Hours after first remarking that he would not pass judgment on Osama bin Laden should we catch him, presidential candidate Howard Dean is backtracking like only he can. Dean started off by extolling the virtues of innocence before guilt.
“I’ve resisted pronouncing a sentence before guilt is found,” Dean told New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor.
“I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials,” he said.
Now he’s pushing to put the al Qaeda head to death.
“As an American, I want to make sure he gets the death penalty he deserves.”
He added:
“Bin Laden has admitted that he is responsible for killing 3,000 Americans as well as scores of men, women and children around the world. This is exactly the kind of case that the death penalty is meant for.”
Ah, the good ol’ foot-in-mouth disease has claimed Dean once again. Consistency has never been his strong suit.