Mike Huckabee, offering analysis and advice for Mitt Romney yesterday on dealing with the political implications of his Massachusetts health care plan.
The analysis:
"I think it's not a killer for him. But he has to say either 'I love it,' 'I hate it,' or, 'Hey I tried it, it didn't work and that's why I would say to you, let's not do it nationally'."
The advice:
"The position he should take is to say: 'Look, the reason Obamacare won't work is because we've tried it at the state level and we know it won't work.... Our experiment did not turn out as we had hoped. It cost more, waiting times were higher, quality of care went down, people were greatly dissatisfied and it ended up having almost the polar opposite effect of what was intended'."
Two, other 2012 prospects have sharply criticized Romney over his health care plan -- Rick Perry and Rick Santorum.
Perry's warning (circa November 2010) was similar to Huckabee's -- apologize or else.
VAN SUSTEREN: Is there any way you could ever support Governor Mitt Romney in light of the fact that the Massachusetts health care program is so similar to the national health care plan?
PERRY: I think it's a problem to go -- if he were to stand up and say "You know what, this was a program that didn't work, and I wish I hadn't tried it" -- I think that would help him substantially.
But the fact is: they are so similar that it is going to be a major anchor unless he stands up and repudiates that approach.
Santorum expressed similar concern over RomneyCare's implications for its creators nomination fight.
"I think it's hard to see a path for him given the 'Obamacare' issue... It's just hard for me to see how he gets past that [in a Republican primary]."
