WASHINGTON – When you look at the Politico – GWU poll today you can see why Mike Huckabee took a pass on running for president. Even with the economy in shambles, 72% of Americans “approve of” Pres. Obama “personally,” with 52% approving of his job as president, even if that slides into the crapper when the economy is listed: 42 percent to 57 percent — between those polled who approve and disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy. Couple Obama’s likability, as well as the feckless GOP roster, with the Osama bin Laden kill and you’ve got the makings of a formidable reelection campaign.

After Mike Huckabee bowed out in 2012, on Sunday he weighed in on the Republican field and Donald Trump for president, regardless of the polls that state he’s unelectable.

“I believe that Donald Trump would be better for America than Barack Obama because he understands business. Donald Trump has taken a pro-life position. He believes we are getting shanghaied by China, which I agree with.”

You have to wonder where Donald Trump might be if he hadn’t hung his political dream shot on birtherism. Because when he first came forward to appear on Rush Limbaugh, his economic message and his tough China talk clearly was something Republican primary voters were ready to hear.

Taylor Marsh is a Washington based political analyst, writer and commentator on national politics, foreign policy, and women in power. A veteran national politics writer, Taylor’s been writing on the web since 1996. She has reported from the White House, been profiled in the Washington Post, The New Republic, and has been seen on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Arabic, as well as on radio across the dial and on satellite, including the BBC. Marsh lives in the Washington, D.C. area. This column is cross posted from her blog.