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Mike "Pardon Me" Huckabee

The revelation that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted the term of the murderer of four Washington state police officers should sink Huckabee's presidential aspirations, as Quin suggests.  It's worth remembering how busy the pardon-happy governor was while in office.  Reported ABC's Jake Tapper two years ago:

from 1996 through 2007, Huckabee helped free through commutations and pardons more prisoners than had been freed by the previous three governors - Bill Clinton, Frank White and Jim Guy Tucker - combined in an 18-year period.

In fact, an Arkansas Leader study indicated that Huckabee helped free more prisoners from 1996 through 2004 than were freed in the six neighboring states - Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas - combined.

If he runs, Mike Huckabee deserves to suffer the same fate as Michael Dukakis, who released the infamous Willie Horton to commit more crimes.

View all comments (14) | Leave a comment

NC Observer| 11.30.09 @ 11:18AM

Sooner or later the true properties of character are revealed.

Huckabee: end of story.

Adam Smith| 11.30.09 @ 11:22AM

Doug, thanks for the Tapper story & blog post.

Maybe now some of the regulars here will "get" why many conservatives can not stand the sight of Hucksterbee.

I reccomend boycotting the preachers variety show also. The less exposure this guy has the better for the Republican party. The left knows this and has been circulating talking points pushing Hucksterbee as the opponent they want for 2012. They are practically slobbering over this guy.

That should be enough to scare off anyone who cares about the future of this country.

Grzmlyk| 11.30.09 @ 1:35PM

Fortunately, I don't have to boycott his show. I can't stand the site of the phony and would rather chew off my own arm than watch this used-car salesman bask in the glow of his own ego on TV.

And I agree, his having a convenient platform on Fox is a travesty.

Yes, the left loves him, as they love all phonies - particularly those on the right. I cringed whenever he preached conservatism during the 08 campaign - this vain, lying non-entity would spend his entire presidency "reaching across the aisle" to assuage the left and get a pat on the head from the media.

He is bad news all the way around.

I cringe whenever I see his name at the top of putative polls for 2012. It is horrible that those cops were killed, but at least it might have the effect of revealing to wavering Republicans what this guy is really all about.

I pray that this is his "Willie Horton" moment.

Adam| 11.30.09 @ 1:59PM

Grz, we are almost always on the same page.

Huck is menace to society and conservatives in particular. An open letter to Roger Ailes is in the works already.

He needs to be removed from the public eye, unless Fox's agenda is as cynical as some critical watchers think...

Grzmlyk| 11.30.09 @ 3:01PM

Yes, Adam, I agree - I'd like to see him gone.

But you know ratings rule, and Fox is first and foremost ratings driven. I do not believe Murdoch is at the forefront of any conservative crusade; he's simply capturing the wind of a portion of the zeitgeist that has been long ignored by the ideological mainstream media (I worry that Murdoch is wobbly on some of the fundamentals).

I haven't checked his ratings, but, from what I gather, the Huckster holds his own on in his time slot (not hard to do when CNN and MSNBC are your competition). He is, I surmise, female friendly - sort of Fox's answer to the anodyne Oprah (more is the pity).

And from the very little of his show that I could stomach, I gleaned that it's very Oprah-like, what with a warm and fuzzy audience egging on the warm and fuzzy posturing of its host. Politics with a smiley face. Get me the puke bucket now.

Sadly, I think Huckabee will be on Fox until his ratings collapse. And then he'll go the way Paula Zahn went at CNN.

But she was at least very nice to look at.

yELLOW dOG| 11.30.09 @ 11:39AM

MIKE HUCKABEE - COP KILLER

Dan| 11.30.09 @ 12:41PM

I'm from Arkansas and most people don't know what a loser the Huckster really is and aren't aware how he pushed for in-state tuition for illegal aliens, huge government welfare programs for, "the Kids" (ARKids First) and now his two famous paroles of murderers. I'm sure this should kill this statist in his tracks. However, he's a sneak and won't go away until a stake is hammered through his heart.

Margie| 11.30.09 @ 1:06PM

What is wrong with these people? (answer: delusional.)
Yes, I am thankful the truth is revealed. Especially before the elections.. but will he have the audacity to run anyway? Most of them do.
Have mercy Mr. Huckabee. Please don't run.

Dawn| 11.30.09 @ 3:28PM

Are you kidding, this is nothing new. Huck pardoned a 3 time drunk driver in my city, who then almost ran over a cop in the adjacent city getting his fouth DWI less than a year later!

Dawn| 11.30.09 @ 7:42PM

Sorry, forgot the most important part, the pardon was in exchange for a $20k campaign contribution...........

Margie| 12.1.09 @ 1:18PM

Today, Mr. Huckabee released a statement. Apparently, this murderer was 16 yrs. old when Huckabee commuted his sentence for robbery and burglary from over 100 yrs. to forty-something.
Here it is:
http://www.newsmax.com/headlin.....ode=9249-1

John| 12.5.09 @ 8:34PM

Huckabee did not pardon a killer. The title of this article is misleading. He commuted, or shortened the 108 year sentence than Clemmons received for robbery - not armed robbery - when he was 16. The shortened sentence was 47 years. The parole board took the case from there.

whitneymuse| 7.17.10 @ 6:32PM

Huckabee reminds mfe of a variety show in the 50s and I don't watch his showl . It makes me laugh when I see his name metnioned as a runner against Obama; I imagine so does Obama....someone strong needs to run aainst BO.

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More Blog Posts by Doug Bandow

http://spectator.org/blog/2009/11/30/mike-pardon-me-huckabee

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