Last week, Virginia Attorney General and Republican candidate for governor Jerry Kilgore launched his first attack on Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, his opponent for the seat. He said a lot of stupid things, but this really took the cake: The voters “will learn that [Kaine] was an ACLU lawyer. They’ll learn that he not only opposes the death penalty but [that] he has actually represented death-row inmates, those who escaped from prison.”
Coming from anybody running for office, such a position is ludicrous. Coming from the attorney general, it’s dangerous. I sputtered over this when I read it. I wasn’t the only one.
Today, the Washington Post, in their lead editorial, provides Kilgore with a sound spanking for such stupidity. The crux of of it:
Jerry W. Kilgore, the Republican attorney general of Virginia, apparently needs a refresher course on the Constitution.
[…]
Mr. Kilgore’s inane accusation is an affront to the principles of justice he is sworn to uphold. It’s no great shock that he embraces the death penalty; what’s surprising is that, as the state’s top law enforcement official, he would imply that there is something wrong with representing defendants or convicts in capital cases.
There’s quite a bit more to the editorial, and it’s well worth a full reading.
Kilgore is a dangerous and, as the Post points out, hypocritical ideologue. It’s good to see that the Post editorial board agrees on that point.