"You don't want people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," Huckabee told an audience in Myrtle Beach. "If somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell 'em what to do with the pole."

At a news conference Thursday night, Huckabee said the flag issue is not one the president "needs to weigh in on," and did not say whether he considered it offensive to fly the Confederate battle flag, The New York Times reported.

Huckabee toured the state Thursday former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley, whose decision to remove the flag from the Capitol Dome and display it elsewhere on the Capitol grounds had angered some conservatives, the newspaper said.

The issue has resurfaced, the Times said. A radio commercial by an independent group promoted Huckabee and attacked McCain.

"John McCain assaults our values," the ad said. "Mike Huckabee understands the value of heritage."