The Nation - Huckabee finds a spotlight - The GOP hopeful has little money or name recognition, but spots on TV talk shows offer hope -- for free.

"There are a lot of dogs at the same dish trying to eat a limited amount of food," he told CBS this week.

The former Arkansas governor has long ranked as an afterthought, if that, in a contest dominated by better-known candidates. But his second-place finish in a Republican straw poll in Iowa last weekend has spawned a burst of media attention.

That's a major boon to Huckabee, who has barely enough cash to run a viable campaign. For him and more than a dozen other lower-tier candidates, invitations to appear on national TV -- Huckabee this week snagged a spot on CBS' "Early Show," among others -- are a badly needed source of hope that there may be a path to relevance.

A campaign for president, said political scientist G. Terry Madonna, is "an ugly process that favors people who have a lot of money" and a familiar name.

Huckabee has neither. Instead, the Southern Baptist minister with a knack for homespun rhetoric is banking on sheer force of personality -- and free media time to project it.

"The strategy that he's been following for quite some time says, 'I'll be discovered because of my personal charisma and talent, and not because I raised a lot of money,' " said political consultant Dick Dresner, one of Huckabee's top advisors.

No matter how much money he raises, Huckabee is sure to fall millions short of what leading Republicans, such as Rudolph W. Giuliani, will spend on TV ads. At the end of June, the former New York mayor reported $18 million in cash on hand; Huckabee had just over $437,000.

To generate money and support, Huckabee needs more than just free media exposure, said Madonna, who teaches at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania. He also needs Giuliani and the other front-runners to "implode."

"Look, he needs help, and the bottom line is: He can't do it himself," Madonna said. "Something has to happen that's beyond his control."

So far, Huckabee has counted largely on debates to draw attention, using folksy one-liners to try to outshine his rivals. Introducing himself at a CNN debate in June, he joked about former President Clinton, with whom he shares a hometown: "I'm from the small town of Hope. You may have heard of it. All I ask you is: Give us one more chance."