Huck Takes Right Path (Editorial)

In an era when so many are disgusted with politicians — and justifiably so in many, many cases — it’s good to see one do the right thing.r

Gov. Mike Huckabee’s decision not to seek a United States Senate seat and remain on the job the people elected him to do is such a case.r

We applaud the governor for that. There’s much work to be done in education reform, and so far, the governor seems to be one of the few politicians who understands the importance of doing it right.r

The state will need a full-time governor, not one distracted by a campaign for the Senate.r

The governor could have run and maybe even have won the job he first sought upon entering the political arena.r

But his current task of trying to bring all of the factions together and come up with a plan that will provide Arkansas’ children with a fair and equal education, as ordered by the state Supreme Court, will consume a lot of time and energy — and undoubtedly a lot of prayer by the former Baptist pastor.r

The governor has shown courage throughout the rancorous debate over how to deal with the schools and fund the reforms. Already re-elected to his final term as governor, he could easily have passed the buck on to the Arkansas General Assembly.r

Instead, he has come up with and held to the best plan for reform that we we’ve seen so far. We admire him for doing the right thing for Arkansas’ future, which may or may not be the most popular thing to do.r

While we’re still skeptical of what the legislators may try to pull off, it will be interesting to see if the governor will take his plan to the people if it fails in the December special session.r

A recent “push poll” of 426 Arkansas voters, conducted by a group created by the governor, showed that 66 percent believe improvements in public education should be on the November 2004 ballot and 26 percent want to see a compromise worked out in the Legislature. Nine percent were undecided.r

With the governor’s announcement, Sen. Blanche Lincoln looks to have a free ride in the coming election as no well-known Republican seems to want to run against her. Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller and former Rep. Asa Hutchinson have both bowed out. She would not have been easy to beat in any case because she pays close attention to the wants and needs of Arkansans and has what most would consider a moderate voting record.