Mike Huckabee's 'Important' Remarks On Iowa Justices, Gay Marriage: Traditionally Shrewd

Potential presidential contenders Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee will all make appearances in Iowa this month, throwing more speculative fuel on the already fiery debate over the Republican party's pick for the 2012 election.

Their visits are also turning the state into a culture war battle ground, and Huckabee launched a fresh attack this weekend by celebrating the national "significance" of Iowa's decision to oust three state Supreme Court justices who approved same-sex marriage.

“The significance and historic nature of the judicial elections here in Iowa were far bigger than the borders of Iowa," said Huckabee in a speech at an evangelical gathering Sunday. “It was a very important statement that voters made, a statement that resonated across the country and one that I think will give legs to a larger movement over the next few years.”

The Iowa justice recalls were a rallying cry for social conservatives this overwhelmingly money-minded election year, and Huckabee made sure to stay on top of the waning tide: he stoked the flames in June by refusing popular Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' calls for a "truce" on social issues.

"The issue of life and traditional marriage are not bargaining chips nor are they political issues. They are moral issues," Huckabee insisted at the time. Though certainly heartfelt, Huckabee's latest outburst also reveals insight into his 2012 strategy.

Neither Palin, Gingrich nor other popular presidential prospects, like Mitt Romney, are likely to be labeled liberal on social issues. As de facto queen of the Tea Party, however, Palin just has to maintain her base and then persuade some more social conservatives.

Gingrich has his Washington machine behind him, yes, but he offended some Tea Party activists with his remarks this year that they are a militant GOP sect, and not everyone on the right has forgotten about his extra-marital affairs, a fact that complicates his social conservative standing. [It's worth noting, though, that Gingrich is also trying to capitalize on the gay marriage issue, and said last week that the four remaining justice who weren't up for retention should "resign."]

With regard to Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor's past statements supporting gay pride and flip-flops on issues like the Employment Nondiscrimination Act have alienated social conservatives in 2008, and the passage of "progressive" health care reform in Massachusetts on his watch threatens his support among the Tea Party.

By locking down social conservatives, Huckabee's attempting to guarantee traditionally Republican allies who may feel ignored in the wake of the younger, more exciting Tea Party, thereby cutting them off from potential poachers. He's already started his campaign.

"I was tea party before there was such a thing," he explained in July, four months after a Tea Party poll painted him in an unfavorable light. "If people go back and listen to what I said during the campaign, read the books that I've written, what they're going to say is that, 'Gosh, this guy was the tea party message before anyone identified it as a tea party.'" And Huckabee can easily use his Fox News outlet to keep hammering that point ahead of the 2012 primaries.

It's clear where Huckabee's going with his marriage messages. Whether they have the national impact he claims, however, won't be revealed for months to come. Is that a blessing or a curse?

Photo credit: brennan.v's Flickr