Sunday, November 25, 2007

MITT ROMNEY

How Much Will Judge Tuttman's Appointment Haunt Mitt Romney?

Sometimes, campaigns get overtaken by events.

Mitt Romney could not have known, that when he nominated Superior Court Judge Kathe M. Tuttman, that she would one day release convicted killer Daniel Tavares Jr. Romney couldn't have known that Tavares would cross the country and kill newlyweds in Washington state.

But sometimes, events come together in a perfect storm:

“Judge Tuttman’s entire experience as a prosecutor suggested she would be a law and order judge,” said Romney’s spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, in a statement. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been appointed. Only she can explain why she released Daniel Tavares without bail. It’s inexcusable and she should answer for it.” Romney was stumping for votes in Seattle when news of the gruesome Washington murders broke.

What are the odds that Romney would be in the northwest, a region with no early primaries, when the crime occurred? What are the odds that the killer in question threatened to assassinate Romney himself? If this were a novel, we would say the plot twists were implausible.

Having said that, the entire incident is being compared to Willie Horton, and the parallels are too bizarre to ignore - a dangerous criminal released in a decision that challenges common sense, free to commit another unspeakable crime twice as grisly as his first on two victims in love, entangling the presidential prospects of a Massachusetts governor. Ed Morrissey says the Horton meme should be shot down, and indeed, Dukakis was more responsible for the weekend furlough program than Romney is for Tuttman's decision. But the true-crime visuals of this story - the thug's fearsome mugshot, the grisly crime scene - will probably blur those distinctions.

One other distinction - Romney wants the judge to resign, while Dukakis stuck by his decision.

Ramifications? Well, Romney's going to get a lot of questions about it, and he's going to be left with that answer, that her record suggested she would be tough on crime. He's going to be asked, "If you could be wrong in your assessment of her, could your assessment be wrong on other appointees? How about a Supreme Court justice?"

And it will be a cold day in hell before Romney utters the words, "Bernie Kerik" in a Republican debate.

11/25 02:00 PMShare