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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled some pardons issued by former Gov. Haley Barbour are valid. Republican Barbour pardoned 198 people before finishing his second term Jan. 10, including four convicted murderers and a robber who worked as inmate trusties at the Governor's Mansion. Of those pardoned, 10 were in jail at the time. Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood challenged the pardons. Hood argued before the Supreme Court on Feb. 9 that some pardons didn't meet the requirements of the Mississippi Constitution, which says people seeking pardons must publish notices for 30 days in a newspaper....

The sheer number of pardons handed out by outgoing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour – over 200 – left many Mississippians in shock. What may not have been so surprising is that white prisoners were four times more likely than black ones to get the gubernatorial benefit of the doubt. Out of a total of 222 acts of clemency given by Barbour during his tenure – 156 of which Attorney General Jim Hood has subsequently argued may be constitutionally invalid because of public notice violations – two-thirds benefited white prisoners. Meanwhile, two-thirds of the state's prison population is black. On its...

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Friday he's "very comfortable" with his decision to grant pardons or other clemency to more than 200 people, including convicted killers, in his last days in office, telling Fox News that Mississippi is predominantly Christian and believes in forgiveness. The pardons have set off outrage among some victims' families and prompted a judge to block the release of some of the pardoned inmates out of concern that proper notification rules were not followed. Barbour told Fox News that any problem with paperwork was an accident on the part of corrections officials, who needed to...

A Mississippi judge has temporarily blocked the release of 21 inmates who'd been given pardons or medical release by Republican Haley Barbour in one of his final acts as governor. Circuit Judge Tomie Green issued an injunction late Wednesday at the request of Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood. Hood said he believes Barbour might've violated the state constitution by pardoning some inmates who failed to give sufficient public notice that they were seeking to have their records cleared.

(CNN) -- A Mississippi judge Wednesday evening issued a temporary injunction forbidding the release of any more prisoners pardoned by outgoing Gov. Haley Barbour. Five convicted murderers were released Sunday, officials said. "We have ordered that they report to the Department of Corrections' said Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. "It's a slap in the face to everyone in law enforcement and Gov. Barbour should be ashamed," he said. A court hearing on the matter will be held Monday. Hood said Barbour violated Mississippi's Constitution because the pardon requests for some inmates were not published 30 days in advance, as required,...

Governor barbour issues over 200 pardons on his last few days in office. Over two dozen killers. A socialiate who killed two doctors in a drunk driving wreck and served less than 20 months in jail now gets 3 years house arrest. Complete list of pardons issued this week included.

Outgoing Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour under fire after pardoning 4 killersmsnbc.com staff and news service reports updated 1 hour 27 minutes ago JACKSON, Miss. — Outgoing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has pardoned at least four convicted killers who worked at the Governor's Mansion, including a man who was denied parole less than two weeks ago. Relatives of three victims told The Associated Press on Monday that state corrections officials notified them over the weekend that the convicts were to be released this past Sunday. Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who weighed a presidential run last year...

STARKVILLE, Miss., Jan 9 (Reuters) - Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour pardoned four convicted murderers who worked at the Governor's Mansion, releasing them from prison in the final days of his term in office, state officials said on Monday.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's pardon of a convicted murderer who worked as an inmate trusty at the Governor's Mansion came two weeks after the man was denied parole by a state board. A letter to one of the victims in the case said the Mississippi Parole Board turned down 40-year-old David Gatlin on Dec. 27. The letter, dated Jan. 4 and obtained by The Associated Press, did not explain why the Parole Board rejected Gatlin's parole request. It said he was due for another parole hearing in October. Shannon Warnock, chair of the parole board, didn't...

If any Republican presidential candidates are looking for last-minute advice before the Iowa caucuses, Sarah Palin, Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour and Herman Cain have some thoughts. The Washington Post asked the four politicians Palin, the 2008 GOP vice-presidential nominee; Daniels, the Indiana governor who passed on a presidential run; Barbour, the Mississippi governor who also passed on a White House bid; and Cain, who suspended his campaign last month for tips. Barbour wrote it should be all about President Obama and his policies: "If I were campaigning, I'd talk about how his policies have made economic growth and job creation...

