Mike Huckabee: the Other Man From Hope

How's this for steely resolve? In 2003, then-Arkansas Republican governor Mike Huckabee, a little porky and more than a little diabetic, went on a diet and dropped 110 pounds. No bariatric surgery, no Trimspa, just good old-fashioned exercise and a healthy diet, under the advisement of a doctor.

Before, after

Now Huckabee hopes the same guts and gumption can carry him all the way to the White House. Hey, Bill Clinton was also an Arkansas Governor (born in Hope), and virtually unknown, not long before being elected.

On the plus side, Huckabee's been rated one of America's best governors (Time Magazine), and started programs to help Arkansans slim down (he even wrote a book, Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork). His advice to Americans includes not watching TV while you eat dinner.

Now the downside: he got an anti-gay marriage amendment passed in Arkansas, supports teaching creationism, and sometimes wears an American flag guitar strap. Here's Huckabee performing with his band, Capitol Offense. Click here to watch a pop-up video style clip of the boys at work. There's another similarity to Bubba: an embarrassing penchant for playing musical instruments in public.