Mike Huckabee Makes His Case for Why He Should Not Be Held Accountable for His Actions

Writing in the Washington Post today, Mike Huckabee explains why it's totally not fair at all for anyone, when considering GOP presidential hopefuls, to take into account Maurice Clemmons — the convict who was made eligible for parole due to Huckabee's actions — or the four police officers he murdered…

"Nine years ago, the name Maurice Clemmons crossed my desk. I commuted his sentence from 108 years to 47 years. I take full responsibility for my actions of nine years ago."

However, the responsibility Huckabee takes is to himself and toward defending himself against anyone who thinks that he might maybe have had anything to do with Clemmons' parole…

"I acted on the facts presented to me in 2000. If I could have possibly known what Clemmons would do nine years later, I obviously would have made a different decision. If I only had the same information I had then, I would make the same decision."

And what was this information he had back in 2000?

It was that Jesus is good and anybody who has accepted Jesus into his heart couldn't possible continue along the same violent, destructive path they've been following all their life until then…

During those years he granted more commutations and pardons than any governor during the previous four decades, many of them surely justified as a response to excessive penalties under the state's draconian narcotics laws. But others were deeply controversial, especially because so many of his acts of mercy appeared to depend on interventions by fellow Baptist preachers and by inmate professions of renewed Christian faith.

No doubt word spread among the prison population that the affable governor was vulnerable to appeals from convicts who claimed to be born again. Clemmons too was among those who benefited from Huckabee's tendency to believe such pious testimonials. "I come from a very good Christian family and I was raised much better than my actions speak," he explained in his clemency application in 2000. "I'm still ashamed to this day for the shame my stupid involvement in these crimes brought upon my family's name… I have never done anything good for God, but I've prayed for him to grant me in his compassion the grace to make a start. Now, I'm humbly appealing to you for a brand new start."

Oh, wow. That is some pretty compelling "information." Given that "information," you really can't blame Huckabee for making the decision he did.

Think about it. Have you ever heard of a religious person doing something crazy and violent. In fact, this quadruple homicide by a professed Christian will probably go down in the Guinness Book of First Time Ever Things.