• Mike Huckabee has been accused of dodging the issue of Capital Punishment; at times
supporting and at times going against the issue.

• While Governor of the state of Arkansas, he is said to have carried out the death penalty
sixteen more times than any other state governor.

• At the same time Huckabee oversaw a number of pardons and commutations of prisoners. He
justified it by saying this was to get them into the workforce.

• Huckabee said that as much as he didn't like the death penalty, he had to carry it out in
his state since it was part of his job and this he did after reading every transcript and page in
the file and said he certainly didn't enjoy it. In fact he is said to have hated every minute of
it.

• He opined that it was a necessary part of our criminal justice system for those crimes for
which there is no alternative. But he did say that it was the worst job he had to carry out as
governor.

• Huckabee said to support the Death penalty biblically as well as politically.

• He feels he always did the right thing whenever he gave the last word on all the executions
he signed for saying that this right was justified against moral absolutes in the midst of an
imperfect world.

• The Washington Post in its main political blog once commented - Mike Huckabee has nothing
to say about the fact that the death penalty is disproportionately carried out in case of African
Americans, that decisions to apply it are formed from careless investigations in crime labs and a
host of other issues surrounding this gruesome procedure.

• Obama once opined that the system of investigating and prosecuting capital crimes was so
flawed that the nation should declare a moratorium on executions, like the one imposed in Illinois.

• He made a statement in 2004 saying that he supported the death penalty for certain crimes
though he does not support how it is administered.

• Obama seems to support capital punishment in certain cases where it is considered
absolutely essential. This he attributes to cases where the crime committed is so outrageous that
the law has no other way to show its outrage except to carry out the ultimate punishment. As
examples he listed mass murders, the rape and murder of a child etc.

• Obama made a significant effort to establish mandatory taping of interrogations and
confessions. Obama firmly believes that no innocent victim should end up on death row and at the
same time no guilty person should go free. He made all attempts to get the bill on the said issue
approved, and his state Illinois was the first to require taping by statute.

• Obama voted no for mandatory killing of gang members who kill cops.

• In his book 'Audacity of Hope' he says he saw little evidence that the death penalty is a
deterrent.

• Death penalty opponents have a hope that Obama will lend a sympathetic ear to them despite
his support for the limited use of executions. Their hope is that he will use more safeguards in
Federal cases and eventually spare some prisoners.

• Sarah Palin is a supporter of capital punishment.

• She said that in case the legislation passed a death penalty law on capital punishment she
would sign it.

• "Feeling safe in our communities is not something which we can compromise on therefore
there is the need for policing in all its forms, the court system, prosecutors and corrections,"
Palin stated in support of the death penalty while Governor of Alaska.

• She opined that it was the right of the people to be sure that any person who rapes and
murders a child or kills an innocent person in a drive by shooting does not do it again. Therefore
capital punishment is required to ensure safety and law and order.

• The state of Alaska had abolished Capital Punishment in 1957. When she took over as
governor, Sarah thought it apt to re instate the death penalty in the state.

• During a debate before the Alaska gubernatorial primary she said that she was in favor of
capital punishment in especially heinous cases such as the rape and murder of a child. Her exact
words were "My Goodness, hang them up".

• While Governor in Massachusetts Romney filed a bill to reinstate the death penalty for
deadly acts of terrorism, killing sprees and murders involving torture and the killings of law
enforcement personnel.

• The bill called for substantial scientific evidence such as DNA verification to sentence
someone to death.

• The bill also called for a proper representation for the indigent from a certified pool of
lawyers. It also allowed jurors who were not supporters of the death penalty to partake in the guilt
phase of the trial.

• He described the bill as a gold standard or model for the nation in case of capital
punishment and said it would give the state a foolproof death penalty.

• Mitt Romney favors the death penalty in cases of heinous crimes such as first degree
homicides.

• Romney said that the ultimate penalty should be available in Massachusetts for criminals
who commit the most egregious murders.

• He supports judges who are tough on crime and advocated tough sentencing for violent
offenders and also is for the 'three strikes' policy.

• Romney did say that the provisions in his bill could not always rule out wrongful
convictions.

• Romney's capital punishment bill turned out to be a political disaster later on.  The bill
was widely opposed and defeated and Mitt Romney was accused of working towards it to further his
2008 presidential ambitions.

Politcks