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Politics Among The Pork Chops At The State Fair

John Pemble/IPR
Democrat Martin O'Malley was among the presidential candidates speaking at the State Fair Thursday.

  The parade of presidential candidates at the Iowa State Fair began Thursday morning with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

The Republican winner of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses is mounting another campaign after taking a break to be a commentator for Fox News.

Before a crowd of a couple hundred people at the Des Moines Register soapbox, Huckabee made the case for why he wants to be president.

“I want us to have the best military, the best economy, and the best standard of right-and-wrong morality that any country has ever had in the history of civilization,” he said.

Huckabee called for the elimination of the Internal Revenue Service, which he described as a “criminal enterprise.”

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One of the lesser-known Democratic candidates for president took a turn on the soapbox.

Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb served in the Marines Corps during the Viet Nam War and he was Secretary of the Nave during the Reagan administration.

He says this military background has prepared him to be the Nation’s Commander-in-Chief.

“The number one responsibility of the President of the United States is that burden of being your Commander-in-Chief and making these ultimate decisions about foreign policy and when to use military force and when it is wise not to use military force,” he said.

Webb also spoke out against big money in politics, saying he “un-bought and un-bossed.”

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And, late in the afternoon, Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley launched what he’s calling “The Rebuild the American Dream” tour at the State Fair.

Maryland’s former governor discussed his populist plan before about 200 people.  

His plan’s 15 goals include decreasing college debt, having America powered 100-percent by renewable energy by 2050, strengthening anti-trust laws, and comprehensive immigration reform.

“What made us known as the land of opportunity all around the world is that in every generation we took action to include more people, more fully in the economic, the social and political of our country,” he said.

O’Malley says he plans more than 15 Iowa stops to discuss his plan over the next three weeks.

He says he has spent more time in Iowa than any other Democratic candidate this summer.

Presidential candidates are scheduled to speak just about every day of the fair’s 11-day run.  Jeb Bush is scheduled to take his turn on the soapbox Friday morning.