The Political Interest Frying Them Isn't the Answer

Never get tarred as soft on crime. Bill Clinton learned that lesson late, but he learned it well. After regaining Arkansas' governorship in 1982, which he had lost in 1980 to a law-and-order rival, Clinton set 70 execution dates for 26 prisoners over 10 years; three were actually put to death. To reaffirm his mettle as he ran for the White House, Clinton rushed home from New Hampshire to deny a condemned murderer's clemency plea. The brain-damaged killer barely knew his own identity, let alone the fate that awaited him (at his last meal, he saved the pecan pie to eat...