This is the sort of book that OnTheIssues dreams of every politician writing. Huckabee includes details of his issue stances on dozens of issues, including his underlying philosophy and a prescription for individual action. Please read the excerpts below and appreciate that Huckabee is the real thing when it comes to talking about the issues -- unlike most politicians, who hedge and hem and haw, even in their own books.

Huckabee's other two books are interesting reading for voters, but they're not issue-oriented books. Those two books deal with character issues and with personal legacy.

The subtitle of this book is "12 STOPS to Restoring America's Greatness." That central metaphor defines the chapter structure of this book (and plays on the "12 steps" of Alcoholics Anonymous and other self-help programs). Being a pastor, Huckabee advises self-restraint and discipline in 12 realms:

STOP being cynical

STOP thinking horizontally

STOP cheating our children

STOP the culture of chronic disease

STOP abusing our planet

STOP the revenge-based criminal justice system

STOP robbing the taxpayers

STOP the heat and turn on the light for hot issues

STOP the loss of America's prestige at home and abroad

STOP moving the landmarks of liberty

STOP the loss of good jobs and the erosion of agriculture

STOP being a selfish citizen

The main title of the book, "From Hope to Higher Ground", is a play on the title of Bill Clinton's book, "Between Hope and History." Both men were born and raised in the small town of Hope, Arkansas.

-- Jesse Gordon, jesse@OnTheIssues.org, May 2007