--- title: Calls For Apology After Huckabee's "Oven" Comments On Iran Deal description: Comments on the pending deal between the U.S. and Iran by Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee have drawn ire from Democrats canonical: https://time.com/3972684/mike-huckabee-election-2016-republican-democrat-israel-iran/ author: Alissa Greenberg article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-27T04:24:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:49:33.779Z article:section: Politics og:title: Dems Demand Apology for Huckabee's Israel-Iran 'Oven' Remark og:description: It was an apparent reference to Nazi death camps og:url: https://time.com/3972684/mike-huckabee-election-2016-republican-democrat-israel-iran/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt468f1402a1c2b43b/69885c8acd1bba43846fc733/rtx1lkv2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4376 og:image:height: 2462 og:image:alt: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Huckabee speaks to 42nd annual meeting of American Legislative Exchange Council in San Diego og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dems Demand Apology for Huckabee's Israel-Iran 'Oven' Remark twitter:description: It was an apparent reference to Nazi death camps twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt468f1402a1c2b43b/69885c8acd1bba43846fc733/rtx1lkv2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Backlash After Mike Huckabee Says Iran Deal Is Like Leading Israel to 'Door of the Oven' > Sponsored content. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Alissa Greenberg](https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Jul 27, 2015 4:24 AM UTC  U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee speaks to the 42nd annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council on July 23, 2015 U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee speaks to the 42nd annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council on July 23, 2015 Mike Blake—Reuters by [Alissa Greenberg](https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Jul 27, 2015 4:24 AM UTC Comments on the pending deal between the U.S. and Iran by Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee have [sparked](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33671430) controversy after he compared the deal to “marching \[Israel\] to the door of the oven.” Huckabee’s comments to the conservative website Breitbart, an apparent reference to the Holocaust that would seem to equate U.S. President Barack Obama with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, immediately drew criticism from across the aisle, the BBC reports. U.S. Representative for Florida and head of the Democratic National Committee Deborah Wasserman-Schultz called for an apology for what she called “cavalier analogies” to Nazi death camps. The National Jewish Democratic Council echoed that call, saying in a statement, “Republicans have fallen over themselves to speak out against Donald Trump’s outrageous rhetoric on immigration and veterans. Will they now do the same and speak out against this unacceptable attack against President Obama that smears the memory of Holocaust victims … or will they stand by in silence and implicit approval?” Huckabee’s camp, however, chose to support his stance, highlighting the remarks in a tweet on Sunday: > [](https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/625398323629797376) Congress has until Sept. 17 to vote on the deal, which would trade nuclear proliferation limits for loosened economic sanctions. \[[BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33671430)\] ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. 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