Seldom have we seen a politician who so relished and justified the grisly business of state killing. Mike Huckabee actually brags about his willingness to kill. And justifies it by talking about Jesus.
This from the reactionary conservative Washington Times:
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.”
The implication is this: Huckabee is tough and will kill. Romney is weak. He has not killed as governor.
If this were isolated tough talk it would be disgraceful enough. But, in fact, it’s part of Huckabee’s long willingness to act as executioner.
More across the jump.