God Told Him To

by digby

Everyone who reads tristero's posts knows about Mike Huckabee's record of bad judgment in pardoning criminally insane prisoners. And we all know that he did at least one of them based upon loony wingnut radio conspiracy theories and others because he personally knew the fellas.

But I think it's important to emphasize why he did most of them. Here's Gene Lyons:

During the former Baptist minister's decade as Arkansas governor, it appeared that no matter how heinous an inmate's crimes, all he had to do for a pardon was drop to his knees, praise Jesus and persuade some preacher known to Huckabee of his newfound holiness. "Everybody knows that Mike Huckabee makes up his mind what to do by what God tells him to do," said one minister who gained clemency for a prisoner serving 100 years for the strong-arm robbery of elderly neighbors.

I believe in clemency and I think our legal system is often very unjust. But to pardon violent criminals because "God told him to" is mind boggling. It's a very good thing this man's political career appears to be over. He's nuts.


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