Huckabee meltdown continues

The Arkansas coordinator for Mike Huckabee's PAC has resigned. From a Washington Times story yesterday:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's hopes for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination have been dealt a major blow by his 9-year-old decision to commute the sentence of Maurice Clemmons -- the man suspected of killing four police officers near Seattle early Sunday.
"It will be extremely damaging," said Diana Banister, a Washington-based publicist for Republican causes and candidates. "His GOP primary rivals will use it to their advantage against him." . . .
"It will be the Republican version of the Willie Horton issue that GOP surrogates used against Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, the unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate in 1988," Ms. Banister said.

Just in case you don't remember, it was Al Gore -- one of Dukakis' rivals for the 1988 Democratic nomination --who first raised the issue of the Willie Horton furlough.

UPDATE: Allahpundit:

Kudos to Huck, I guess, for stopping short of calling his critics racist too.

Give him time, Allah. Huck might yet go totally Johnsonoid. Jim Geraghty:

It takes a particular bravado for a man in Huckabee’s circumstances to contend that his critics are the ones who should hang their heads in shame.

Meanwhile, Huck continues his blame-shifting campaign with a Human Events column:

I take full responsibility for my decision then.

But he doesn't. Instead, he points the finger of blame at others. If Huckabee wants to "take full responsibility," all he has to do is shut up -- which he most certainly should do (cf., Healey's First Law On Holes).

COPS KILL COP-KILLER CLEMMONS

Seattle Times:

Maurice Clemmons, the suspect wanted in slaying of four Lakewood police officers, was shot and killed in South Seattle early this morning . . .

Via Memeorandum. More at Michelle Malkin.

UPDATE: More from the Seattle Times story:

Clemmons was standing outside in the 4400 block of South Kenyon Street when he was confronted by officers. He challenged the officers and was shot around 2:40 a.m. [i.e., 5:40 a.m. ET]
Police have said Clemmons received help since the Sunday morning shooting from friends and family who gave him places to stay, medical aid, rides and money, police said. Officers detained a sister of Clemmons who they think treated the 37-year-old suspect's gunshot wound.

That anyone would help a cop-killer is incredible. But Mumia Abu-Jamal is a hero to liberals everywhere, so why not?

UPDATE II: A long Seattle Times article provides background Clemmons' criminal history, and Dan Riehl calls it a "must-read."

Shocking as it may seem -- but not really surprising, given the vulgar antinomianism of the "No Snitching" culture -- Clemmons not only got help after his attack, but boasted to friends about his plans beforehand:

Clemmons has been getting help and shelter from friends and relatives since shortly after the Sunday morning shooting deaths of four Lakewood police officers, authorities have concluded.
"Basically, there's no way that he could be doing this by himself; he was shot in the abdomen," said Sheri Badger, Pierce County spokeswoman at the incident command center.
Also frustrating to law-enforcement officers is that Clemmons reportedly told acquaintances the night before the attack to "watch the news" because he was going to "kill cops."
No one reported his comments to police until after the attack, Badger said.

UPDATE III: Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

[Police] would have preferred an uneventful surrender, but Clemmons apparently was determined to go out in a blaze of hatred and insanity. And so he did.

Indeed, this was a sort of "suicide-by-cop," and Clemmons thereby forfeited the opportunity to have his own NPR radio program, or to have famous liberals sign petitions to spare him the death penalty. How sad.

UPDATE IV: A timely reminder:

The anti-police bigotry of the Left
. . . Bill Ayers, whose door sports a picture of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal.

The Left foments hatred of police and then blames "society" for the predictable result of such rhetoric. But if conservatives complain about the Left's agenda, these monsters who celebrate cop-killers as heroes call us "anti-government" and claim that we are menaces to society.

Best Huckabee zinger yet

Pardoned Thanksgiving Turkey
Goes on Nine-State Killing Spree!

Yeah, stick a fork in that turkey. He's done.

Huckabee answers the wrong question

On his radio show:

"If I could have known nine years ago, looked into the future, would I have acted favorably upon the parole board's recommendation? Of course not . . ."

Isn't foresight one of those qualities that is essential to statesmanship? Haven't both presidents Clinton and Bush been excoriated for failing to anticipate and prevent the 9/11 attacks?

There was no shortage of evidence that Maurice Clemmons was a dangerous criminal. An Arkansas jury had convicted him and an Arkansas judge had sentenced him to 35 years in prison. And you set him free after barely more than 10. Nor was this an isolated act:

In fact, an Arkansas Leader study indicated that Huckabee helped free more prisoners from 1996 through 2004 than were freed in the six neighboring states -- Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas -- combined.

You failed in your duty to protect the lives of your fellow citizens. Enjoy your broadcasting career. Your credibility as a political leader died Sunday morning in that Lakewood coffee shop.

