Washington (CNN) – Sarah Palin said in a recent radio appearance that Mike Huckabee made a "horrible decision" nine years ago to commute the prison sentence of the man suspected of killing four police officers in Washington, but she added that her "heart goes out" to the former Arkansas governor.
In an interview last week with conservative radio host Lars Larson, Palin called the murders "tragic" and "unfathomable."
"It was a bad decision obviously, but my heart goes out to Huckabee," the former Alaska governor said. "I love him, and I feel bad for him to be in this position. But I feel even worse for the victim's families in this situation. I do feel bad for Huckabee, but it was a horrible decision he made."
Huckabee has said he regrets the decision to commute the sentence of the suspected shooter, Maurice Clemmons, but said he thinks he made the right assessment at the time. Palin said she had never pardoned or granted clemency to prisoners when she served in Juneau.
"I don't have a whole lot of mercy for the bad guys," she said. "I'm on the good guys' side."
Pressed on her political ambitions, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee would not rule out a third party run at the White House in 2012.
"That depends on how things go in the next couple of years," she said. "It really does depend. There are enough Republicans who are realizing, 'Oh whoops, some of us liberal republicans have screwed up.' And I'm not including myself in that group, but some liberal Republicans have screwed up."
Palin said her decision rests on whether or not the GOP does a better job of appealing to its conservative base.
"If the Republican Party gets back to that base, I think our party is going to be stronger and there's not going to be a need for a third party, but I'll play that by ear in these coming months, coming years," she said.
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Hindsight is 20/20. It seems Huckabee was doing the Christian thing, forgiving the sinner, and he had no way of knowing what would happen nine years later.
It's a terrible tragedy all around, but it does no good to point fingers. The blame lies squarely on the lone gunman, and him alone.
why does any body care wht this idiot thinks about anything
She should send her condolences to a "real" governor. Huckabee actually had to deal with crime as a governor, whereas in Alaska, which only averages about 3 crimes a year.
It's always easy to be a monday morning quarterback.
What would we be saying if Clemmons went on to do something beneficial to society.
He made a decision based on the circumstances at the time. That's all you can ask of someone. Debate the appropriateness of the decisions, based on what was known at the time – what happens afterwards could not affect the decision, as it was not known, and oftentimes not too predictible.
Coud Palin's sympathy for Huckabee be any more backhanded? ...My heart goes out to you but you did make a horrible decision. Palin is the worst. I feel like everything out of her mouth is snake-like and politically laced.
I bet she wouldn't be so quick to have her "heart go out" to him is he were a democrat.
It was only a horrible decision in retrospect.
It made perfect sense at the time.
Palin has a heart? What's the next thing you are going to tell me? She has a brain too?
A quick Palin hate opportunity. Hurry, everyone, hurry!
omg, here we go again! "I love him"! LOL! golly, gee, you sure love lots of men Palin!
Hey! What do you know. Sarah's learned how to do a political "back stab" at a potential rival while smiling and faining concern and sympathy.
That's the genius of Palin. She quit before making any kind of decision that could haunt her at a later date. Genius!
Liberal Republicans? What liberal Republicans? This woman is definitely certifiable.
hmm.... Good guys and bad guys. No one is ever wrongfully convicted and the "bad guy" never gets away. If only we lived in such a perfect society.
Sarah the quitter who put the twit in twitter doesnt have the intelligence necessary to be governor, that's why she quit. She finally realized she was in waaay over her head, As for president....no way
If only her heart could go out.
No literally, GO PHYSICALLY OUT OF HER BODY.
Problem solved.
Palin: 'My heart goes out to Huckabee'
--------------------
Honestly, Sarah, so does mine. Truly.
I genuinely think this woman could be the death of the Republican party. She could make it so radicalised and extreme that only conspiracy theorists and people that hate anyone that doesn't look the same as them could associate with
Who is she to have "no mercy" on anyone? Once again, a self-proclaimed Christian who completely misses the point of Christianity. Let's hope that 'mercy' is granted to America and she and her tribe of anti-American politicians face another failure in their quest to keep America on the path of destruction they seem to want.
There are a lot of things Palin never did as governor, finishing her four year committment to the people of Alaska is just one of many. She quit to go make a buck before her "15 minutes of fame" were up.
Now she says she has love for Huckabee as she shoves and twists the barbied dagger in his back. Disgustingly sweet lies.
But of course she is the vicitim in all this – that's always her platform – "Little Miss Victim" with lipstick ...... wink ... wink ......
Holier Than Thou Palin throws Huckabee under the bus...that's true love! And exactly who are the "liberal" republicans who are being chastised for thinking for themselves. Seems that Palin wants a smaller tent, maybe one that only fits Palin and her little minions!
Sarah
Please run – if you run as a third party candidate you will destroy the Republican party – remember Ross Perot?
My heart goes out to the Palin children for having that monster for a mother. She will never run, it does not pay enough plus she is a QUITTER. No matter what you republicans she will always be a QUITTER. So funny how it got it tough and she QUIT, so unamerican to QUIT but then again her family is part of the Alaska Independence Party, quess they want to QUIT to.
Anyone every watch a Palin booking signing on Youtube. The people there are so stupid it absolutely explains everything.
Talk about someone who is full of herself. She is believing what her "base" of Conservatives and others are puffing her up with. Let her start a 3rd party run – please do!!!! That will pull more voters away from the GOP (not the Dems) and that will kill the GOP. That is what an idiot she is.
Now notice she is so sorry for Huckabee, etc. Where is her sorrow and grief for the 4 police officers and their families? I don't hear about that. She is just sorry for Huckabee because of the Conservative, religious roots.
Not lets read between the lines. Fickle Palin is already going against Huckabee in the 2012 race. She claims that unlike Huckabee, she is on the side of the good guys and when she served in Juneau she never pardoned, granted clemency to prisoners, and unlike Huckabee she never made any such bad decissions.
Give me a break! Palin the Fickle quitter was not governor long enough to be able to pardon or grant clemency to prisoners.
Sarah Palin is the voice of stupid. Luckily for us she continues to assist in the major fracturing of the Republican party. Keep Sarah around, she is good for a laugh. She is helping to drag the Republican party to the extreme fringe right with the other teabagging, Berther Wackos.