Loss for Kansas’ killers was big win for Kline

When the U.S. Supreme Court gave its blessing to Kansas’ death penalty law last week, it clearly was a victory for Attorney General Phill Kline. He successfully defended it in two hearings before the high court. But does the victory mean Kline is suddenly invulnerable to Democratic opponent Paul Morrison’s criticisms of his courtroom experience? Morrison (responsible for putting one of the men on Kansas’ death row) also has blasted Kline for needing to be coached by former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson before the hearings. Asked last week how the ruling might affect his campaign, Kline variously said that was up to the media and that “I did my job.” The Kansas City Star’s David Klepper aptly observed that the ruling also was a win of sorts for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius — because “the issue’s off the table for the election and she won’t have to answer questions about her stance on capital punishment.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman

5 Comments

  1. Joe Blow
    Posted July 2, 2006 at 2:27 am | Permalink

    Wonder if Kline had lost if the press would have found at least some way to spin a potential, “well at least the issue is off the table” argument for Kline. Naw. The best route for the press whose loathing for Kline is legendary is: “If Kline loses he loses, if Kline wins, it’s more or less a tie.”

  2. JackStraw
    Posted July 2, 2006 at 7:03 am | Permalink

    I’m glad Kline “won” this. But any loathing the press has for him is in large part well earned. He’s the biggest camera whore I’ve seen since Nola Foulston.

  3. GMC70
    Posted July 3, 2006 at 12:45 pm | Permalink

    I’ve worked for Morrison, he’s a good man. But slamming Kline for preparing to argue a case before the SC is ridiculous.

    Had Morrison been going to Washington, he would have done the same. It’s called preparation. And of course you do it. You do it a lot. And it’s intensive, and it’s coaching. And you’re a fool if you don’t do it.

    Criticising Kline for being prepared shows just what a political opportunist Morrison has become. And that’s sad.

  4. Right angle
    Posted July 3, 2006 at 4:54 pm | Permalink

    Only fools don’t get advised or coached so that gives me an indication about Paul Morrison. Of course, Rhonda Holman would write a Blog that had criticism of Attorney General Phill Kline no matter, win or lose. If he had lost, he should have got coached. But that is what you expect from an out of touch with the main stream Kansan lunatic liberal newspaper.

  5. Otto
    Posted July 3, 2006 at 11:26 pm | Permalink

    Kline is only doing what Bush would do. He has no credentials, can’t do his job right, only got elected to please the far-right Christians, so, as the president would do, he goes out on a limb to get people killed. It’s all he can figure out to do.Next we’ll go back to hangings in a park somewhere, so parents can bring the whole family and the children can have a picnic while some man wiggles on the end of a rope grasping for air. Now that’s family values.