Pardonable sins

What is it about mercy that makes politicians afraid to show it until the very last minute?

Over the past weekend Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher granted a number of pardons for convicted criminals, among them, five women from prison who had been convicted of killing men who abused them.

The legal system “is not perfect,” said Fletcher, explaining why he chose to use his executive power to commute the sentences of the women. “I have decided to grant relief to these women based on their individual circumstances,” he said.

The governor is right. The system is far from perfect, which is why chief executives are given the power to pardon and commute.

Of course, sometimes the mercy hits a little close to home. The last time Fletcher granted pardons was last year when he gave passes to anyone in the administration except himself who might be connected to the merit employee scandal that became the hallmark of his administration.

Still it seems obvious that voters don’t usually like hearing that their governors or presidents are deciding to let people out of jail. Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is now being closely scrutinized in the national press over the 1,033 pardons he granted while governor of Arkansas. They ranged from convicted killers to Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who had a 1975 traffic offense hanging over his head.

I have no objection to the pardons Fletcher granted over the weekend, but I do wonder at the cynicism of waiting until the last minute to grant them. Fletcher’s term ended at midnight Monday. That means for him there can be no political consequences of the act. It’s why pardons are something of an end-of-term tradition with chief executives. But if these women deserved their freedom Sunday, they deserved it months or even years ago.

Politicians grant such pardons when it’s expedient. What does it say about society that the most powerful of our elected officials are afraid to show mercy except when they are beyond the reach of the voters?