Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee has come under fire in recent days for a decision he made nine years ago as the state’s Chief Executive. While serving as governor, Huckabee commuted the sentence of Maurice Clemmons who was set to serve more than 100 years for a crime he committed as a 16 year old. After reviewing the case, and on unanimous recommendation of the parole board, Huckabee commuted the sentence making him eligible for parole. He was subsequently released but was picked up shortly thereafter in violation of said parole, but was released when a filing technicality made his prosecution fall apart.
In the years that followed his release, Clemmons committed more crimes bringing his total felony count to eight and moved to Washington where he was incarcerated for raping a 12 year old girl. He was recently released on a $15,000 bond and then subsequently decided to walk into a coffee shop and open fire on four police officers fatally wounding each of them. The suspect then went on the run but was shot to death last night by a police officer who stopped the suspect as he was investigating a possible vehicle theft.
Huckabee, who ran for President in ’08 has intimated that he may try his hand at another run for the White House in 2012, and this issue will certainly loom large for quite some time. In fact, his track record for clemency and commutation was an issue in 2008 as well. Candidate Mitt Romney raised the issue on a number of instances citing that the number of pardons and commutations topped more than 1000. Huckabee denied the large figured and said that he denied more than 90% of the cases that came before him. In the interview posted below, he discusses one that he did in fact grant, and he is more than proud of.
So what will this mean for Huckabee as a potential GOP contender in 2012? It is rather early to determine how this story will play out between now and then, but it would certainly resurface come primary time if a Presidential run is on the Huck’s radar at this time. Recent polls have shown the former governor as the front runner among GOP hopefuls, but even with positive polling on his side, I genuinely doubt that he has any real shot of seizing the nomination. I have never bought into the Huckabee hype and this little revelation will certainly not bring me on board. He seems like a genuine man, a conservative with conviction, and a true Republican loyalist, but I fail to see that he has any of the intangibles that are required of the person that seeks the highest office in the land. I am sure that many will pile on Huckabee in the months and even years to come for this commutation, but for those who believe that doing so will hurt his chances of ousting the Great one in 2012 ought to realize that Huckabee’s presence in the primaries (because that is as far as he will go) only serves to chip away at other potential GOP candidates. That being said, let the Left pile on Huck and run him out so that his off the cuff gun slinger traveling side show doesn’t help to derail a legitimate GOP candidate’s run to replace the current administration. Can’t say that I am happy about the situation because lives were obviously lost due to this terrible lapse of judgment on Huckabee’s part, but some good could come from this as governor’s across the nation will think twice before releasing criminals back to the public streets or commuting their sentences because of this nightmare, and if it keeps Huckabee off the ticket for 2012 then I very selfishly see it as a win for Republicans as well.
Bet he wishes he could have this interview back right about now…
