Quote :

" RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Virginia's governor on Tuesday spared the life of a convicted killer who would have been the 1,000th person executed in the United States since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976. Robin Lovitt's death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole a little more than 24 hours before he was to be executed by injection Wednesday night for stabbing a man to death with a pair of scissors during a 1998 pool-hall robbery."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/1/1000TH_EXECUTION?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Seems to me he just didn't want big 1000 to die at his hands. Next one up is ours!

11/29/2005 6:29:21 PM

i woulda stuck him with the syringe myself

11/29/2005 6:55:11 PM

Hopefully all the governors will collectively decide that the death penalty is crap.


And gather together in the geographical center of the U.S., and sing in beautiful harmony.

11/29/2005 7:07:55 PM

this might hurt him if he runs for prez

11/29/2005 7:19:15 PM

^dangitt, i didn't think about that....

11/29/2005 7:20:06 PM

Sure sucks for # 999 and 1001

11/29/2005 7:27:30 PM

Quote :

"panthersny: this might hurt him if he runs for prez"

Why do you think he did it in the first place? I doubt this will hurt him at all w/ the Democrats who have to push him through the primary (or give him a good enough performance so he can be Hillary's VP choice)

11/29/2005 7:30:03 PM

I wish Hillary would run. It would insure a Republican victory. That said, the death penalty is crap. I think instead of killing a perfectly good human being, they should be made to work hard labor for the rest of their lives. Makes more sense to me.

11/29/2005 7:33:51 PM

Quote :

" VA governor pardons 1000th executed man"

How can he be the 1000th executed man if he wasnt executed?

11/29/2005 8:09:23 PM

this is like the pardon of the turkey on thanksgiving

11/29/2005 8:24:52 PM

This is like the pardon of the pig on BBQ

11/29/2005 9:39:45 PM

Now NC is in line for 1000. Friday. . .

11/29/2005 10:05:37 PM

First, to be clear: Robin Lovitt WAS NOT pardoned. His death sentence was commuted. HUGE DIFFERENCE.

Quote :

"panthersny: this might hurt him if he runs for prez "

Not likely...Warner's a smart guy and insulated himself really well against any possible criticism that could come down the pike. Virginia's Former Attorney General, Mark Earley, was a big advocate for the stay of execution...and he was the Republican candidate that Warner beat in 2001 for the governorship. Plus, Ken Starr is the freakin' defense attorney...you can't get more Republican than that.

11/29/2005 10:21:56 PM

Quote :

"How can he be the 1000th executed man if he wasnt executed?"

Quote :

"First, to be clear: Robin Lovitt WAS NOT pardoned. His death sentence was commuted. HUGE DIFFERENCE."

Well, in a perfect world the thread title would have been "VA governor commutes the sentence of the man who would have been the 1000th executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976."

Turns out there's a character limit on titles.

11/29/2005 10:44:28 PM

Quote :

"Protostar: I wish Hillary would run. It would insure a Republican victory."

The only 2 Republicans that would actually beat Hillary are Condi Rice (who said she isn't running) or George Allen (who has a long way to go).

If Hillary wins the primary the GOP will have a hard time stopping her from walking to the White House...

11/29/2005 10:50:40 PM

Been listening too much of that "I knew the Clintons personally, so I'll have a lifetime job at FoxNews" guy?

11/29/2005 11:04:00 PM

Quote :

"spookyjon: Well, in a perfect world the thread title would have been "VA governor commutes the sentence of the man who would have been the 1000th executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.""

Yes, but you said pardon, which means that he was released from punishment, which Warner made it very clear in his letter was not his intention. I was just making sure the distinction was clear.

11/29/2005 11:12:05 PM

Quote :

"The only 2 Republicans that would actually beat Hillary are Condi Rice (who said she isn't running) or George Allen (who has a long way to go)."

i bet McCain would beat Hillary like a drum

in fact, if so many people weren't pissed at the GOP, i'd wager that it would be a new record for "Largest Asskicking In History of U.S. Presidential Elections"

11/29/2005 11:31:58 PM

^^^
I actually can't remember when I last watch Fox News School and work have severely curbed my TV use

[Edited on November 29, 2005 at 11:34 PM. Reason : to MathFreak]

11/29/2005 11:34:05 PM

Quote :

"Largest Asskicking In History of U.S. Presidential Elections "

I'd love to see that someday.

11/29/2005 11:49:13 PM

Quote :

"theDuke866: i bet McCain would beat Hillary like a drum in fact, if so many people weren't pissed at the GOP, i'd wager that it would be a new record for "Largest Asskicking In History of U.S. Presidential Elections""

McCain would have to make it through the Republican primaries first, which I don't think is a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination. Beyond that, I think McCain and Biden both are going to have a hard time defending their calls for more troops in Iraq when the popular sentiment these days is to withdraw (timelines vary, yes).