Barbour: Initiative 31 bad for business 'It'll cost us a whole lot of jobs,' governor warns Firing back at critics of using eminent domain as a tool for economic development, Gov. Haley Barbour says DeSoto County voters armed with facts shouldn't be afraid to shoot down Initiative 31 on the Tuesday ballot. They should be afraid of the economic impact if the proposal passes: "It'll cost us a whole lot of jobs. It would be felt in DeSoto County and all across the state," he said. "People shouldn't be misled into thinking this will protect their property from eminent domain,"...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is moving aggressively to assemble a presidential campaign team in Florida and, according to at least one knowledgeable Republican source, is receiving political advice from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) criticized the Tea Party wing of the GOP on Tuesday for failing to get behind Republican leadership on a deficit plan. "Our people have to understand that we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good," Barbour said. Barbour said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had shown "courage" in the deficit debate by agreeing to compromise in order to raise the debt ceiling. "In politics, purity is a dead dog loser," he said. "We cannot go out with the idea that we're going to be pure, or we're going to do nothing." Speaking...

NEW ORLEANS -- Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told a crowd of conservative activists at the Republican Leadership Conference Friday that they should not "get hung up on purity" when it comes to the Republican nominee for president. "In politics, purity is a loser," said Barbour, a well-connected GOP insider who earlier this year decided to forgo a presidential run in 2012. (snip) Barbour said that this was the first time in his decades in politics that people are regularly telling him that "I'm afraid my children and grandchildren are not going to inherent the same country I inherited." "Those are...

I was ecstatic when I found out Haley Barbour was not going to run for the Presidency. After reading all the news dug up by Dan Riehl about Barbour and then-candidate for RNC chair Reince Priebus, I was kind of shocked, but I see they team up well to try to moderate those darned conservatives. My first Republican Convention in Michigan was in 2009, and Haley Barbour was the main speaker. After listening to a real raw-meat speech by excellent political commentator Frank Beckmann, I heard Barbour say basically this: fiscal responsibility is the way of republicanism and as Republicans,...

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour issued a stern warning to conservatives Friday: relent on ideological purity in the primaries or risk losing the general election. "We're going to nominate someone for president who doesn't agree with you on everything and who you don’t agree with on everything," Barbour said. "But I'll tell you what. You're going to agree with them a whole lot more than you agree with Barack Obama."

Gov. Haley Barbour issued a warning to social conservatives in choosing their Republican nominee for 2012: “Purity is the enemy of victory.” “Remember purity in politics, purity is the enemy of victory,” Barbour said. “We can’t start out with the idea out as the Faith & Freedom Coalition that our candidate’s got to agree with me on every single thing. We cannot expect our candidate to be pure. Winning is about unity. Winning is about us sticking together to achieve the main thing.” “Conservatives, religious people, small government people, we are not going to have purity. We’re not going to...

Obesity is a national health crisis ... If current trends continue, it will soon surpass smoking in the U.S. as the biggest single factor in early death, reduced quality of life and added health care costs ... Obesity is responsible for more than 160,000 excess deaths a year ... The average obese person costs society more than $7,000 a year in lost productivity and added medical treatment." — Scientific American, January 2011. Considering those troubling statistics, Advertising Age's headline this week is welcome news: "Weight Watchers Picks a New Target: Men." The story details how the nation's biggest diet company...

April 25, 2011 STATEMENT OF GOV. BARBOUR "I will not be a candidate for president next year. This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided. "Hundreds of people have encouraged me to run and offered both to give and raise money for a presidential campaign. Many volunteers have organized events in support of my pursuing the race. Some have dedicated virtually full time to setting up preliminary organizations in critical, early states and to helping plan what has been...

Barbour will not seek GOP nomination By Michael O'Brien - 04/25/11 03:15 PM ET Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) took himself out of the running for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday. Barbour surprised most observers by saying in a statement that he wouldn't run for president in 2012. "I will not be a candidate for president next year," he said. "This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided." The Mississippi governor had been seen as a favorite by...

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he is not running for president in 2012. Barbour had told Newscenter 11 earlier this month that he would make his decision by the end of April of whether or not to seek the Republican nomination for president. Barbour released a statement Monday. It appears below in its entirety. “I will not be a candidate for president next year. This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided.

