This just in: Huckabee hires Ed Rollins Updated

Update:  Thanks to begone, I see that DHinMI did a much better job on this story some four hours ago.  Go see his diary and ignore this one.

I'm getting this off the Reuters wire, but a lot of services are carrying the story.  Veteran Republican strategist Ed Rollins is going to work for the Huckabee campaign:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Friday hired a veteran strategist and Washington political insider to run his surging campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Ed Rollins, who masterminded former U.S. President Ronald Reagan's landslide re-election in 1984 and worked on Ross Perot's independent presidential bid in 1992, will serve as Huckabee's national campaign chairman.

Any doubts now that Huckabee is a credible GOP threat?

Bit more on the flip...

The Reuters story recalls the "walking around money" scandal Rollins was involved in when he helped Christie Todd Whitman get elected in New Jersey -- by paying off black ministers to keep their congregants away from the polls.

Rollins wikipedia page can be getting consulted here.  His new job has already been added to the page.

•  Tip jar

  for breaking news...

  by litho on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:01:42 PM PDT

•  Blitzer played a clip

  of Rollins and Huckabee at a podium. Rollins said he wasn't sure if he could get used to a campaign without donuts and booze.

  by bumblebums on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:01:57 PM PDT

•  Looks like Ed Rollins will know

  what its like on BOTH ends of a landslide now. And remember - this is the scumbag who BRAGGED about supressing the black vote in New Jersey in the 1993 Senate race by bribing the black clergy.

  What a prince.

  by calipygian on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:03:29 PM PDT

  •  A scumbag, to be sure

    but a scumbag who knows how to win elections.

    Huckabee is grounds for serious worry.  With this addition, we need to worry more.

    He'll make Reagan look like a liberal.

    by litho on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:05:08 PM PDT

    •  I don't know if this makes Huckabee more worrisom

      Ed Rollins moment of glory came two decades ago. Has he run any successful campaigns since the NJ race? I thought he was more of a talking head now.

      by Arlingtonian on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:09:48 PM PDT

      •  I don't know, isn't Rollins a has been???

        His last gig appears to have been Katherine Harris and her train wreck riding on the horse of daddy's money.

        The other recent gigs appear to be state senators and TV talk shows. Not an impressive resume in recent years.

        I suspect, since most of the consultants are committed to others, Huckabee had to reach for the best of the Z team, not exactly A or B team material.

        Here's a charming Rollins quote:

        "You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising budget is big enough."

        by doinaheckuvanutjob on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 04:07:36 PM PDT

•  DHinMi was quicker than Reuters!

  with a funny title, too

  by begone on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:05:56 PM PDT

  •  Thanks for that

    I checked recent diaries and didn't see it.  I'll take this down now.

    by litho on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:07:10 PM PDT

    •  There's room for more discussion--

      no need to take it down.

      by begone on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:09:40 PM PDT

      •  I updated with the link instead n/t

        by litho on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:10:05 PM PDT

•  Interesting

  rollins isn't particularly adept at keeping candidates under control. He had success with reagan, who was used to taking direction as it was his profession for years, but with mcfarland against Clinton, he was a failure and with harris, he ran into a total train wreck. No way could he ever control that woman.  No one could.

  One wonders if he'll be able to keep a handle on huckabee and in particular, huckabee's penchant for god talk. That'll be no problem for the primaries, but in the GE so much god talk is likely to prove counter-productive.

  by dougymi on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:17:54 PM PDT

•  What is worse than a preacher turned politician?

  Nothing.

  by Village expects idiot home soon on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 03:21:08 PM PDT

  •  Pedophile Candy Striping a Pedeatric Cancer Ward?

    Maybe?

    by bernardpliers on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 04:28:31 PM PDT