Video: "Clemency"

Ed and the boss have already covered the bases on this one, but it’s worth revisiting this relic from last year’s GOP primaries to remind you how much the issue dogged Huckabee even then. Given the mammoth volume of clemencies he granted, cases like Dumond and Clemmons are best viewed not as isolated lapses in judgment but as statistical inevitabilities. The truly surprising thing is that Huck either didn’t anticipate them or did anticipate them but figured they’d blow over quickly. That’s bizarrely cavalier for a man with presidential ambitions.

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He’ll be on the Factor tonight for what hopefully won’t be a softball interview. If O’Reilly’s hurting for questions to ask, these should help get him started. As for Huck, he spoke briefly with Fox News Radio this afternoon. What’s wrong with this picture?

Huckabee, who is considering a making second presidential run in 2012, also spoke to Fox News radio about his decision.

“If I could have known nine years ago, looked into the future, would I have acted favorably upon the parole board’s recommendation? Of course not,” he said. “One of the things that is horrible and just, again, one of the realities you have to confront is the criminal justice system is far from perfect, and in this case it failed miserably on all sides.”

Actually, the justice system succeeded: Clemmons was locked up and hit with a nice long sentence. It was you who failed, champ. This makes twice in 24 hours that Huck has none-too-subtly tried to evade responsibility for his role in this. The surest way to overcome a political disaster is to accept blame, express remorse, and move on; why he’s trying to spread it around is mystifying to me, unless he’s serious about not running in 2012. Which, with the specter of four dead police officers to follow him, he probably is. Exit quotation via Lileks: “I think the past tense of the former Presidential candidate’s name is Huckawas.”

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