Cameron Todd Willingham
Washington Post: … Rick Perry brings to the presidential race a law-and-order credential that none of his competitors can match – even if they wanted to. In his nearly 11 years as chief executive, Perry has overseen more executions than any governor in modern history: 234 and counting….
… He vetoed a bill that would have spared the mentally retarded and sharply criticized a Supreme Court ruling that juveniles were not eligible for death. He has found during his tenure only one inmate on Texas’s crowded death row he thought should receive the lesser sentence of life in prison.
And Perry’s role in the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham – who supporters said should have been at least temporarily spared when experts warned that faulty forensic science led to his conviction – is still the subject of investigation in Texas.
Perry has been unapologetic. “If you don’t support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol, don’t come to Texas,” he wrote in his book lauding states’ rights, “Fed Up!”
… death penalty opponents say 12 men on Texas’s death row have been exonerated. Anthony Graves is the latest, spending 18 years in prison before a Texas Monthly investigation showed his innocence.
…. “We’d like to get rid of him,” said Scott Cobb of the Texas Moratorium Network, “but not by giving him to the rest of the country.”
… what is likely to draw the most attention as Perry campaigns is the case of Willingham, who was convicted in 1991 of setting fire to his home and killing his three young daughters. Shortly before his 2004 execution, defense attorneys gave Perry and the pardon board a report from an arson expert saying the forensic evidence used to convict Willingham was severely flawed.
Perry went ahead with the execution, and has refused to release information from his advisers about the evidence. The state forensic science commission began to review the case and the state’s arson unit after investigative journalists cast increasing doubt on Willingham’s guilt. But just before the commission was to hear from an investigator it had hired, Perry dismissed the chairman and replaced three members of the commission.
Full article here
Read more about Cameron Todd Willingham here
The Obama Diary 
*“We’d like to get rid of him,” said Scott Cobb of the Texas Moratorium Network, “but not by giving him to the rest of the country.”*
Thank you, Mr. Cobb.
First Bush and his executioner days, then Perry. Good grief – we are an embarrassment before the entire civilized world.
The sad thing is that I remember hearing something similar back in 1999-2000. Some in Texas felt that way about Bush, and didn’t want to see him become President.
Of course, the MSM, Jeb Bush and Harris, and the “not a dime’s worth of difference” crowd thought otherwise.
I really hope that this doesn’t happen again. Eight years of Bush left us in the situation that we’re in now, with President Obama trying to clean it up. Why the hell do some want to repeat them?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Rick Perry is a sociopath.
Record executions did not hurt Bush, and they won’t hurt Perry. People like when “criminals” are killed and there is a mentality that if they did not do that crime, they probably did others that they got away with anyway.
Perry will be the nominee and we are in for a rough ride if this guy is elected.
Let’s not get all defeatist … we got this! 🙂
No, I;m not a defeatist, I’m a realist. 🙂
People like a daddy figure and Perry provides that. They are reminded of Bush and – despite his disastrous policies – they long for those days of him and his admin telling them how to think.
Voters have short memories, unfortunately.
Trump, while what you say is true about short memories, we cannot afford to throw up our hands and cry “it’s over!!”. I know that some in the MSM have already started pimping Perry as a clone of Bush and that somehow, that’s a good thing, because they represent “manliness”, unlike that smartypants black guy in the White House.
But don’t forget–the MSM and a lot of people have underestimated Obama. And remember, back in early 2008, it looked like he didn’t stand a chance.
Sooner or later, Perry will go down. We just have to make sure that we work hard to get the word out about him and about the successes of the Obama team, and to also counter the self-immolation of the Firebaggers.
Marc, thank you. And we would be foolish to throw up our hands. Let us put them to work like we have been and will continue to do. No one asked me. I do not want a ‘daddy’. I have my own. I do not need some administration telling me what and when to think. I think for the goodness and justice of this nation. Now, you are telling me that people who have not home, no savings, no son or daughter because of a lying administration telling us we needed to go to war, Oh, come on. Who is the hell do these people think we are? We are not going there, Trump. not this time.
Rick Perry is a murderer.
Gotta go we are having a earthquake here in Baltimore!!
Yikes!! Take care Sonjia.
If you remember, Bush did not WIN the 2000 election, he was awarded it. Also, he “won” in 2004 because of cheating in Ohio. The Democrats were too polite then, which we are not now. Perry is even rougher than Bush…..Bush could pretend to be a compassionate conservative, Perry can’t and won’t even pretend to be nice. I still think Romney will win the nomination, unless the GOP goes Goldwater again. Remember how well that worked.
This election is 15 months away! The world will be totally different by that time. If we keep working on the MSM, we will make them change….so much of the election work is under the radar. And remember, the vast majority of people are not so into politics as we are. Elections are basically decided between Labor Day and election day. I have every confidence that our economy and jobs picture will be much improved by then. AND…..we have numerous foreign policy victories to tout. And, in spite of Howard Fineman, people do care about those.
Carolyn, thanks for the truths. I appreciate someone who will call it like it happened. Truth.