I'm pretty sure that you can't have a larger asskicking than 1984, so I wouldn't go salivating over that possibility, quite yet.

[Edited on November 30, 2005 at 12:48 AM. Reason : add]

11/30/2005 12:46:18 AM

oh, making it through the GOP primaries would be tough, because too many republicans are stupid and don't realize that he's more of what they want than the dumbasses they'd vote for

and riding the GWB wave wouldn't help

but if it weren't for that, and McCain actually got the GOP bid, Hillary Clinton would get fucking Mondaled.

11/30/2005 1:06:53 AM

M. Warner in `08

11/30/2005 2:06:28 AM

this is like giving some guy a million bucks just because they're your store's 1000th customer.

11/30/2005 5:03:00 AM

Quote :

"How can he be the 1000th executed man if he wasnt executed?"

Quote :

"Well, in a perfect world the thread title would have been "VA governor commutes the sentence of the man who would have been the 1000th executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976." Turns out there's a character limit on titles."

"1000th man scheduled for execution was pardoned"

VA govenor and the timeframe are not important to the headline. "The governor of Virginia, 10th state of our nation and birthplace of 6 United States presidents, has..."

11/30/2005 7:40:31 AM

PARDON DOES NOT MEAN SET FREE. IT MEANS A SENTENCE REDUCTION.

HE GOT A PARDON.

11/30/2005 10:14:27 AM

If Easley commutes or stays our guy, I'm through voting for him.

11/30/2005 11:52:45 AM

haha HE WAS LUCKY NUMBER 1000

11/30/2005 11:56:40 AM

Quote :

"McCain would have to make it through the Republican primaries first, which I don't think is a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination. Beyond that, I think McCain and Biden both are going to have a hard time defending their calls for more troops in Iraq when the popular sentiment these days is to withdraw (timelines vary, yes)."

Yet I think Hillary would have just as hard, if not more difficulty in answering the same questions. Even now, with lines like the United States having to "finish what it started", she's going to face a much rougher time in the Democratic primaries and general election from the anti-war factions and her own party than McCain and Biden will in the Republican primaries and party base.

11/30/2005 12:56:40 PM

^ I agree, completely, though her most recent communication seems to suggest that she's hedging a bit.

Quote :

"GrumpyGOP: If Easley commutes or stays our guy, I'm through voting for him."

I'm sure that he'll consider that as he makes his decision...or not, considering that he's not running again.

[Edited on November 30, 2005 at 2:48 PM. Reason : add]

11/30/2005 2:47:52 PM

I really wish McCain didn't get deep-sixed in 2000 by the pubs like he did. He'd be a much, much better presence than this bunch of clowns we're stuck with.

I hope the Dems have enought sense to not run Hillary. Warner would be a much better pick. I like McCain, but he'd be older when elected than Reagan was at the end on his second term. It would really depend on how much emphasis he would have on getting rid on the current bunch of idiots and advisors.

Hell, have a Warner vs. Allen race. I'd be happy to vote for either of those guys.

11/30/2005 3:02:18 PM

Quote :

"Kay_Yow: ^ I agree, completely, though her most recent communication seems to suggest that she's hedging a bit."

I think the difficulties Hillary would have in a primary are overrated. Teh L3ft is anti-war, but being anti-war -- or anything else related to foreign policy -- isn't their core motivation.

On every other issue that matters to teh L3ft, Hillary is as red as they are (and not in the red-vs-blue sense).

I do wish McCain would make it out of a GOP primary though, just so he could get shellacked in the general election and we can stop the perennial "OMF McCain is teh winz!!1" circle-jerk...

[Edited on November 30, 2005 at 4:24 PM. Reason : ---]

11/30/2005 4:23:46 PM

Considering just how jacked up the GOP is going to be in 2008, I bet McCain would have a decent shot. With all the scandal and whatnot going about and (what I predect) a resurgent Democratic Party, they're going to want someone with a strong name. McCain provides that.

11/30/2005 4:49:40 PM

If Hillary does win the primary I would be curious as to how much buzz there would be about how she is a bad pick because the muslim terrorist nation would hate us even more for having a woman as a president. After all, there was a Bush is a bad pick because it will make the terrorists even more angry push back in the day.

Complete stupidity but I wouldn't put it past anyone, especially considering recent history.

[Edited on December 1, 2005 at 8:06 AM. Reason : -]

12/1/2005 8:05:38 AM

^ Considering two women have been Secretaries of State in recent years (and they have more contact with those nations than the President), I don't think that'd be as much of an issue as people think...

That ssaid, the backlash off any ad (by a 527 or a campaign) would be brutal.

12/1/2005 8:42:33 AM

^Yeah, you're probably right... I was hoping to see some backlash fireworks.

12/1/2005 8:45:01 AM