Mike Huckabee has started to cite the 16 executions he oversaw as Arkansas governor in his presidential campaign, pointing to them as a type of experience no other candidate in the Republican race can claim.
It's a grisly claim to make, but Huckabee is trying to counter Mitt Romney's attacks that he is soft on crime.
"The 16 people I carried out execution on in Arkansas would hardly say I'm soft on crime," Huckabee told supporters while campaigning in Indianola, Iowa, over the weekend.
Last week he made a similar statement to voters in Pella, telling them, "Ask the 16 people on which I carried out executions."
This week he cut an ad attacking Romney for, among other things, failing to ever carry out any executions as governor of Massachusetts.
Support for or opposition to the death penalty has a long history in political campaigns, but to claim carrying out an execution is a political benefit may be a new one. Either way, it's a stark claim to make.
— Stephen Dinan, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (4)
...for any candidate to flaunt his collaboration and collusion in premeditated and in preventable murder - that is, in capital punishment - raises serious questions about his sense of respect for human rights...that Mr. Huckabee, alleged preacher that he makes pretense of being, feels invigroated by his record as executioner in chief while chief executive of Arkansas is stupefying....through his being retired form the race for president, may Mr. Huckabee politically pay for this component of his record....in peace....
Posted by K. Bandell | December 31, 2007 7:31 PM
Jeez, if the Mitthead HAD carried out any executions in Massachusetts -- given the fact that there's no death penalty here -- it would have been MURDER ONE !
First Huckabee's all over the news slaughtering game birds, shooting guns over terrified reporters' heads, and now this (to put it politely) disingenuous little accusation. As in intellectually dishonest.
(Needless to say, the Mittster lobbied heavily for execution privileges while he was our part-time Gov. ... he never missed an opportunity for red meat pandering, even down to his claim that he was a hunter of wild game, oh, all right, of little varmints -- anyone up for shooting rats at the dump ?
Creeps like Huckabee make Jesus weep.
Posted by paula | January 1, 2008 10:14 AM
Well, Bush did make a claim somewhat along these lines in the 2000 debates. It was a bit different, but Bush was trying to show that the men responsible for the James Byrd "hate crime" in Texas had been punished appropriately, and some accused Bush of sounding overly proud in his answer of the death penalty that had been given to some of these men. So, it doesn't sound good in either case, but Huckabee may not be the first in a campaign to say something like this.
Posted by D. | January 1, 2008 5:50 PM
Huckabee has shown the moral courage to carry out justice and to show compassion when he deems it appropriate. As would be the case with any person, his judgments have not been perfect. Yet he has demonstrated a willingness to become personally involved and to take personal responsibility for life and death decisions. I have seen no evidence that Romney is willing to do this. His one term as governor has not tested him to the degree that McCain, Giuliani, and Huckabee have been tested. If you are against the death penalty, I can understand your opposition to Huckabee. However, if your suggesting that an imperfect record makes him soft on crime, you're suggestions are ludicrous. Chief executives make life and death decisions every day, especially during times of war. They make good calls and bad calls. To compare Huckabee's record to that of those who have made NO calls is just pathetic.
Posted by John Wallace | January 12, 2008 1:04 PM