How "the justice system" failed (killed) 4 cops

Four days in May set stage for Sunday's tragedy

Excerpt:

May 10th:

After spending one night in jail, Clemmons caught a break.

May 10 was a Sunday, Mother's Day. Judges rarely work Sundays — but bail-bond agents do.

Pierce County has devised a system that allows people to post bond without ever facing a judge, if it happens to be a holiday or a weekend.

Called "booking bail," this system works according to a hard-and-fast formula. Clemmons was booked on four felony charges — two for assault, two for malicious mischief — and, by schedule, his booking bail was set at $10,000 per charge, for a total of $40,000.

"If you post booking bail, you can walk out without seeing a judge. And that appears to be exactly what he did," said Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist. "When it's booking bail, it doesn't take into account particular details like somebody's history. And that's problematic ... it's one of the dangers of booking bail."

If his history had been taken into account, Clemmons would have fared poorly. He had a criminal record dating to his teen years, with at least five prior felony convictions in Arkansas.

Aladdin Bail Bonds posted Clemmons' bond on Mother's Day, and Clemmons walked free. Defendants typically pay 10 percent of the bond, with the bonding company on the hook for the rest.

Stephen Kreimer, executive director of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States, said he doesn't think "booking bail" is common nationwide. In most states, he said, defendants must wait until they've seen a magistrate or court representative before being released on bail.

Comment: I don't know what Huckabee was thinking but this guy should have never been released from an Arkansas prison! Read the whole article. Many missteps along the way that lead up to the police killings!

SNL: Mike Huckabee Overstays His Welcome

GOP delegate math

Received in email from McCain campaign today:

Last night, after our strong victories in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, I put together an analysis of the state of the race for the Republican nomination. Including the delegates won last night, John McCain is now close to securing the number of delegates needed to be the presumptive Republican nominee. In addition, it is now mathematically impossible for Mike Huckabee to win enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination; there simply aren’t enough delegates left at stake for him to win. Take a look at the following chart:

Results based on AP reporting	Current Delegate Count	Remaining Delegates Needed for Nomination	Available Delegates	% Needed to Win
McCain Delegate Count	839	352	774	35%
Huckabee Delegate Count	241	950		123%

Comment: Why Huckabee stays in (for now)

1. There's always the possibility of "the miracle" (his words not mine).
   
2. He runs a very lean campaign financially, and his burn rate for funds is not high
   
3. On the social agenda, he is more conservative than John McCain; and continuing his campaign continues that message
   
4. He is careful to criticize McCain, so his continuing the campaign keeps McCain in the media eye and could actually be better for the GOP in the long run
   
5. I suspect that he would have a hard time saying "no" to running with McCain as VP
   
6. Staying positions Huckabee for 2012!
   

Next steps for John McCain

I actually got up at 2 this morning to see who won California and Missouri. California was undecided when I went to bed and Missouri was all tied up between McCain and Huckabee. Two thoughts:

1. McCain needs Huckabee: Reflecting upon Mike Huckabee's strong showing in the South and The Key that Unlocks the White House Door, I conclude that Mike Huckabee is a legitimate contender to be McCain's #2. I think that McCain needs Huckabee to woo the social conservatives (think James Dobson) who are skeptical of him. Dobson's vow, "Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances", could evaporate if the Southern Baptist minister were the VP. Mike Huckabee must know that it is improbable that he will be top of the ticket. He is staying in to counter Romney and to maneuver for the VP slot. The West Virginia caucus (really more like a convention) where the McCain delegates moved to Huckabee to counter Romney is telling. And the story is this: Romney has two opponents who will collaborate to stop him!
   
2. McCain needs to shine at CPAC this week: This is his chance to assuage the conservatives who are skeptical of him. Will he?
   

Updated: McCain Didn’t Close the Deal

A McCain-Huckabee ticket now appears a real possibility. The two get along better than either does with Romney. If they are strong in the remaining February primaries -- DC, Maryland, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin -- Romney’s chances may evaporate before month’s end.

Tomorrow, both McCain and Romney will address the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC. (Huckabee will appear on Saturday morning). The speech McCain will give could be the best opportunity McCain will have to reach out to conservatives and bring them into the fold before the September 1-4 Minneapolis Republican convention.

Huckabee's gambit

Huckabee criticizes Romney's change of heart on issues dear to conservatives

My view: Mike Huckabee is playing McCain's "wing man" to angle for the VP! But it won't be him. It will be Pawlenty!

Rambo vs. Walker Texas Ranger

Rambo takes on Texas Ranger in Republican race

Excerpt:

Rambo is lining up with Republican hopeful John McCain in the battle for the White House which could see him slug it out with Walker, Texas Ranger.

"I like McCain a lot," said US actor Sylvester Stallone, who plays the Rambo screen hero, as he threw his support behind McCain, who is taking a lead in the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination.

Hard on McCain's heels though is Mike Huckabee, already backed by Chuck Norris the actor who plays the Texas Ranger in the hit television series.

Stallone said of McCain, a Vietnam war veteran who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war, that "there's something about matching the character with the script."

Comment: I hope these celebrity endorsements are taken with a grain of salt!

Fred Thompson unloads on Mike Huckabee

Succinct and eloquent explanation of my concerns with Mike Huckabee! Thank you Fred Thompson!

McCain's Mojo & Huckabee's hucksterism

Comment: I found these conservative assessments of McCain and Huckabee insightful! Read below.


Opinion Journal: McCain's Mojo

Excerpts:

Mr. McCain's victory catapults him back into contention in a GOP race that he once led, only to implode last year. The Arizona Senator can thank New Hampshire voters who knew him well from his primary win there in 2000. But the candidate himself also deserves credit--for sheer doggedness, and because his determination on Iraq when everyone else was running for cover has now paid off politically.
...
Mr. McCain's opportunity--and challenge--is to show that he is now the best candidate to unite the anxious and fractious wings of the Republican coalition. With Rudy Giuliani suspect among cultural conservatives, and Mike Huckabee trashing Wall Street and corporations, Mr. McCain is now the candidate best positioned to appeal to all Republican voters.



George Will: Iowa's Histrionic Hucksters

Excerpt:

Although Huckabee ... profess(es) to loathe and vow to change Washington's culture, [he] would aggravate its toxicity.[He] overflows with and wallows in the pugnacity of the self-righteous who discern contemptible motives behind all disagreements with [him] and who therefore think that opponents are enemies and differences are unsplittable.

Concluding comment: The Republicans have three wings:

1. Fiscal conservatives
   
2. Social conservatives
   
3. National defense conservatives
   

As I see it, this grid represents the strength & appeal of each:

	Type of conservative
Candidate	Fiscal	Social	Defense
John McCain	X	x	X
Mike Huckabee	?	X	?
Mitt Romney	x	X	x
Rudy Giuliani	?	N	X

X = strong
x = weak
? = unknown
N = No

Huckabee on creation

Huckabee Bristles at Creationism Query

Excerpt:

"I believe God created the heavens and the Earth," ... "I wasn't there when he did it, so how he did it, I don't know,"

Comment: Refreshing to hear a politician declare his belief in creation. Iowa is just a month away! Huckabee is surging in the polls while Romney (who has spent 10 to 20 times as much $$$ there) is fading. If Huckabee wins the Iowa Republican caucus, more $$$ will flow his way and fuel his campaign! Also in the article: Tim LaHaye endorsed Huckabee, declaring him "the most electable candidate who shares our commitment."