of a couple new controversies.

First, he's taking time off from his failed campaign to make a paid speech in the Cayman Islands. I have no problem with someone making paid speeches. But this is kind of hypocritical because he's made references in the past to those who use the advantages of offshore accounts to defray US taxes; notably, he attacked Mitt Romney in some underhanded digs about offshore accounts. Many who will attend his paid speech in the Caymans are directly involved in banking/investing and just about the entire Cayman economy is tied to that industry. Hopefully, Reverend Huckabee will be asked tough and embarrassing questions from his audience. After all, he's already bitten the hand that will be feeding him (and paying his mortgage -- per the attributions to his campaign officials about the importance of these paid speeches).

Second, Reverend Huckabee picked up an endorsement from Wiley Drake, a prominent Southern Baptist pastor from California. The problem? Drake used church stationery and church facilities when making his endorsement. This violates election and IRS rules governing tax-exempt organizations. The IRS is now investigating Drake and his church, and the church could lose its 501(c)3 status. Drake's response was to fire off a fax to fellow Southern Baptist pastors and supporters asking for imprecatory prayer against his accusers: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg.”

Nice and charitable, huh. Religion and politics don't mix well. Someday the GOP will understand that the Religious Right are a proverbial two-edged sword -- you can get their votes and allegiance if you adopt their extremist platforms, but you alienate independents who aren't gung ho about theocracy (but rather fear it).


EDIT/UPDATE: Shit, now he's drawing heat from ancient rockers Boston. Boston front man Tom Scholz has asked Huckabee to stop playing "More Than A Feeling" with former (for three years 25 years ago) member of the band Barry Goudreau, who has appeared with Huckabee at campaign events.