Mike Huckabee Calls Himself 'Paradoxical Republican'

Stephanopoulos: So how does the president combat that?

Huckabee: Well, I think part of it has to happen from that we don't combat it by ourselves. There's got to be a sense in which the balance of moderate Muslims will have to take a more visible and, frankly, vocal role in bringing a sense of balance and sanity within the Islamic community.

Stephanopoulos: But how do we encourage that?

Huckabee: We encourage it by the same way that we saw a lot of things happen that changed to Soviet Union -- when they realized we're not monsters, when they realized that we really aren't out to destroy them. There are many of the true Muslim people that don't want a world war. They don't want a war -- a war in a world where, every day, somebody has to just be vaporized.

We have to hope that that takes hold within those communities themselves.

Stephanopoulos: George Will says voters this year are going to hold candidates to what he calls the seven-minute test.

[Clip of George Will: "Nightmare scenario. You're the security advisor. You're awakened in the middle of the night. You have three minutes to get the details of an attack coming on the United States. Then the president, who you notify, has four minutes to answer. That's seven minutes. Which candidate fits the seven minute question?]

How can you convince voters that you're the candidate to pass that test? You've only served as governor of Arkansas.

Huckabee: I have. Ronald Reagan had been an actor and had been governor of California. Bill Clinton had only been governor of Arkansas. Democrats...

Stephanopoulos: This is the post-9/11 world where we're in World War III, by your admission.

Huckabee: It is, but it still is the same type of situation where what you really have in the case of a leader is not so much where he's been, but what his operating system is; what his judgment is. Does he handle crisis? Can he assimilate facts quickly and, then, can he communicate? And is he decisive?

These are qualities, I think, that come from being a governor.

Stephanopoulos: What is the closest you have you have ever come? What's the most difficult question you've ever had to handle that is even close to responding to an attack on the...

Huckabee: Well, I think there have been several that -- nothing is close, maybe, to world war, but when Katrina hit the Gulf shore, we had 75,000 evacuees that came to Arkansas. Our population increased 3 percent in five days.

We managed that in a way that most of the nation didn't know, but the ones who did marveled at it, because we didn't have the problems that many other states had in trying to assimilate all of these evacuees that came in suddenly, unexpectedly, and with nothing but -- literally -- the dirty, muddy clothes on their back.

And we did it by bringing all of our resources together, marshalling the troops of both the public and private sectors, and taking charge of a situation where it was clear the federal government was in complete meltdown.

Stephanopoulos: I have looked at everything you said. I'm actually having a hard time figuring out: Do you support the president's plan to send more troops to Iraq now or not?

Huckabee: Well, what I try and say, George, is I support that the president has the right to make these decisions as commander in chief.

We need to give him time to let it work.

Stephanopoulos: So if you were in the Senate, you'd vote for the plan?

Huckabee: I would give him a chance. You bet I would.

But here's what I would also do. I would caution the president:

Mr. President, you cannot continue to overstress these National Guard and Reserve troops. And that's what worries me.

If we have a worn-out Army and we have a worn-out Reserve force, what do we do when something breaks loose in Iran, Russia, Venezuela, North Korea?

Stephanopoulos: So, then, the question is: How much time do we have?

And you wrote in your book that we should set a timetable for the Iraqis. What would your timetable be?

Huckabee: Well, I was careful not to say there should be a specific timetable. In fact, I've said it's like a baseball game, not a football game. You can't put it on a specific clock.

Stephanopoulos: But you said you have to give the Iraqis a timetable for progress?

Huckabee: We have to tell them, look; we're not going to be here indefinitely. What we're going to expect of you is, you're going to have to get control of this sectarian violence, this civil war that is just ripping this whole thing apart. Because the American people are not going to stay indefinitely.

Now, when I say a timetable, I want to be very careful that you don't just say, OK, December 31, that's the last day; we start pulling out the helicopters and fly away.

Stephanopoulos: But you know, realistically, aren't we really on a timetable because of the political situation here at home?

I think about -- we're, what, 11 months or so away from the New Hampshire primary.

If the situation in Iraq doesn't improve by the time voters here go to the polls, won't they be clamoring for anti-war candidate?

Huckabee: It all depends on how things go over the next year. If things continue to go with the sectarian violence, and the Sunnis and the Shias are just at each and bawling (ph) each other up, I think we're in for a very, very rugged season.

And it's going to be tough, if somebody takes any position other than what, just, cut our losses and go.

Stephanopoulos: Let's talk about immigration. I was struck by something in USA Today this morning, a headline that says, "Immigration Becomes KKK Rallying Point." You've said that you believe that there is some racism behind the immigration debate today.