Huckabee and evolution

The surprise runner-up in the Republican straw poll in Iowa over the weekend is a Baptist minister who believes God created the universe.
Mike Huckabee’s so-called creationist beliefs place him firmly on one side of the cultural divide, of course, but would those beliefs affect his educational policies as president of the United States? Maybe not. Consider the following from Huckabee, quoted by Associated Press writer Philip Elliott in May:
“I believe that the Creation has a creator. I believe there is a God. And I believe God put this whole creative process in motion. How he did it and the time frame in which he did it, I honestly don't know. Nor do I think it's relevant to being president of the United States,” Huckabee said. “I'm going to leave the scientists to debate the intricacies of how it happened and when it happened because I simply don't know. But I believe that rather than all this being just some accident that happened, there was a design, and a designer in the design.”
So, Huckabee apparently isn’t saying that evolution didn’t happen. I would interpret him as saying that IF it happened, it would have guided by God.
Or, maybe Huckabee was tacking as far to the left on this issue as he possibly could, in an effort to appeal to a wider range of voters, while maintaining his creationist bona fides.
Now, Huckabee also is famous for losing lots of weight and for having his own rock band. Does that translate into backing for funding to boost physical education, more healthful school lunches or improving music education? These are questions to be asked.
Frank Schultz, fschultz@gazetteextra.com