I’m watching the MSNBC Republican debate and they ran a neat little gimmick where the candidates asked each other questions.  Good chance to really hammer your adversary with a difficult question, right?  Well, McCain asked Huckabee a question about the FairTax.  He set up his question by praising the broad grassroots support, mentioning that he always sees a FairTax supporter in town hall meetings.  Then he tossed a total softball question about the impact on the poor - one that he had to know that Huckabee would knock out of the park based on his strong knowledge of the topic.

Huckabee handled the question with particular aplomb.  I was surprised that McCain didn’t phrase the question differently or ask one on a more difficult topic for Huckabee.  The exchange made me wonder if this was a public overture to Huckabee given McCain’s recent poll surge.  Could we see a McCain/Huckabee ticket if McCain wins the nomination?

The talk show circuit would probably blow a gasket, but it is an intriguing prospect.  McCain is the war hero who can own the national defense vote.  Huckabee is the consummate campaigner who can bring in the social conservatives.  Would McCain adopt the FairTax to lure in Huckabee and diffuse criticism of his vote on the Bush tax cut much like Huckabee did to offset his record as a tax hiker?

Or maybe I’m reading too much into the question…

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