KASICH: In the first "Factor flashback" segment tonight,
politics and religion. A new Gallup poll says that more than 80 percent of Americans are Christians. And that might be working for Mike Huckabee. The former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is a Baptist minister. And now, the frontrunner in Iowa for the Republican nomination for president. But the governor sparked some controversy when he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me be very clear. I believe there is a God. I believe there's a God who is active in the creation process. You know, f anybody wants to believe that they are the descendants of a primate, they are certainly welcome to do it.
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KASICH: Bill recently asked the governor about those comments.
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O'REILLY: As soon as you said you know if want to believe you're a descendant of the primate, all the evolution people said, hey, he's a primitive, the governor is a primitive. And you answer?
HUCKABEE: I answer I represent 90 percent of the American people who believe God was involved in the creation.
O'REILLY: But most of us -- and I believe God was involved in the creation...
HUCKABEE: Yes.
KASICH: ...too -- believe that there was an evolutionary process.
HUCKABEE: There well could have been. A wonderful book by Dr. Francis Collins, the guy that headed the Genome Project, called "The Language of God," I read it recently, he's an evolutionist. He's also a very devout evangelical Christian. But I just have to come to the conclusion that when people put me on the spot and say...
KASICH: Yes.
HUCKABEE: ...do you believe in evolution, yes or no, I'm going to say if you're asking me in the macro sense, then the answer is no. Because what you're asking me is it happened all by itself without the intervention of God.
KASICH: No, I...
HUCKABEE: But that's the way it was phrased.
O'REILLY: Yes.
HUCKABEE: And that's what I'm never going to ever answer.
KASICH: But look, you know what the secularists are going to run wild with that you're a nut, you're a Baptist minister, you're an evangelical, if you ever get elected president, you're going to oppose this on the country, you're anti-Darwinism.
HUCKABEE: Well, you know, Bill, look, I was a Baptist minister, but I was also governor for 2.5 years and a lieutenant governor for three years.
O'REILLY: But in Arkansas. That's not in San Francisco.
HUCKABEE: Doesn't matter where it is. Well, doesn't matter where it is. The point is I've got a record of governing, building roads and improving schools. What I'm saying is people make it like, well, you've just jumped from I preached a sermon last Sunday and baptized a bunch of people and now I'm decided, by golly I'm going to run for president. It's not quite like that.
O'REILLY: I understand. I understand this. I'm on your side. But I also understand that if you say -- indicate that you don't believe that we're descended from primates that you're going to have a hard time because they're going to brand you, they're going to brand you, and they already have. And I don't know how you fight that. But I want to get this clear.
HUCKABEE: OK.
KASICH: Do you believe in Adam and Eve? Do you think Adam and Eve were around?
HUCKABEE: Yes. I think...
KASICH: They were a real person.
HUCKABEE: Yes. I have no reason to doubt that.
O'REILLY: But -- so you believe that God said OK, here's the man, I will take his rib, and there's -- and everybody evolved from there?
HUCKABEE: As I've said tonight with Wolf Blitzer, I don't know how he did it. Honestly don't know how long it took, wasn't there, couldn't give you the details. But I just believe he did it. And so, you know, if it turns out that, you know, that I'm wrong, I've lost nothing. If it turns out I'm right, it's a good thing.
O'REILLY: Governor Romney is a very conservative individual, as are you. And Thompson is conservative as well. So you three are fighting for the conservative vote. Romney is a Mormon. Is that impacting his campaign, that religious belief?
HUCKABEE: I don't think so.
KASICH: You don't think any Americans are...
HUCKABEE: I think there will be some, just like being a Baptist is going to impact some folks for me. I always tell the story of a lady who asked me was I a narrow-minded Baptist that thinks that only Baptists go to heaven. And I told him no, ma'am, I'm more narrow than that. I don't think all the Baptists are going to make it either.
So you know, I know that it's going to be an issue for him. It's going to be an issue for me. The most important thing that we can do is to be honest about our faith. I'm going to be honest about mine. Tell people how it influences me, how it affects me. That's important.
O'REILLY: But a lot of evangelicals say you can't get to heaven unless you believe in Jesus. And if you're president, I mean, you're going to tell Jewish Americans and Muslim Americans you ain't going to heaven?
HUCKABEE: You know, that's not the role of the president...
KASICH: That's true.
HUCKABEE: ...to tell people about going to heaven or hell. The role of the president is to lead this country, and to improve the tax situation, secure our borders, to give us a sense of peace and safety and let people believe whatever they want to believe. They don't have to believe at all.
O'REILLY: But do you think the voters have a right to know about your religious beliefs?
HUCKABEE: Oh, absolutely, I do.
O'REILLY: You do?
HUCKABEE: I do.
KASICH: Do you believe that Jewish and Muslim Americans aren't going to heaven because they don't believe in Jesus and God?
HUCKABEE: I think that's going to be, you know, something they'll deal with. But again, it's not the role of the president to start telling...
O'REILLY: No, no, but do you believe that?
HUCKABEE: Do I believe that people...
KASICH: ...who don't believe Jesus is God can get to heaven?
HUCKABEE: I believe Jesus is the way to heaven. That's what the scripture teaches. Again, if somebody else has a different belief and they figure out how to get there apart from that, that's the only way I know how to get there.
O'REILLY: All right, so you're saying you are secure in your own beliefs, but you're not telling anybody else that they are or are not going to heaven.
HUCKABEE: That's not my job. My job is to make sure I make it on my conditions.
O'REILLY: OK. And you're not telling anybody else that they're not descendant from primates.
HUCKABEE: They can believe whatever they want to. That's the joy of this country. I love America, because people have a right to believe things that are polar opposite. I just want them to be honest about it. I'm much happier with a person who tells me he's an atheist and he's being honest about it, than a person who tells me he's a Christian but he doesn't live like one.
KASICH: Last question...
HUCKABEE: The ones who bother me the most are the ones who say they're Christians, but then don't live like it at all.
O'REILLY: ...if you were elected president, would you try to make prayer get back in school?
HUCKABEE: You know, I would want to make sure that students could pray. I don't want government telling a child to pray or forcing them or writing the prayer for them. But I think that if a student has basic convictions, you shouldn't prohibit or limit the students from prayer.
O'REILLY: So they should have a space and a time when they can, if they want to.
HUCKABEE: I don't know if the student ever took an algebra test that didn't do some praying.
O'REILLY: All right, there you go. Governor Huckabee. And we're pleased to be talking to you, governor. You're welcome any time.
HUCKABEE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KASICH: Plenty more ahead as "The Factor" moves along this evening. Mitt Romney takes a pounding from two major New Hampshire newspapers. And Rush Limbaugh in a spat with Huckabee. What's that all about?
And later, we'll talk to the world's most famous zookeeper about that terrible tiger attack in San Francisco. Jack Hanna will be here. And "The Factor" returns in a moment.
