My column this week is about polls that have shown that 27 percent of Mississippians, 23 percent of Georgians, and 21 percent of North Carolinians say they wish the South had won the Civil War.

Polls are what they are: fairly random snapshots of a moment in time that are highly influenced by the nature of the questions and highly dependent on whoever answers the phone and whether or not they are the type to engage in a political discussion with strangers.

Still, I think the attitude is consistent with the sentiments I have heard as a lifelong Southerner.

It’s an attitude that not only denies the historical reality of what the South really was fighting for – slavery – but it’s also somewhat disloyal. I’m glad I’m an American, and I don’t want to be a Confederate.

It’s becoming a little bit fashionable to complain about our country’s situation by threatening to leave it. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay alluded to the idea of secession during the health care debate. Even actor Chuck Norris seemed open to the idea. Those sentiments recalled some of the statements by Democrats who threatened to emigrate to Canada in 2004 after President George W. Bush was elected.

My opinion: Try to help solve the problem first. And if you really don’t like it here, then leave. Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on your way out.

Here’s the column.

In the second of a two-part series Friday night, KATV’s Scott Inman asked Mike Huckabee about a column I wrote for the Arkansas News Bureau in which I speculated that he would not run for president for a lot of reasons, the evidence being that he is building a $2.2 million mansion on the beach in Florida. My point then: No one would build that kind of house if he were seriously planning on spending the next 17 months on the campaign trail and eight years in the Oval Office.

The link is below. At the 2:25 mark, Inman referred to the column by saying that “an Arkansas writer … and someone who served on your staff” had written that he wouldn’t run, in part, because “your life’s a little too cushy right now.”

Huckabee laughed and said, “It’s not about the cushiness and of the life. You know, frankly, the campaign’s pace couldn’t be more intense than what I’m doing now.”

That wasn’t quite true, of course, but he was exaggerating for effect.

During the interview, Huckabee also said, “It’s just impossible to run a presidential campaign without an obscene amount of money, and it’s especially going to be that way because the Democrats aren’t going to have a primary. The Republicans could end up with a demolition derby, which I hope doesn’t happen. And so part of what I’ve got to decide is, can I raise enough money to be competitive?”

Here is the KATV story.

Here is the column that led to that question.

Were he to run, Huckabee hopefully would add a voice of reasonableness to a primary process that has already become a circus. Asked in the Thursday segment about his recent spitting match with Fox News host Glenn Beck, who called him a “progressive” in part because he supported first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity, Huckabee said:

“I refuse to be one of those Republicans who hate everything Obama just because of the source. Whether it’s the first lady, or the president, and I think they’ve done something good, then let’s acknowledge that.”

Here is the link to part one of that report.

By now you probably have heard that Ryan Mallett was not picked until well into the third round by the New England Patriots.

Hog fans will take that as a personal affront, but NFL general managers obviously saw something that spooked them. My guess: It had to do with football, not a few youthful indiscretions Mallett may have had at Michigan or Arkansas. Scouts must have been scared off by Mallett’s lack of mobility or decision-making in late-game situations. I hope it didn’t have anything to do with his grammar and accent, but it might.

Regardless, this may have been the best thing that could have happened to him. Kid could use a little humility. More importantly, he’ll be going to the best-run organization in the NFL, where he will learn under Tom Brady, the best quarterback of our era. That’s a heck of a lot better deal than getting killed in Cincinnati week after week.

It will not be good enough for a lot of people who will simply call it a forgery.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for anyone to admit they were wrong about it.

UPDATE: Case in point.

I wrote a second column for the Arkansas News Bureau this week to give my fellow columnist, Jason Tolbert, a break. In the column, I assert that the fact that Mike Huckabee is building a $2.2 million Florida beach house is a pretty good indication he isn’t running for president.

I think the former governor is simply making too much money and enjoying life too much to throw his hat into a presidential race that he probably won’t win. He’s going to keep doing what he is doing and enjoy his new beach house while the other candidates trudge through the snow in Iowa.

Anyway, it’s an educated guess, and we’ll know in a couple of months if I am right. Here is the column.