Posted on 12/01/2009 10:49:21 AM PST by Mount Athos
Under fire for commuting the sentence of suspected cop-killer Maurice Clemmons, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tuesday called some of the criticisms “disgusting” and suggested they were attempts to score political points.
“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.”
Huckabee granted Clemmons, a suspect in the killings of four police officers in Washington state over the weekend, clemency in 2001. He had served 11 years in prison after being sentenced at the age of 18 to 60 years in prison for burglary and theft and was set to serve the 60 years, in addition to the 48 years he was already serving on five felony counts.
After his sentence was commuted, Clemmons was paroled by an Arkansas board and moved to Washington in 2004, where he was charged with eight felonies prior to gunning down the police officers in a coffee shop.
Clemmons was shot and killed Tuesday morning by an officer investigating a stolen car.
Huckabee has been thrashed in the right-wing blogosphere by leading online conservative voices who have criticized his commutation of Clemmons’ sentence.
In addition, Minnesota GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty – one of Huckabee’s potential challengers for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012– said Tuesday that he would not have granted Clemmons clemency if he had been in Huckabee’s position.
“I don't think I've ever voted for clemency,” Pawlenty told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham. “We’ve given out pardons for things after everybody has served out their term, but again, usually for more minor offenses. But clemency? Certainly not. Commutation of sentence? Certainly not.
Huckabee defended his choice to grant the Arkansas felon clemency by insisting that Clemmons original sentence went too far.
“If he were a white kid from an upper middle class family he would have gotten a lawyer and some counseling,” Huckabee said. “But because he was a young black kid he got 108 years.”
Huckabee said the sentence was “far disproportionate from any other punishment in Arkansas at the time for a similar crime.”
“It’s a lot easier to be a pundit or a commentator or a blogger than to govern the state and have to make tough decisions,” he said. “People are talking about this from a political standpoint, but what they need to be asking is how did the system break down?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faKzzgXVAv8
Buh bye Huck!
Don’t be so bitter. I’m sure those “grieving Washington families” aren’t upset with you, NOT.
What’s disgusting is refusing to take responsibility for the fact that 4 cops are dead because you let a dangerous thug back onto the streets when he should have died in prison.
Huckabee is melting down faster that I thought he would....He is a liberal Criminal Rights advocate
And, a lesson for all of us....never ever elect someone who values Criminal Rights over Citizen and Victim Rights....and include this “never supporting” all those who support Illegal Alien Rights over Citizen Rights (as Illegal Aliens are criminals for breaking US immigration law)
We will see few children raped, killed, and fewer law enforcement massacred, once we stop supporting politicans who value Criminal Rights
He’s toast.
4 BRAVE POLICE OFFICERS KILLED BY THIS SCUM CLEMMONS IS DISGUSTING !!!
“..but people use anything as a political weapon.”
Yeah. Carzy things like your past record.
Huck is more upset he’s being criticised for a bad decision than the fact he let this guy out (from murder) and he murdered 4 more people.
Sorry Huck, not with you on this one.
Huckabee also bringing up race, oh how nice. When all else fails, bring up race. Hey Huck, you have a long history of letting prisoners out early. This isn’t your first time. You have done this again and again and again
The only thing worse is for the punk who granted the clemency being the nominee for the GOP. WE can't save the slain you could have.
What’s disgusting is refusing to take responsibility for the fact that 4 cops are dead because you let a dangerous thug back onto the streets when he should have died in prison.Bingo!
You said EXACTLY what I wanted to!
Amen!
bump
Huckabee has truly become Huckleberry and, to his dismay, is finished in his quest for the Presidency.
Stealing from Forrest Gump, Squishy is as squishy does.
Shut up, Huckabee! You are a rotten lousy whitened sepulchre.
Huckabee is being a total wuss here. I am shocked at how much of a wussie he is being. Just say, “Hey, it was a tough decision, I made the best decision I could at the time, and it has has turned out to be terribly wrong.” and let it be.. All this wussie wuss whining he is doing is unbeleivable..
But I do admit it is WAAAAY over the top !
so obvious the wAY they cover up Obama's past and viciously attack palin, but even the shooting story at Yahoo had a big Huckabee footnote at the bottom.
the media is evil
Yeah Huck, you’d never do such a thing to your opponent.
For some reason I’ve always despised this smarmy pseudo-folksy hypocrite.
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