If Clemmons does turn out to be guilty, I can't see Huckabee overcoming this awful political blunder. This is worse than Dukakis's; in that case, Horton was simply one person among many who was out on furlough. In this case, Huckabee specifically reviewed Clemmons' case and decided to grant him clemency.Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.
Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.
Just look at what's still going on in Massachusetts, over 20 years after the 1988 presidential campaign.
In some ways, Willie Horton is the reason why I'm writing my honors thesis about partisanship and incarceration, which, in turn, is the reason why I will not be able to blog much until next week.
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