10.15.09
Perry’s on an island – the latest in the Willingham case
Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s comment yesterday that Cameron Todd Willingham was a “monster” was an attempt to shield himself from any future criticism of the poor prosecution which lead to the execution Willingham. He is essentially saying that doesn’t matter if Willinghham didn’t set that fire, he was a monster, the prosecutor said so during the trial, and even his defense attorney thinks so now. He was a bad seed, case closed.
Perry won’t even address whether or not he still believes the fire was arson or not. And referring to the preeminent arson scientist in the United States as a “propagandist” is shameful and smacks of desperation. This post has more on the issue with video from CNN last night, and some words from Dr. Craig Beyler, the forensic scientist.
Dr. Craig Beyler was quoted on CNN tonight saying that Rick Perry’s new appointees to the Texas Forensic Science Commission should resign to restore integrity to the process. Beyler also said Perry is using his political clout to protect himself.
That is not going to happen – John Bradley would never resign over this.
The biggest evidence that Perry is deep in trouble is that almost no one is coming to his defense. There is near complete silence on the right side of the blogosphere. Here’s the tiny bit that’s our there, a sheepish attempt from the TPPF/Leininger funded spin-off Empower Texas, State forensics board: Smoke may indicate fire, question flame’s source. (And this suspect Ted Delisi tweet, found by Mean Rachel). Damn! If Perry can even get the wing-nutosphere to support him he must have really screwed this one up.
But to be sure it’s not just the bloggers. There’s not one single GOP elected official that’s come to Perry’s side, or spoken out in support of what he’s done on this one. It’s because the governor is wrong, and no one wants any of this taint to get on them too.
Lisa Falkenberg in the HChron has a good write up today, Execution controversy about more than ‘bad man’.
Yes, by most accounts, Cameron Todd Willingham was a “bad man,” as Gov. Rick Perry declared Wednesday to reporters.
But being a bad man isn’t a crime punishable by death, even in Texas.
[...]
Perry’s right that Willingham was nobody’s poster child.
The fact that he was a “bad man,” that he beat his pregnant wife, that he’d been convicted of low-level crimes, that he was fond of expletives, might have been enough, even a month ago to sow doubt about his innocence or simply deflect attention from the case of such an unsympathetic figure.
But the story isn’t just about Willingham anymore. It isn’t just about guilt or innocence. It isn’t even about whether Perry did his homework before allowing Willingham’s 2004 execution.
It’s about whether Perry is purposefully trying to subvert the law in Willingham’s case, and potentially obstruct justice in countless other arson cases that could benefit from the commission’s review, all for political gain during a hotly contested primary.
[...]
So, whether or not Willingham was a bad man, or even a “monster,” as Perry also called him, is immaterial to the chief questions being asked of the governor: What’s his problem with a science commission that investigates science?
And, if Perry is so confident of the truth in the case, why is he standing in its way?
But Kuff also points out that this isn’t likely to hurt him in the primary much either.
I remain skeptical that this is really going to damage Rick Perry with the GOP base, but the more it drags out and becomes apparent that it’s basically a banana republic-level attempt to cover up wrongdoing that is rooted much more in indifference than actual malice – in other words, all in the service of refusing to own up to a mistake, albeit a lethal one – the more one thinks that he will ultimately be damaged. I sure as hell hope so, anyway.
Perry is toxic on this issue and he’s on an island. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone, or any GOP politician, comes to his defense.