LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Huckabee said Wednesday the nation is being given a chance to make up for past racism by the way it handles the influx of Hispanics. Huckabee, a Republican who is considering a run for president in 2008, said Arkansas has made progress on racial justice and has a fresh opportunity to do the right thing in the way it welcomes the growing Hispanic population.
"One of the great challenges facing us is that we do not commit the same mistakes with our growing Hispanic population that we did with African Americans 150 years ago and beyond. We're still paying the price for the pathetic manner in which this country handled that," Huckabee said at a meeting of the Political Animals Club in Little Rock. The club meets monthly to hear from political figures and experts.
"I think frankly the Lord is giving us a second chance to do better than we did before," Huckabee said.
Huckabee, who leaves office in January, spent about an hour talking about his 10 years in office. He offered no new insights on his future plans, still saying he will announce after he leaves office Jan. 9 whether he will run for president.
Huckabee said he is not posturing for the vice presidential nomination.
"If I make a decision at all, it won't be to run for the second position on the ticket. I've never seen a football team run out on the field and say we're Number Two," Huckabee said.
Huckabee afterward declined to elaborate on his comments on immigration. The governor in the past has opposed efforts to ban state services for illegal immigrants.