Looks like ex-Governor Mike Huckabee may be dead meat:As a general matter, I think there are far too few uses of executive clemency, commutation and pardon in our current criminal justice system. But here's a case of one gone awry that may end up having real political ramifications.
You may have heard that four police officers were murdered in what under different circumstances would look like a mob assassination in Washington state coffeehouse this morning.
The man local police are seeking for questioning is Maurice Clemmons, 37, a man with a lifetime history of violence, burglary, aggravated robbery, theft and rape.
Clemmons was serving what was essentially a life sentence in Arkansas before having his sentence commuted by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee.
"This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Pulaski County prosecutor Larry Jegley told the Seattle Times when told Clemmons was a suspect in the quadruple murder.
Whatever you might think, say or write about this now, if Clemmons is indicted, the fact that Huckabee pardoned this guy is going to be played by Palin's supporters like the Willie Horton affair on steroids.
Of course, she'll keep her hands off of it.
Update - 8:30 p.m: The CW has now tweeted the following:
While in Washington State today my heart goes out to the WA police officers gunned down so tragically&senslessly. God comfort the families.
C4P has a post up. We'll see how the comments roam...
And, along with Palin, my heart truly does go out to these public safety professionals' families.
Update - 8:40 p.m: from C4P:
Scratch Huck. Now the Evangelicals will be looking for a candidate to unite behind. Could it be Jeb Bush? Tim Pawlenty? Mitt Romney?
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That's HIS gameplan and conventional wisdom. He's a Minister. I think Sarah can clean up the Evangelical vote AND the Catholic vote (I'm a Catholic). Even without today's events I think she would have won Evangelicals, but Huck could have made inroads, maybe split off enough of them to throw it to T'Paw or Romney. I doubt it though.
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Husckers has his "Willie Hortan" moment (heard that he might not run in 2012)
Romney is polling just below 50%
Sarah is looking good now :)
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I posted this at Ace about Huckabee commuting the killer of the 4 cops.
Sanford - Appalachia tunnel...to Argentina
Newt - Scozzafava'ed
Cheney - Bush baggage
Mitt - Romneycare, coward
Huckster - Horton'ed out
Jeb Bush - Bush name
Petraeus - Apparently no interest
Jindal - too young, nerdy, and said he's out
Barbour - old, white, gray-haired Southerner
Crist - oh, please
Huntsman - Obamabot
Gary Johnson - Who?
Pawlenty - He of half a testicle and moderation
Who is left?
Thune - Who? VP? maybe if he behaves
Santorum - ? Be good and you get Veep spot
Who is left?
The Commonsense Conservative who walks the talk, and is fearless.
Palin/? 2012
She'll get 55% of the vote, pull the 2004 states of Bush and pick up Wisconsin.
The only question is her Veep.
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If anyone has time, post at Race42012 on latest Huckabee thread. Their attacking Palin, because, obviously this could be significant for her. Some idiot supports Jeb Bush, but he's a pretty nasty Palin hater.
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[referring to Huckabee's newly issued press release on the shootings]
And it omits an explanation of why it mentions commutation - what does that have to do with Huck? - it doesn't say.
It seems to try to shift blame without accepting any responsibility, and to say that someone should be tough on the man in the future.
What man? It doesn't say.
Weird and inept.
It reminds me of Ted Kennedy's explanation for the famous event in his life. I was stunned at how poorly he "explained" that. I expected something less inept.
This statement by Huck's team is inept.
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8 comments:
Phil,
I think you nailed it.
"I think you nailed it."
Yep, once again Mr.Munger showed his obsession with Sarah Palin. He takes a fairly obvious conclusion...that Huckabee's chances of running in 2012 are over and uses it a lame attempt to make Palin's supporters look bad. Desperation like this stinks to high heaven.
ZIP,
What that I posted from C4P makes the CW's supporters look good?
Once again, answer the fucking question or get outta here.
ZIP,
What desperation? Mr. Munger's reporting is pretty straight forward on this issue. I saw no indication in the post of his attempt to smear Palin. Maybe you need to read it again and focus more on comprehending its' content. It seems that you are the one making it personal when it's not.
Are you not aware that 1 in 7 inmates in this country are innocent? Huckabee may have used the wrong criteria to grant clemancy, but it should not be viewed as the wrong thing to do in general. We have had our legislators lobbied until we have very harsh sentences, we put teenagers in adult prisons, prosecutors withhold or use false evidence, we put people in prison who used to get community service, we have very little rehabilitation, we don't supply health care to inmates, and we have very little due process for indigents. Huckabee was not the only one to grant this man freedom. WA state had just done so and they had a better picture of his history. It also appears he may have been mentally ill. I don't like Mike Huckabee myself, but I also love the truth.
With careful and due respect for your commentary on Palin, I think progressive-leaning families are really tired of hearing about her. My expectation was, come January 2009, folks would roll up their sleeves and turn their attention to Obama's legislative and policy agenda, and I think that is still largely what they would like to do. Here in Alaska, there are at least three major progressive blogs - PA, Celtic Diva, and Mudflats - spending a significant percentage of their time on Palin. Here we are in November, 2009, a new foreign policy in effect, the stimulus act 8 months into effect, stimulus projects being deployed in Alaska, a major health care bill has passed the House and is in the Senate, a major policy and operational shift in Afghanistan, economic results coming in, energy policy and legislation under consideration, and a jobs summit near. The public dialogue seems high-centered on Palin, but I do not hear that emphasis reflected in conversations among families in my neighborhood. I see the point of conservatives talking about Palin - let them waste their time. I see little relevance of the Palin discussion to the list of tasks in front of Progressives right now. Palin has collapsed into her own dream, the faux-author of a get-even book, and remains always the victim. Why bother with her at all? We need to move on.
PB,
I explained why I've gotten back into having to cover Palin in Book 4, Chapter 1 of SL.
The world needs to see her for the crazy person that she is; the psychologically unstable lying deceiving backstabbing know-nothing that she is OR we could end up being stuck with her. Phil and others need to keep exposing the lies in a thoughtful and intelligent manner or we thinking people may just be presided over by a person that is barely qualified to flip a burger.
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