Jerry Kilgore has tried to match Mark Warner star power by lamely throwing a video of Sen. George Allen up on his website. But how would Sen. Allen like it if he realized that, based on Jerry's logic, Kilgore thinks the Virginia Senator stands behind violent death-row murderers. Here's how Jerry Kilgore's logic works in his world of smear tactics: 1) Tim Kaine worked at a law firm where another attorney was defending Mark Sheppard, a defendant in a death-row case; 2) Kaine chatted with that other lawyer for about 40 minutes and offered some legal advice; and 3) therefore, that means Kaine "voluntarily represented Tim Sheppard." That's what Kilgore's ad says -- you know, the ad that has been roundly criticized as despicable for invoking Hitler as well as being utterly misleading, ?loathsome,? ?vile,? etc.
Interesting.
By that same reasoning: 1) Sen. George Allen used to work at a law firm (Richmond's McGuire Woods Battle and Boothe); 2) He joined said law firm in early 1998, putting him there at the same time that his fellow partner and former Virginia Attorney General William G. Broaddus; and 3) Broaddus "fought until the very end" in representing a convicted murderer on judicial appeals to stop his execution.
Well, I sure hope Jerry Kilgore's close ally, Senator Allen, didn't have a chat with Mr. Broaddus in the hallways of McGuire Woods. Because, apparently, that's all the connection Jerry Kilgore needs between a man and a death penalty case.
So, watch out Sen. Allen. By Kilgore's twisted logic, his next smear ad could be coming for you.
[UPDATE/ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Interestingly, after fighting to prevent Angel Francisco Breard from being executed (Breard was convicted of killing and attempting to rape his 39-year-old Arlington neighbor, Ruth Dickie, in her apartment on Feb. 17, 1992. Dickie was stabbed five times in her neck.), Broaddus had a change of heart on the death penalty. Broaddus now says, "After going through that process, I felt the death penalty was contrary to the best efforts of our society."]