Mike Huckabee refusing to take back controversial comments

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is in hot water for refusing to apologize for controversial comments he made on President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.

Huckabee said that Obama had agreed to a nuclear deal that would “take the Israelis and basically march them to the door of the oven.”

The comments have drawn criticism from Obama, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., and several of Huckabee’s GOP presidential opponents.

“I certainly don’t use language like that. I tell people why I’m against the Iran deal, because it’s a bad deal,” said Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

But Huckabee says Iran has threatened to wipe Israel off the map with another Holocaust.

“I will not apologize and I will not recant because the word Holocaust was invoked by the Iranian government,” said Huckabee.

Obama and some others have suggested Huckabee is just trying to get attention in a crowded field of Republicans running for the White House. Tuesday morning, Huckabee rejected that claim.

“If I was going to make noise about this, don’t you think I would have a better forum than a weekend satellite radio show that I didn’t think that many people would be listening to?” claimed Huckabee.

Huckabee has used the controversy in fundraising emails to supporters.

There are 16 republicans running for president. Only the top ten will get to take the stage in prime time of next week’s first presidential debate.