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Huckabee treats McCain to barbecue, pair greets patrons at eatery Saturday, Apr 26, 2008 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Weeks after former Gov. Mike Huckabee dropped his bid for president, the only bone he had left to pick with presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain was slathered in barbecue sauce. The former rivals, their wives and other Republican figures ordered pulled pork sandwiches with slaw on the side and ribs to go after taking a brief tour of the kitchen at Whole Hog Cafe and shaking hands with patrons. Huckabee picked up the tab. McCain left a $40 tip. "He says he is a barbecue person and was excited to see the smokers and the cooking process, and he wanted to see the ribs," said Mike Blasingame, co-owner of the restaurant located in a strip mall near the Arkansas River. "He had some good, intelligent questions about, 'Are they dry ribs? Are they sauced? Are they glazed? He knew a little bit about barbecue," Blasingame said. Huckabee suggested the restaurant after McCain requested barbecue, according to Blasingame. Skipping class for a long lunch paid off for a group of 18-year-old high school seniors from Pulaski Academy who squeezed in for a picture with the Arizona senator snapped by a fellow teen. At a fundraiser prior to the lunch stop, donors forked over $2,300 for a photograph with McCain. The students, part of the Young Republicans club at their school, all said they were excited to cast their first vote in their first election for McCain. A number of folks at the restaurant came because they knew McCain would be visiting and some said they would likely vote for him, even though they aren't registered Republicans. "He's a patriot, he's honest and he's brilliant," said 74-year-old Andrew Hendricks, a self-proclaimed independent. "I just feel like I can trust him and believe in him," the ex-marine said. "I think he'll do a good job." Others dining at the restaurant who didn't know McCain was going to show up had mixed opinions of the candidate. "I'm probably a Democrat, but I'm leaning toward John McCain, believe it or not," 36-year-old Melissa Jones of North Little Rock said. "I just think he stands up for what he thinks is right, and he don't care if it offends people, and he'll say what's on his mind and you know, there's a lot to be said for somebody who's willing to do that," she said, acknowledging she hadn't closely followed the campaign, wasn't aware of his stance on some of the major issues and wasn't sure she would even vote. Former Arkansan Norman Dixon, who was coincidentally visiting Little Rock and Whole Hog on the same day as McCain, said he planned to vote, but not for McCain. "I'm not a Republican and I want Republicans out of office, so it's not personally against McCain, it's any Republican that they nominate I'm not going to vote for because I want change," Dixon said. However, Dixon said he didn't know if either Democrat Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton was ready to be president and hadn't decided which he would support. Dixon said he was upset with Republicans over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the growing national deficit, rising gasoline prices and what he felt was a lack of action addressing problems in the U.S. Over a pulled pork sandwich, he said his major beef with McCain was his stance on the Iraq war. "I think we've done our part and we should get out," the 51-year-old sailing instructor and master brewer said. "I'm tired of having 3,500 people die over there for whatever - oil." |
