The latest from Huckabee
(Image courtesy of Ace of Spades HQ).
From Politico:
“It really does show how sick our society has become that people are more concerned about a campaign three years from now than those grieving families in Washington,” Huckabee said during an interview on Joe Scarborough’s radio show. “It is disgusting, but people use anything as a political weapon.”
What Governor Huckabee apparently does not understand is that the questions raised about his leadership concern whether his judgments as Arkansas’ chief executive helped bring about the grief these families are now suffering. So, in reality, Gov. Huckabee wants us to focus on the grief but only insofar as it does not involve raising inquires about his responsibility. He’s a Peter Pan in an Osama Bin Laden world.
Aside from passing the buck and denying any person responsibility for his actions (“The parole board made me do it!”), what does Huckabee give out for quadruple cop killings, a full pardon?
Huckabee should be begging forgiveness of these families. I would be horrified to be in his shoes and I would blame myself for the harm (and rightfully so).
I criticized Romney for being too rigid on clemancy (in the case of the Iraqi War veteran and Bronze Star winner who was barred being a cop due a b-b gun violation when he was a minor) but you do not let violent felons go without very good reasons (like they were wrongfully convicted in the first place). It is absolutely forseeable that they will hurt other people, regardless of any professed change of heart.
What this shows is very revealing about Mike Huckabee’s character, and it is not very good at all.
I suspect that London Book may move in the next few days to show Mitt and Palin as the sole front runners now at 5-to-1 or so, followed by a large group of 10-to-1 and 12-to-1 long shots. Huckabee just has got to drop from his best odds of 6-to-1.
How wrong I am. London thinks that Huckabee’s screw up is not mortal and only inures to Pawlenty’s benefit:
Romney, Mitt 5.00
Pawlenty, Tim 6.00
Huckabee, Mike 8.00
Palin, Sarah 8.00
Bobby Jindal is the only one with the moral fibre to be President of the United States.
Huckabee was just on Medved’s show. He had the good grace to simultaneously lie about Clemmons’ crimes – ignoring carrying a gun on his campus and punching a robbery victim – while at the same time saying he was remedying the benighted, racist residents of his state.
I have no respect for Huckabee.
Prrhaps there should be a new thread if the Clemency power should ever be used. People can bring forth their best legal and moral arguements for or agaisnst
It appears this Governor says no
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2009/12/01/minnesota-apparently-an-injustice-free-zone/#comment-5454
I have to admit if I was in Huckabee position and saw the number of years this guy got (without having the benefit of time travel to see how he would turn out) I would have likly done the same thing. And Yes Prof Beckwith I believe in Original Sin.
The commenter at the above link made a good point:
“The purpose of executive power of pardon is not merely to catch miscarriages of justice but also to take into account extenuating circumstances that are not actually written into law because they are very rare or couldn’t be foreseen; so not only is the Minnesota court system infallible, its legislature must be omniscient, having taken every possible circumstance into account.”
I think that should be apparent. COnservatives are pretty big on checks on Governmental power. When we are seeing more and more criminazliation of conduct, mandatory Min Sentence taht take discretion out of the Judges hands we have to have a check. I am not sure why out of all areas of Government the criminal justice system is seen as one area where such a check is not needed.
That is the debate that is going on beside if Huckabee was right or wrong in this individual matter. To ignore it is not very productive and yes does give a sense that this is being used a political club