Looking at the electoral field, I wonder if this would be the strongest ticket from the current field. TP is a 2 term governor from a normally blue Northern state, Haley is a 2 term governor from a red southern state. They have lots of executive experience, TP has shown he can win in a non-Republican state, and just might be able to put together more than 270 electoral votes....if we can put the keebosh on Hussein's fraud machine.

It's early yet, but the Grand Old Party clearly has its work cut out to sell the voting American public on a candidate to challenge President Obama in the 2012 national election. A 56 percent majority of Republican voters told a CBS News/New York Times poll that none of the names officially or unofficially in the hat at this stage made them feel enthusiastic as potential nominees.

I already wrote the “surprisingly strong showing by Trump!” post yesterday vis-a-vis New Hampshire so I’m not sure what’s left to say about this. It’s a national poll this time but the key elements are all the same. He does especially well among tea partiers, which may be due to his Birtherism, his name recognition, and/or his “Beltway outsider” status. And he leads everyone except Romney, which is as strong a signal as the base can send that they’re not real thrilled with their choices thus far. According to the latest national NBC/WSJ poll, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads...

As promised last month, I’ve removed Chris Christie and Paul Ryan from the Presidential line due to their stated disinterest in running. I’ve removed Jim Demint, since he’s removed himself from running, as well. Because he has indicated an interest in running, I have added Rand Paul; if Paul supporters try to cheat as they notoriously do for his father Ron, I will remove Rand from subsequent polls.... ....Please vote only once. Your ballot should take less than a minute to complete. We'll announce the results after voting has concluded. NOTE: It is easy to detect double voters, and every...

The rumored field of 2012 presidential hopefuls is uniting behind a plan to cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, aligning them with a group of House conservatives who are insisting that any final budget deal includes a policy rider to defund the organization. With less than week left for congressional leaders to reach a budget deal and avert a government shutdown, the proposed rider that would end all federal funding for Planned Parenthood remains one of the thorniest issues in the budget standoff. Some House conservatives, led by Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.), have indicated they're unwilling to compromise on...

<p>I caught up with Karl Rove, at least by phone, in Austin. In the public’s mind, he’s become so identified with President George W. Bush that it’s easy to forget he remains one of the savviest political analysts, in part because of his encyclopedic memory of Republican races.</p>

2012 Presidential Candidate Straw Poll Posted by The Right Scoop on Mar 26, 2011 in Politics

Barbour Slams Barack Obama, Abortion Truce in Iowa Speech Des Moines, IA -- Governor Haley Barbour, an expected Republican presidential candidate, slammed pro-abortion President Barack Obama on pro-life issues during a speech in Iowa today. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/03/25/barbour-slams-barack-obama-abortion-truce-in-iowa-speech/

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney is the godfather of what Republican critics call Obamacare. Newt Gingrich is an adulterer on his third marriage. Tim Pawlenty is too green — environmentally, that is. Jon Huntsman worked for President Barack Obama. And Haley Barbour has come off as dismissive of racial segregation. Is any potential Republican presidential nominee without vulnerabilities that could alienate voters, especially those in the GOP primaries, and provide ready-made attacks for opponents? Not in this crop. The 2012 Republican field is deeply flawed, lacking a serious GOP contender without a personal misstep or policy move that angers the party...

DAVENPORT, Iowa — America should slash defense spending — and consider shrinking its presence in Afghanistan, Haley Barbour said Monday night. Barbour, a likely candidate for president in 2012, told Iowa county leaders and activists here that the GOP won't have any credibility on cutting spending if they're not willing to trim the defense budget — often considered sacrosanct for Republicans. "Anybody who says you can't save money at the Pentagon has never been to the Pentagon," the Mississippi governor said. "We can save money on defense and if we Republicans don't propose saving money on defense, we'll have no...

President Obama mocked his potential 2012 GOP rivals — and poked fun at himself — while Mitch Daniels returned fire and got in his own shot at Sarah Palin at Saturday night’s 126th annual Gridiron Club dinner of Washington politicos and journalists. Obama, in his first address to the group as president, pounced on Haley Barbour’s weight – by highlighting First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to end obesity in the country. “Haley, when Michelle said you should run, she didn’t mean for president,” he cracked. The president didn’t spare Tim Pawlenty either. “Tim Pawlenty’s not here, but he’s hit the...

