‘Mr. Huckabee, it’s Willie Horton on Line 1’

 Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is known as just about the nicest and most affable contenders for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

He’s so likable he even has his own television talk show.

Today he also has plenty to talk about now that felon Maurice Clemmons, the man whose sentence Huckabee as Governor commuted, has been identified as the killer of four Seattle police officers.

Huckabee is very busy this week giving reasons why he granted clemency to Maurice Clemmons, but the damage is done. Were Huckabee to rise through the ranks of challengers, he would leave himself wide open to a Willie Horton-style attack from Democrats, who certainly wouldn’t be above it. Some Democrats still bristle at the “Willie Horton” ads that were so ominous and so effective against Michael
Dukakis.

"If I could have known nine years ago this guy was capable of something of this magnitude, obviously I would never have granted a
commutation," Huckabee said, copping out on the cop killer.

But that's not how politics works. All Governors know their legacies can be marred by parole board hearings and their ability to commute
sentences. The strong ones accept that responsibility without lament.

The Washington Post story includes a feed to a video statement from Huckabee explaining why Clemmons received clemency.

I don’t know whether Huckabee had a great chance to win the nomination, but he has no chance to win the presidency now. But it
sure is entertaining watching his supporters on the right try to defend him.