I’m the proud papa of two rescue pugs — and am also a Washington Redskins fan.

If there were anyone in America who ought to hate Michael Vick — especially after the way he manhandled the Redskins on Monday Night — it would be me.

But I’m conflicted.

One could certainly argue that dog fighting is a heinous act — and that anyone who engages in such an activity cannot realistically be “rehabilitated.”

What he did was horrible.  It sickens me.  And the notion that someone who went to jail for such an activity should then have the opportunity to be celebrated — and rewarded as a “star” — is, at least, worth debating.

After all, it is one thing to say Vick paid his dues to society, it is another thing to allow him to return to the NFL (and make millions).

On the other hand, there is no doubt Vick suffered for his actions.  He became a national pariah and went to jail for his crime. Having paid his dues to society, Vick returned to the NFL where his initial performance was weak.  Most observers assumed he would never again be great, and possibly wasn’t even worthy of being a backup.

This season, of course, Vick has been nothing short of amazing.  He got his legs back (he could always run like the wind), and now he is making better decisions.  What is more, and his passing accuracy is unbelievable.

It is not unrealistic to speculate he could be named the “most valuable player” in the NFL this season.  And based on his performance Monday Night, I wouldn’t rule out the notion that Vick could even lead his Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl.

Of course, this is all assuming he doesn’t blow it.  Who knows, maybe he will fall apart next week and throw a dozen interceptions?  Maybe it will turn out that he has bodies buried in his basement, and that he is fooling everybody by pretending he has changed…  Nobody knows what the future will hold, and nobody knows his heart.

But shouldn’t we at least be rooting for him?  (I don’t mean rooting for him simply to win football games — I mean rooting for the possibility that he has truly redeemed himself).

After Monday’s game, Vick Tweeted, “God Can Turn Mistakes Into Miracles.”

I’d like to believe that’s true in the case of Michael Vick.

What do you think?

Note: I’ll be guest blogging at HotAir these next few days.  Check out my Politics Daily column, my blog at MattLewis.org, and follow me on Twitter.