Huckabee’s ‘oven’ comment draws Obama ire

Mike Huckabee’s on the warpath against the Iran nuclear deal, and President Barack Obama Monday fought back.

Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, told Brietbart News Saturday that Obama was leading Israeli’s “to the door of the oven" by agreeing to the nuclear pact.

Obama fired back Monday, telling a news conference in Ethiopia Huckabee, as well as other Republicans, were trying to get attention after watching real estate mogul Donald Trump getting most noticed. Trump is leading the Republican presidential field in most national polls.

“You know, the particular comments of Mr. Huckabee are, I think, part of just a general pattern that we've seen, that...would be considered ridiculous if it weren't so sad,” Obama said.

Obama noted that “part of what historically has made America great is, particularly when it comes to foreign policy, there has been a recognition that these issues are too serious, that issues of war and peace are of such grave concern and consequence that we don't play fast and loose that way. We have robust debates. We look at the facts. There are going to be disagreements but we just don't fling out ad hominem attacks like that because it doesn't help inform the American people.”

Obama also cited Trump. “And so when you get rhetoric like this, maybe it gets attention and maybe this is just an effort to push Mr. Trump out of the headlines...” the president said.

Huckabee had told Breitbart, “This president’s foreign policy is the most feckless in American history. It is so naive that he would trust the Iranians. By doing so, he will take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven. This is the most idiotic thing, this Iran deal. It should be rejected by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress and by the American people. I read the whole deal. We gave away the whole store. It’s got to be stopped.”

Monday, Huckabee responded to Obama. “This morning I awoke to see that President Obama had called my comments ‘ridiculous and sad,’” the former Arkansas governor said in an email to supporters.

“What’s ‘ridiculous and sad’ is that President Obama does not take Iran's repeated threats seriously,” he said, pledging ‘Never again’ will be the policy of my administration and I will stand with our ally Israel to prevent the terrorists in Tehran from achieving their own stated goal of another Holocaust.”

This story was originally published July 27, 2015 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Huckabee’s ‘oven’ comment draws Obama ire."