Republicans rage at Obama for Mount McKinley name change: Will Washington Monument be 'Obama Monument' next?

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) has a new joke about President Barack Obama moving to rename Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America, to Denali.

On Monday, the GOP presidential candidate asked why Obama would want to rename North America's tallest peak after the GMC Denali, the automaker's high-end line of trucks and SUVs.

"It's amazing to me that the president would rename the nation's tallest mountain after a GMC truck. That's pretty remarkable in itself. Just kidding of course," Huckabee said on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

Obama announced Sunday that he was using his executive authority to rename the Alaska mountain Denali, the name long used to describe the peak by Alaska Native tribes and other locals.

In doing so, however, the president infuriated many Republicans, as well as politicians of both parties from Ohio, the home state of former President William McKinley. (McKinley never even visited Alaska, according to The New York Times, let alone the mountain.)

Huckabee said there were two reasons for the "outrage" over Obama's decision. The first, he said, was the president exceeding his legal authority.

"One, that the president thinks he can do whatever he wants, even renaming a national landmark. I'm wondering what's next - the renaming of the Washington Monument to the 'Obama Monument'?" Huckabee asked.

He said he was also angered by the Republican-led Congress not doing enough to stop Obama's executive action related to the mountain. This was likely a shot at House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who issued a statement saying he was "deeply disappointed" in the name change.

"But here's the second thing that riles me: Where the heck is the Republican Congress that's supposed to be a check and balance?" Huckabee asked on Newsmax. "I'd like to see them stand up and tell him he can't do it."

At least two other Republican presidential candidates also slammed Obama over the Denali issue. A visibly baffled Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) called the move "reinventing history or something" during a Fox News interview on Monday.

"I don't know why after 100 years why we're changing the name of a mountain," Kasich said. "The fact is that somebody once saw that mountain and they named it after McKinley over 100 years ago. And we ought to just keep the name." 

Real-estate mogul Donald Trump further vowed Monday night to reverse the name change: 

However, not all Republicans criticized Obama for changing the mountain's name - especially those from Alaska, where "Mount McKinley" is viewed by some as a colonial slight against the native population. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) released a video praising Obama, and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) was similarly enthused.

"The naming rights already went to ancestors of the Alaska Native people, like those of my wife's family," Sullivan said. "For decades, Alaskans and members of our congressional delegation have been fighting for Denali to be recognized by the federal government by its true name. I'm gratified that the president respected this."