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12/1/2009
Burri: 2012 - How much of a player was Mike Huckabee?
Note the past tense. Was. Never really a top-tier player. Second-tier, maybe. He’s no-tier now. They’re already calling him the Republican Dukakis
The story: Four police officers in Lakewood, Washington, were shot and killed Sunday in a coffee shop. Police are looking for a man named Maurice Clemmons in relation to those murders.
Who is Clemmons? with multiple convictions for violent crimes in Arkansas. He also punched a cop earlier this year in Washington, and only a week ago was released from jail with a second-degree sexual assault of a child charge still pending.
If Clemmons is the shooter, somebody’s going to have to answer the question: why was this guy on the street? And that somebody is going to be the former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
See, Clemmons was sentenced “in the early 1990s” to 35 years in prison for multiple counts of armed robbery. In 2000, then-Gov. Huckabee commuted his sentence, and Clemmons was paroled.
Why? Good question. Clemmons then committed a couple more armed robberies, was sentenced to ten years, and was again paroled last year.
Let’s make sure we’re clear on something: Huckabee did not pardon Clemmons. He commuted Clemmons’ sentence. Some commentators are getting that wrong. From the Legal Dictionary:
This is not the same as a pardon which wipes out the conviction… Commutation implies the penalty was excessive or there has been rehabilitation, reform, or other circumstances such as good conduct or community service. Commutation is sometimes used when there is evidence that the defendant was not guilty but it would prove embarrassing to admit an outright error by the courts.
Maybe it's semantics, but there it is. Which reason was it, do you think, that led Gov. Huckabee to go easy on Clemmons? Not rehabilitation, I hope, but we don't really know. Even while Huckabee was still Governor, he took fire for commuting sentences without explaining why.
Regardless, Clemmons wasn't the only one to benefit from Huckabee's leniency. In fact – unless it turns out he did commit these murders – Clemmons wasn't even the worst one.
Far from it.
In Huckabee’s defense, armed robberies committed over a decade ago are a far cry from cold-blooded multiple murders in broad daylight for no apparent reason. We can’t lay these murders directly at Huckabee’s feet, even though Clemmons would likely still be in prison; would not have committed further robberies; would not have punched a cop; would not have (allegedly) committed sexual assault, if Huckabee hadn't stepped in. At least ten crimes not committed, if the original sentence had been allowed to stand.
Okay, so look; maybe there’s some rational explanation. A reason Huckabee commuted his sentence so he could go free.
But then, maybe there’s a reason Clemmons' second wave of armed robbery didn’t put him away longer, too. Maybe there’s a reason he was released from jail last week, even with his current eight felonies still pending.
That’s another point in Huckabee’s defense: He isn’t the only one responsible for this guy being out. There must be others: the parole board; District Attorneys; a Washington state judge. Lots of people made decisions that led to Clemmons being on the street Sunday morning.
He alone made the decisions that put him in that coffee shop with a gun. But still: Somebody’s going to have to explain.
And of all the people who will have to explain, only one has presidential aspirations.
Correction: had presidential aspirations.
Lance Burri blogs regularly via his site, The TrogloPundit.
COMMENTS
It would be much more interesting if this was in the middle of a campaign.
dave allen (Tue Dec 01 06:42:50 2009)
Gosh Dave, being such a masochist this morning!
Jo (Tue Dec 01 06:53:15 2009)
The Huckster is already working Iowa under the guise of a book tour. Sadly, my fellow sheep are slow learners.
Brian Heyer (Tue Dec 01 07:47:44 2009)
Dave- It IS the middle of the campaign, which started no later than Jan 2009. It is truly tragic that 4 policemen are now dead, but as far as the Huckabee tie, that is good news.
I refer to the Huckster as the Hillbilly Hypocrite preacher. Why? He PRETENDS to be a good conservative, but is enamored of the nanny state, supports welfare, amnesty illegal aliens and other criminals, committed numerous ethical breaches while governor, collecting tribute like a Byzantine Queen. For more see these articles: Opinion Journal; VDare.com; Joe Conason (Salon)
With Newt shooting himself in the foot in NY23, now all we need is for Romney and Guiliani to do a self destruct, and MAYBE we can get a GOOD candidate in 2012.
Ken Van Doren (Tue Dec 01 12:05:19 2009)
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