Haley Barbour is all about Newt Gingrich Continue Reading "I'm crazy about Newt," Barbour told reporters after a breakfast at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce after he was asked about Gingrich's likely presidential announcement. "We've been friends for a very long time." Gingrich is considering a presidential run and has been the focus of intense speculation this week after it was reported that he planned to announce the formation of an exploratory committee on Thursday. His spokesman, Rick Tyler, issued a strong statement Tuesday night insisting Gingrich would not use his Thursday trip to Georgia to make a presidential announcement.....

Why did Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour praise President Obama’s political skills on “Meet the Press” yesterday? In a discussion about Obama’s reluctance to engage in the Wisconsin labor battle, Barbour said: “The president is one of the greatest politicians in the history of the United States.” Even faint praise for the president seems odd from any Republican pondering a run for the Oval Office. Is this a sign that Barbour won’t run? Or is it an early attempt to build an excuse for the defeat Republicans fear they will face in 2012? As Politico notes, Just four months after posting...

President Barack Obama is one of America's best politicians ever, according to one of his potential rivals for re-election in 2012. "The president is one of the greatest politicians in the history of the United States," Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."Barbour's comments came during a discussion of Wisconsin's budget battle - a fight that's sparked widespread protests as Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has tried to curtail collective bargaining rights for public employees. Obama is "quiet [on the issue] because most Americans know this has to be done,"

The pursuit of endorsements from Iowa’s key GOP politicians creates a new dynamic for presidential candidates. Unlike the 2008 Caucus, when Steve King was the only major elected office holder who offered an endorsement, Iowa has four top Republican officials who could play a key role in 2012. Last week’s news that Senator Charles Grassley plans to endorse a candidate as early as this summer has campaigns angling for his affection. The key to an impactful endorsement is whether or not it comes with the full political weight of the endorser. Will the endorser’s staff, advisors, donors, and top volunteers...

JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Tuesday he won't denounce a Southern heritage group's proposal for a state-issued license plate that would honor Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Barbour is a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate. Questioned by reporters Tuesday after an energy speech in Jackson, Barbour said he doesn't think Mississippi legislators will approve the Forrest license plate proposed by the Mississippi Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Name another individual that has cut state spending without taxation; that has passed necessary TORT reform legislation in a state based upon the legal profession; that has proudly pushed laws that have made their state the safest for the innocent unborn. You can't. Haley Barbour is the perfect candidate. He can appeal to both the establishment (via his years as Chairman of the RNC and the RGA) and grassroots (via his years as Governor of Mississippi). No other candidate has that connection with both movements. However, the fact that he's from Mississippi will hinder his campaign more than the two...

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour made the case Sunday on Fox News that his career as a high-powered federal lobbyist for domestic corporations and foreign governments would be an asset if he ran for President in 2012. (excerpt) Barbour may be eager to showcase his record, but one of Barbour's foreign lobbying clients could cause him some troubles in the 2012 Republican primary, if he decides to run. According to a State Department filing by Barbour's former lobbying firm, The Embassy of Mexico decided to retain Barbour's services on August 15, 2001, to work on, among other things, legislation that would...

What Haley Barbour didn't tell Fox News: he lobbied for Mexico on 'amnesty' By: Time Magazine's Michael Scherer Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour made the case Sunday on Fox News that his career as a high-powered federal lobbyist for domestic corporations and foreign governments would be an asset if he ran for President in 2012. Barbour may be eager to showcase his record, but one of Barbour's foreign lobbying clients could cause him some troubles in the 2012 Republican primary, if he decides to run. According to a State Department filing by Barbour's former lobbying firm, The Embassy of Mexico decided...

