11/30: Time To Stick A Fork In Huck?

The big story in the blogosphere is the revelation that the man suspected of killing four police officers in WA was granted clemency in AR nine years ago by ex-Gov. Mike Huckabee (R). Conservative bloggers have never trusted Huckabee, and they're portraying this development as a huge blow to his WH '12 ambitions. Many bloggers are pointing out that "this isn't Huckabee's first [Willie] Horton moment," since Huckabee previously lobbied for parole for a convicted rapist who went on to rape and murder another woman after being released. Quin Hillyer declares: "Huckabee is no more fit to be president than Tiger Woods is fit to give driving lessons."

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• Conservative bloggers (Bandes, Hinderaker, Morrissey, Horner, Reynolds, Steyn, Mirengoff, Vladimir) are still buzzing about the leaked emails from the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit, which many right bloggers perceive as evidence that global warming is a hoax.
• Liberal bloggers (Yglesias, Benen, Wheeler, Willis, Aravosis) are buzzing about a new Senate report which found that "Osama bin Laden was 'within the grasp' of US forces in late 2001 but escaped because then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld rejected calls for reinforcements." In related news, liberal bloggers (Siun, BooMan) continue to express skepticism about the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
• Liberal bloggers (Marshall, Dayen, digby, Benen, Aravosis, Black) and several conservative bloggers (Reynolds, Geraghty) are buzzing about a "shocking" new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll which found that 40% of Dem voters are either "not likely [to] vote" or "definitely will not vote" in '10.

HUCKABEE: The Dream Is Over

Conservative bloggers are slamming Huckabee for commuting the sentence of Maurice Clemmons, the man suspected of killing four police officers in WA. They're also portraying his WH '12 prospects as doomed:

• Michelle Malkin: "The man being sought by police was granted clemency by former GOP Arkansas Mike Huckabee despite his violent history and vehement protestations from prosecutors and victims' family members. [...] This disaster is just one of Huckabee's ill-considered clemency legacies. Remember Wayne Dumond?"
• AmSpec Blog's Hillyer: "The fact that it was the asinine Mike Huckabee who commuted [Clemmons'] sentence merely confirms all the stories that I and others spent so much timne in 2007-2008 trying to alert people to -- namely, that Huckabee A) has massive ethical problems and B) that his history of commutations of criminals shows a reckless disregard for public safety and for victims' rights. [...] Huckabee is no more fit to be president than Tiger Woods is fit to give driving lessons. Huck now says he is leaning against running for president in 2012. It would be better if he changed 'in 2012' to 'ever.'"
• Legal Insurrection's William A. Jacobson: "[I]t is close to over for Huck. This is too Willie Horton-ish. Republicans hung Willie Horton around [ex-MA Gov. Michael] Dukakis' neck in 1988, and the same thing would happen to Huckabee regarding Clemmons, both in the primary and the general election. It would take some real political mastery for Huck to get out from under this. It is weird that just this morning Huck stated that a run was 'less than likely.' Yeah, I think so."

Conservative bloggers are also criticizing the statement released by Huckabee's PAC:

• Malkin: "Note the passive language and blame-shifting to prosecutors with no explicit mention of Huckabee's role in granting clemency over the objections of prosecutors."
• NRO's Kathryn Jean Lopez: "Most commentary seems a bit premature, but, at the same time, this statement seems a bit passive for the former governor."
• Dan Riehl: "Huckabee is such a scheming coward, he didn't even put out his own statement on the clemency he granted Maurice Clemmons. It was released by his 'Press Team'. And no where is there an apology given, they don't even mention Clemmons by name. This is truly pathetic for a man who once fashioned himself as a leader. [...] Own it, you hypocrite. You said recently you weren't leaning toward running for office in 2012. It gives me great satisfaction to tell you, fahgit about it, Huck-abubba. You ain't got a Mormon's prayer in your personal Southern Baptist church of a chance. You've been exposed as the un-wholesome individual and quasi-liberal politician you always were. Thank God we don't have you to worry about in 2012. You didn't have the integrity to go away when you should have in 2008."

HUCKABEE II: Don't Blame Him For This Tragedy

Although liberal bloggers think Huckabee deserved the criticism he received for his role in helping to free Dumond, they don't think he was wrong to grant clemency to Clemmons:

• Think Progress' Matthew Yglesias: "[B]ased on the few facts I have available, this looks like a reasonable use of clemency authority. [...] 60 years for burglary and theft for an eighteen year-old seems incredibly excessive. In this case, of course, you can't help but wish he were in fact still in prison. But it's hard to see what about a record of involvement in burglaries would make you think this was a guy at risk of doing something like this."
• Scott Lemieux: "Given Huckabee's gruesome history on related matters, it's tempting to say that he deserves any demagoguery he's on the receiving end of because of this. But it would be wrong. As Matt says, on its face there's nothing unreasonable about granting clemency to a someone given 6-0 years for burglaries committed when he was 17. Evidently, if you grant parole and clemency (or, for that matter, give out finite sentences) to significant numbers of people some percentage will commit more crimes, but individual cases can't in themselves justify more draconian policies, and also don't mean that Huckabee's judgment at the time was wrong."
• MyDD's Charles Lemos: "Blaming Mike Huckabee for this tradegy is, I think, excessive but I am sure that won't stop the conservative blogosphere."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: War And Peace

Mother Jones' Kevin Drum:

"On Tuesday Barack Obama will announce a major escalation of the war in Afghanistan. A week later he'll be in Oslo accepting his Nobel Peace Prize. Pretty good timing, no?"

LEST WE FORGET: Man Who Enjoys Popular Rock Songs Discovers Perfect Radio Station

From The Onion:

"ROCHESTER, NY -- Sean Ridgeway, a 36-year-old carpenter who is fond of popular rock 'n' roll music from the late 1960s to the present, told reporters Monday that he has somehow discovered a radio station with a format that matches his tastes exactly. 'I'm telling you, [93.2 FM] the Beast has it all,' said Ridgeway, who was also amazed that much of the station's advertising seemed custom-tailored to him due to its abundant information on local establishments serving both beer and chicken wings. 'The Stones, the Who, Pearl Jam, Green Day, you name it. And get this, every day at five o'clock the Z-Man plays three songs in a row by Led Zeppelin. It's called "Get the Led Out." I love Led Zeppelin.' Though Ridgeway said that he is satisfied with the Beast's programming, he is reportedly investigating enticing claims of more rock and less talk made by a competing radio station."