The Story Mike Huckabee Dreads With his new success comes new attention to an old Arkansas crime.

National Review Online ^ | 12/5/2007 | Byron York

[sportutegrl]

I read articles from CourtTV, the Village Voice, and the New York Post. There is some consensus that Dumond was a victim of the Clinton Arkansas Democrat machine politics, of which the sheriff was a member. There is a lot of evidence that the sheriff was involved in the castration. There are actually two conflicting stories on the internet.

One paints a picture of a married father of two, former Vietnam vet who found evidence that the local sheriff was running a car theft ring and threatened to expose him. He was subsequently accused of rape by a Clinton relative, then himself raped and castrated and sent to prison for life plus 20 years without parole. There is some evidence for this theory, in that the sheriff showed up less than two hours after the castration to get the gonads, and immediately brought them to the local funeral home to preserve them in formaldehyde. Also, the sheriff was eventually convicted of extortion. DNA evidence does not link Dumond to the original rape, and this evidence is suppressed.

There is also another point of view of this story. As you say, Dumond did have a history of violent crime. When he was set free, he did commit further crimes, including rape and murder.

So, what is right? I suspect that Huckabee and others subscribed to the first theory, (Arkansas Democrats trying to get rid of someone who has evidence against them -- not really a stretch). At the time, I would have made the same decision. But, with hindsight, we can all see the error of that belief.

[sportutegrl]

You can’t punish someone for crimes they haven’t committed yet. For the original rape, yes, it was enough.

[drjimmy]

I read articles from CourtTV, the Village Voice, and the New York Post. There is some consensus that Dumond was a victim of the Clinton Arkansas Democrat machine politics, of which the sheriff was a member.

I have read the original articles from all of those media sources as well. They were all written prior to Wayne Dumond having raped and murdered a woman following his release from prison, and they should all be read in light of subsequent events. The "consensus" was from people who hated Bill Clinton with such a passion that it overrode any sense of reality. Wayne Dumond was portrayed as a family man and Vietnam vet who had some minor run-ins with the law, then ran afoul of the Clinton machine. The facts are very different.

I'm not so much angered by the defenses being put up by Huckabee and his supporters regarding his involvement in this issue. He's a politician, so by definition he's a liar. It's the continued defense of Dumond that is so sickening. The Village Voice and New York Post should forever be shamed for trumpeting Dumond's innocence with lies, and helping lead to the murder of at least one woman.

[Callahan]

That Huckabee could survive to get this far with this kind of albatross around his neck is a testament to his political skills. Bottom line is he was suckered by a rapist scumbag due to anti-Clinton hysteria and the softness of his Christian heart. He put his career on the line for a creep and it blew up in his face. Lesson: Don’t put your career on the line for creeps.

[sportutegrl]

They were all written prior to Wayne Dumond having raped and murdered a woman following his release from prison, and they should all be read in light of subsequent events.

Huckabee's efforts to release Dumond happened before the subsequent rape and murder. We should not consider Huckabee's decision 'in light of' subsequent events.

[Walrus]

First of all, this election’s version of the Dumond story is initiated by (ta-daa) The National Review, that longstanding bastion of conservatism. Strike one.

Secondly, its re-emergence happens to coincide with the rising of Mike Huckabee’s fortunes (Iowans have a funny habit of actually LISTENING to what a candidate has to say in order to decide for themselves what he stands for). Strike two.

Finally, AT THE VERY WORST, all one could lay at the feet of Huckabee is a Carter-like belief that bad men can reform. No dirty dealings, no payoffs and no secret police. Strike three.

Sorry Mrs. Clinton, your highly-paid muckrakers are going to have to try something else.

(Note to the Clinton operatives who are posing as Freepers in this thread: it ain’t working, dbags)

[MC Miker G]

Consider the source obviously, but this appears to be a thorough, devastating article about the entire sorry episode:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/04/documents-expose-huckabee_n_75362.html

[drjimmy]

So when Willie Horton was furloughed from prison and then raped a woman and stabbed her fiance, we shouldn't consider whether Michael Dukakis's support of the furlough program was at fault, since Horton didn't commit these crimes until after his release. What twisted logic.

Of course we should consider the articles and Huckabee's role in Dumond's release in light of subsequent events. The articles painted Dumond as an innocent victim of the Clinton machine and glossed over his repeated history of violence leading up to the rape he was finally convicted of committing. We now know more about the personal pleas from Dumond's victims to Huckabee not to release Dumond. The "no one could have predicted" line of defense is pure B.S., since many people did in fact predict that Dumond would assault again if let out of prison, and they were sadly proven 100% correct.

[drjimmy]

First of all, this election’s version of the Dumond story is initiated by (ta-daa) The National Review, that longstanding bastion of conservatism. Strike one.

I had to read this line several times. I think you are intending to be sarcastic, but since The National Review is, in fact, a longstanding bastion of conservatism (founded by William F. Buckley, etc.), your first strike seems to be quite a misfire. Maybe you are one of those Clinton operatives, trying to make conservatives look bad.

[Walrus]

Oooooops! Major gaffe.

Perhaps the Walrus was thinking of The New Republic?

Back to the bench for me.

Or, as Church Lady might say, “Oh. Never mind.”

[sportutegrl]

I am not a fan of Huckabee. I have no intention of voting for him in the primary. However, this is a weak stick to hit him with. It can backfire. Also, if too much attention is paid to this whole Dumond story, it makes the Clintons look good for not pardoning him.

[drjimmy]

Oooooops! Major gaffe. Perhaps the Walrus was thinking of The New Republic?

I will grant you a pass on this, since it is very easy to mix up the names of the two publications. For a hoot, check out some liberal blogs and read about how they hate The New Republic almost as much as they hate The National Review.