Don’t get me wrong, I like Haley Barbour, actually I’m quite comfortable with him.  He is much like the personalities I have grown up around.  But he is certainly part of the Decepticon establishment.   Big ol’ Cigar Smokin’, Corinthian Leather Chair type fella.  The consummate looming heavy hitter.   The guy you don’t wanna have opposed to ya’, ever. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge….. say no more.   I know his personality type very, very, well…….  But here are a couple of recent articles highlighting some of the ‘electability’ concerns……Haley Barbour Says We Should “Proceed in National Policy as if Global Warming Is Actually Happening“ – CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (ABC News) — Potential presidential candidate Haley Barbour appears to be staking out a moderate position on global warming than some of his possible rivals, saying at an event in eastern Iowa on Friday that the country should “proceed in national policy as if global warming is actually happening.”

Barbour, who has consistently opposed regulation of the energy industry, made the comments in response to a question from an Iowa voter who asked the Mississippi governor whether he thought global warming was real.  “I think the prudent thing for us, when you consider the potential risk, the prudent thing is to proceed as if global warming is an issue,” Barbour said at a luncheon organized by a local Republican group, the Linn Eagles, “but we don’t have to destroy the American economy for no positive results to do that.”

But in an interview with a blogger at the Conservative Political Action Committee Conference in Washington last month, Barbour seemed more skeptical when asked to comment about record cold temperatures in parts of the country this year.  “This global warming is about to freeze me to death,” Barbour said in jest. It’s not the first time Barbour has used the quip — he said nearly the same thing in January during his State of the State speech at the Mississippi statehouse.

And on Friday, at the same time he acknowledged that global warming is occurring, he also added: “There are a lot of people who are very, very, very learned scientists who question whether or not what is happening is caused by man-made activity.” (full article)

Barbour also facing some serious criticism for his indulgent political activities….

(Time) On Feb. 11, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, his wife and three aides flew in a luxury jet to Washington for a weekend of politicking, including an appearance on Fox News Sunday and a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference. “Our problem is not that we tax too little,” Barbour told the gathering. “It’s that we spend too much.”

The potential presidential contender may have another problem: Mississippi taxpayers paid the tab for Barbour’s first-class travel. State documents obtained by TIME show that Mississippi shelled out $7,020 to shuttle Barbour and his entourage to and from D.C. on its Cessna Citation, a cost that Barbour says is justified by state work he did in D.C. over the same weekend. “The trip requests make clear the Governor was on official business including meetings with members of Congress about issues ranging from economic development to energy policy and health care reform – all important to the people of Mississippi,” says his spokeswoman Laura Hipp. According to the documents, Barbour’s reason for using the state plane was a “meeting with Congressional leaders”; his office declined to make public his full schedule for the two-day visit.

Taking the state’s jet for a mix of personal and state business is nothing new for Barbour, who says he will make a final decision on a presidential bid in April. He racked up more than $300,000 in taxpayer-funded travel bills in 2010, spending all or part of at least 175 days outside the state, according to the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Miss. On trips with less overlap with state business, Barbour has made a habit of hiring his own private plane, his aides say. (Politico’s Ben Smith has more detail on Barbour’s flying schedule here.)

State law places few restrictions on a governor’s use of the plane. But such luxuries clash with the cost-cutting message Barbour is bringing to Republicans around the country. “It’s very ironic,” says Lynn Evans of Mississippi’s Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group. “For him, that’s just the way it’s supposed to work.” (read more)

Barbour is the face of the K-Street crowd, in the realm of Trent Lott and co.,  and a serious lobbyist.   Those $1,000 private lunches is how he earned his stripes.   The beltway types would say  “he’s got juice with everyone”.   Meaning those stripes are as bold as he wants them to be.

Now please don’t misinterpret me on this guy.   Barbour has a straight forward approach that can be a great thing for the political landscape.  He did a great job as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and accomplished a great deal of positive things for the conservative movement.   He was an excellent governor for Mississippi, and his leadership style benefitted his state especially during Hurricane Katrina.   His “git-r-done” style is highly effective at making things happen.   He has a huge stash of mega ‘IOU’ chips which he can turn into political contributions at any given moment from political operatives, corporate interests, and various conservative candidates across the country.   But he is also the consummate ‘insider’, and one of the crew that disingenuously disparaged Sarah Palin in an “off the record” type manner.

I grew up with, and am close friends of, many Barbour-esque types.   The word “boy” is an affectionate adjective with less hints of racism, and more a sense of stature amid that sociological circle.   Apt to be just as comfortable at a BBQ as a white linen napkin table, whilst correcting any ill-mannered or inappropriate surrounding behavior.   Large personalities.   Can that translate to electoral success?  I’m not sure.   Do we need a good national thumpin to correct the course and get our proverbial butts in gear?  Yep.   Can Barbour deliver that correction?  Oh yeah, without a doubt.   But there is something missing, perhaps something more important, the ‘reason’ for running.    You see, for Barbour it would be more about power than principle.  Sure, along the way he is going to do the right things, but not for the same reasons a person like Sarah Palin would do them.

I’ve said before that if you measure a candidate by who would push a button to fix everything, but in pushing that button they would personally lose everything important to them, including their own position, there are no other candidates who I would trust to push that button other than Sarah Palin, or perhaps Allen West, or maybe, maybe, Herman Cain.   But without a doubt Sarah Palin would.   Barbour?  notsomuch….   He’s the guy I want in my corner, and feel pretty comfortable at his loyalty, but something is troublesome in the grand scheme of altruistic principle.   I like the guy, but these two recent articles highlight some of the baggage he can bring to the table…./SD