Barbour Backs Away From Abortion “Truce,” Plugs Pro-Life View Governor Haley Barbour clarified his stance on a controversial abortion and social issues “truce” Governor Mitch Daniels advocated, that he supported, and he plugged his pro-life views at a national conservative conference. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/02/12/barbour-backs-away-from-abortion-truce-plugs-pro-life-view/

As Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour steps up his efforts to explore a possible presidential run, he faces one question that none of the other prospective candidates will have to address: can a back-slapping, Ole Miss Rebels fan with a molasses-rich drawl connect on a human level with caucus-goers and primary voters whose cultural roots are far from Yazoo City? Though his Deep South persona and good ol' boy reputation are often cited as significant drawbacks for Barbour in the first voting states, Republican operatives and officials in Iowa and New Hampshire point to a bevy of historical and anecdotal evidence...

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, will visit Israel. The Republican Jewish Coalition announced Tuesday that it would host Barbour in Israel Feb. 5-9. The RJC has hosted Barber in 1994, when he chaired the Republican National Committee. He will be the third potential Republican 2012 presidential candidate to visit Israel in recent weeks. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney visited Jan 13-14; ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is currently touring the country. Barbour, like Romney and Huckabee, is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli government...

Republican South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is opting out of an appearance at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), making him the latest Republican to the criticize what some have seen as a pro-gay tilt to the prominent conference. "With leading conservatives organizations not participating this year, Senator DeMint will not be attending. He hopes to attend a unified CPAC next year," DeMint spokesman Wesley Denton told CNN. Conservative groups including the Heritage Foundation, Tony Perkins' Family Research Council and Brent Bozell's Media Research Center are boycotting the event over the inclusion of GOProud, a gay conservative group. Other...

For many Republican National Committee members and GOP activists, the real headline after Friday's defeat of RNC Chairman Michael S. Steele was "Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour defeats House Speaker John Boehner." The newly-elected RNC Chairman, Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus, was the behind-the-scenes choice of Mr. Barbour, who is considering a run for the GOP presidential nomination next year and can benefit from having his man heading up the GOP's top fundraising and campaign organization. Mr. Priebus bested Mr. Boehner's choice for the post, former Bush administration official Maria Cino, and two other rivals by the seventh round of voting...

Based upon talking to multiple sources over a period of weeks, I've been able to confirm that a deal struck between the Barbours, Henry and Haley, and Reince Priebus, is set to put Nick Ayers in at the RNC as political director to pave the way for Barbour's 2012 Presidential bid. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is trying to get his southern claws around the RNC as one of his cronies, Nick Ayers, the 28 year old Republican Governors Association Director, is being pumped up to challenge an already embattled Michael Steele. Incoming Republican Governor Association Chairman, Texas Gov. Rick Perry,...

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who's contemplating a 2012 presidential run, will be dispensing political advice to congressional Republicans this weekend during their private retreat in Baltimore. Barbour spokesman Dan Turner said the governor flew Thursday from Mississippi to the nation's capital. "He's got kind of a mixture of meetings in Washington," said Turner, adding that some meetings are for state business and some are for politics. Barbour and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are among the potential presidential candidates speaking during congressional Republicans' three-day retreat.

(Reuters) - Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour drew mixed reactions from analysts on Wednesday for his decision to push for a civil rights museum for his state ahead of a possible presidential bid. Barbour urged the state's legislature during an annual address to build the $50 million museum in a state that became notorious during the 1950s and 1960s for violent enforcement of racial segregation and opposition to civil and voting rights. ... The governor apologized last month for saying in a magazine interview that the civil rights era was not "that bad," a comment that put the Republican politician on...

A new poll shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the early frontrunner in New Hampshire, where he holds a commanding 23-point edge over his closest potential rival -- former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The New Hampshire Journal poll, conducted by the Republican firm Magellan Strategies, found Romney comfortably at the head of the pack of rumored 2012 hopefuls with 39 percent of the vote. He's followed by Palin at 16 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 10 percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 8 percent and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) at 7 percent. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim...

Based upon talking to multiple sources over a period of weeks, I've been able to confirm that a deal struck between the Barbours, Henry and Haley, and Reince Priebus, is set to put Nick Ayers in at the RNC as political director to pave the way for Barbour's 2012 Presidential bid. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is trying to get his southern claws around the RNC as one of his cronies, Nick Ayers, the 28 year old Republican Governors Association Director, is being pumped up to challenge an already embattled Michael Steele. Incoming Republican Governor Association Chairman, Texas Gov. Rick Perry,...