In an exclusive interview on ABC’s “This Week,” presidential candidate Jon Huntsman said “there’s a serious problem” with comments made by Texas Gov. Rick Perry in New Hampshire last week calling man-made global warming “a scientific theory that has not been proven and from my perspective is more and more being put into question” while claiming scientists have “manipulated data” on the issue. Here is what Huntsman said:

“The minute that the Republican Party becomes the party — the anti-science party, we have a huge problem,” Huntsman told ABC News Senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper. “We lose a whole lot of people who would otherwise allow us to win the election in 2012.”

“When we take a position that isn’t willing to embrace evolution, when we take a position that basically runs counter to what 98 of 100 climate scientists have said … about what is causing climate change and man’s contribution to it, I think we find ourselves on the wrong side of science, and, therefore, in a losing position,” Huntsman added.

It might be too late. The Republican Party has rejected science for quite some time. Who can forget a George W. Bush aide that once derided Americans who lived in the “reality based community” in the New York Times magazine?

Jon Huntsman and Fred Karger may be the only two sane Republicans running for President of the United States. Unfortunately, it seems GOP primary voters prefer candidates that belong in padded cells. Nevertheless, it was encouraging to hear a Republican finally stand up to the medieval views that pass for reality in the Republican Party. Why won’t more mainstream Republicans stand up, speak out, and take their hijacked party back from extremists?

If there is no place for people like Huntsman and Karger in the GOP, then there is really no room for the Republican Party in American politics. We are flirting with economic, moral, financial and social disaster if one of our two parties rejects science in favor of superstition.

Hopefully, Huntsman’s comments will gain traction for his campaign. But don’t hold your breath because the GOP is now dominated by people who think Sarah Palin is worldly and believe that Michelle Bachmann is wise.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOX Is Imposing a Litmus Test of Ideas and May Be Engaging in Anti-Gay Discrimination

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Truth Wins Out condemned FOX today for excluding openly gay Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger from the cable network’s Thursday debate in Iowa. The decision appears to be a viewpoint litmus test imposed by FOX on Republican candidates and may even reflect anti-gay discrimination.

“Fred Karger played by the rules, yet FOX is still ruling him ineligible,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “It seems that FOX is stomping on ideological diversity among debate participants and may be excluding Karger because he is gay. He is outpolling better-known candidates and has earned the right to present his views to the American people.”

Karger has qualified for a debate invitation because met three requirements for presidential candidates to be included:

1. Registered with the Federal Elections Commission as a presidential exploratory committee or presidential campaign.

2. Met all U.S. Constitutional requirements.

3. Garnered at least an average of one percent in five national polls based on most recent polling leading up to the registration day.

In an Aug. 2-4 Harris Interactive poll, Karger garnered 2 percent of the vote, which tied former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and beat former Sen. Rick Santorum (1%) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (1%).

While Karger is not expected to win the nomination, if he is given a debate platform he could potentially finish in the top five. Most of the other candidates will divide the Religious Right’s vote, which they are desperately courting. This could possibly leave Karger votes from Republicans repulsed by candidates like Bachmann or Santorum.

“It appears that one has to be an ultra-conservative clone to get invited to a FOX debate,” said TWOs Besen. “If Karger’s polling is respectable with little media exposure, it is reasonable to believe he could rapidly increase the number of supporters if given the opportunity to debate. It is unconscionable to essentially fix the nomination by blacklisting candidates that do not sign off on the GOP special interest checklist.”

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that fights anti-LGBT religious extremism. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for LGBT equality.

Dealing with a dog who Feels Under The Weather [perhaps knocking down the trash can and treating the mess as a buffet is not smart?], so here are the other things I haven’t blogged about:

1. The first marriage equality case is hitting Chile’s highest court.  Gay activists are calling it a historic moment.  [Link goes to "lifesitenews," so get ready for some hilarious Christian scare quotes.]

2.  Fred Karger, the gay Republican presidential candidate [unicorn chimera from space...] is not being allowed to participate in one of the earliest Iowa Republican debates.

3.  This story isn’t funny, but the headline is:  “Woman alleges Gophers fired her because she’s gay.”

4.  Finally, Rachel Maddow interviewed the amazing Daniel Hernandez last night.

Just kidding, but there’s an ad running in Iowa for Fred Karger, which is indeed a campaign ad for the 2012 Republican nomination. Karger’s a bit of a different sort of candidate, though:

Karger is (unofficially, at this point) running for president as a Republican, on an almost exclusively gay-rights platform. A former Ronald Reagan aide who is now openly gay, it’s Karger’s goal to make it onstage at televised Republican debates and make hay over the party’s traditional gay-rights stances.

That could be entertaining. Here’s the ad:

Gay Republican to Announce Potential Run for President on
Saturday, April 10th at 11:00 am at SRLC

Fred Who? It’ longtime Republican political consultant, turned national gay activist, Fred Karger. He will hold a press conference today to announce that he is “seriously considering becoming a candidate for President of the United States in 2012 as an Independent Republican.”

11:00 am on Saturday, April 10, 2010

Marlborough Room

Hilton New Orleans Riverside, 2 Poydras Street, New Orleans

The announcement is in conjunction with the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) 2010 which is being held at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside from April 8th thru April 11th. Karger’ press conference is not an official activity of the SRLC.

The SRLC is the most prominent Republican event outside of a Republican National Convention. It is held every two to four years and brings the top Republican activists, donors, candidates and elected officials together for three days of training, briefings, receptions and speeches from the leaders of the Republican Party.

Karger’ announcement will be delivered during the SRLC, which will be attended by nearly every major prospective candidate for President in 2012.

“The day after Sarah Palin speaks to the delegates, I will be speaking at a press conference,” said Karger. “I would be the first Republican to discuss the possibility of running for the Republican nomination, and to take on Barack Obama in 2012.”

Karger is not yet a household name. But, his political career spans nearly four decades, all behind the scenes until he retired in 2004.

He worked as a senor campaign aide on three Presidential campaigns. He has been involved in six other Presidential campaigns. Through his former firm the Dolphin Group he managed campaigns for Republican candidates for U.S. Senate, Congress, as well as ballot propositions and state and local races in several states.

In July 2008 Karger started Californians Against Hate to follow the money in California’ Proposition 8 campaign. He gained prominence by leading boycotts of four of the major donors to the Yes on 8 campaign. He also filed formal complaints with state election commissions in California and Maine that brought about ongoing investigations of the Mormon Church and the National Organization for Marriage.

If he becomes a candidate, Karger would be the first openly gay candidate for President of either political party.