Both were in Mississippi on Monday, but aides to both Republicans were cagey and declined to confirm whether the pair sat down together.

It’s a delicate topic for the two prospective candidates. Barbour wants to be respectful of Huckabee’s decision-making process and not be seen as pressuring the 2008 winner of the Iowa caucuses. And Huckabee, despite doing little of what he himself has said would be necessary to mount a campaign, wants to keep the possibility of running open and isn’t quite ready to play kingmaker.

But for all their aides’ coyness, the two principals have been openly flirting with one another in recent weeks…

More broadly, Huckabee would offer his fellow governor an important credential among Christian conservatives. Barbour is a down-the-line social conservative on the issues – he often mentions that under his governorship Mississippi was deemed the safest place for an unborn child – but he doesn’t have the personal connection with the Christian Right that Huckabee enjoys. The former Baptist preacher’s endorsement would make it easier for Barbour to deflect questions about just how ardent a cultural conservative he is.