Video via Hot Air.

SEATTLE MANHUNT: Search continues for cop-killer suspect Maurice Clemmons POLICE: 'People are helping' suspect

UPDATE 12/2: CLEMMONS SHOT DEAD.

UPDATE 7:55 p.m. ET: Tacoma News-Tribune:

McDonald said investigators believe Clemmons, who was shot in the torso during the shooting, is getting help.
"It's apparent people are helping him," McDonald said. "Anyone helping him ... will be held accountable."

UPDATE 7:45 p.m. ET: According to the Tacoma News Tribune, police have found the Mazda belonging to Clemmons wife -- his ex-wife, they report -- and say it was not involved in Clemmons' escape. The News Tribune also reports that agents on the Canadian border have been told to keep an eye out for Clemmons.

Clemmons and his wife were married in 2004 by an Arkansas judge who wrote a letter in support of Clemmons' clemency appeal.

UPDATE 6:35 p.m. ET: More on the manhunt:

Washington state police are looking for the wife of the man suspected of killing four police officers near Seattle. They believe she may be headed to Arkansas, where her husband, Maurice Clemmons, had served prison time before former Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted his sentence in 2000.
Police are on the lookout for a green 1997 Mazda Millenia with Washington license plate 208-SSX, registered to Clemmons' wife, Nicole Cheryleen Smith, the Seattle Times reports.

UPDATE 6:20 p.m. ET: Michelle Malkin has a new post about the manhunt, linking an interview with one of the victims of Clemmons' 1989 crime spree:

Karen Hodge, one of Maurice Clemmon's robbery victims in Arkansas 20 years ago, said she was horrified by the Pierce County shootings.
"I'm flabbergasted," said Hodge, now 68, of Little Rock. "He should still be in prison."
Clemmons . . . was convicted in 1989 of aggravated robbery after he told Hodge he had a un, demanded that she give him her purse, and hit her in the face.
"He was a punk .... kid," recalled Hodge, who had just parked her car on a street.
"He said give me your purse, or I'm going to shoot you. I said, 'Hell no.' Boy, he knocked me half way across my car. That's about all I know about that little bastard."

Huckabee is still defending his indefensible decision to grant clemency to this vicious sociopath.

UPDATE 1:45 p.m. ET: The families of four slain Lakewood, Wash., police officers will no doubt be furious to learn how easily Clemmons fooled Mike Huckabee:

Documents released this morning by the Arkansas Parole Board show police slaying suspect Maurice Clemmons was supposed to remain in prison there until at least 2015, but won his release by claiming he'd changed while behind bars.
Clemmons' appeal for clemency was granted in May 2000 by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee, who commuted Clemmons sentence and made him immediately eligible for parole.
Clemmons wrote in an appeal to Huckabee that he'd been sent to prison after an extended crime spree that started in 1989 when he was a teenager — and that he was a different person now.
At the time of the crimes — which included aggravated robbery, firearms possession and burglary — Clemmons claimed he was 16 years old and had moved from Seattle to a high-crime neighborhood in Arkansas.
"I succumbed to the peer pressure and the need I had to be accepted by other youth in my new environment and fell in with the wrong crowd and thus began a seven (7) month crime spree which led me to prison," Clemmons wrote in his application to Huckabee.
Clemmons said he came from "a very good Christian family" and "was raised much better than my actions speak (I'm still ashamed to this day for the shame my stupid involvement in these crimes brought to my family name.)," he wrote.
"Where once stood a young (16) year old misguided fool, who's (sic) own life he was unable to rule. Now stands a 27 year old man, who has learned through 'the school of hard knocks' to appreciate and respect the rights of others. And who has in the midst of the harsh reality of prison life developed the necessary skills to stand along (sic) and not follow a multitude of do evil, as I did as a 16 year old child."

At First Things, Joe Carter writes about the limits of "compassion," and Doug Bandow at the American Spectator notes a 2007 report by ABC's Jake Tapper:

In fact, an Arkansas Leader study indicated that Huckabee helped free more prisoners from 1996 through 2004 than were freed in the six neighboring states -- Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas -- combined.

Kill Truck comments:

We just want Huck to accept his responsibility in this. We're waiting.

UPDATE 1:25 p.m.: In a press conference, Lakewood Police Chief Brett Farrar vows to "carry on," says: "In the face of adversity is where we triumph." There is a fund for the slain officers' families:

Lakewood Police Benevolent Fund
PO Box 99579
Lakewood, WA 98499

UPDATE 1:10 p.m. ET: Maurice Clemmons is now officially a fugitive suspect:

Troyer said warrants for first-degree murder have been issued against Clemmons in the killings of the officers from the Tacoma suburb of Lakewood who were gunned down in a coffee shop on Sunday morning at the start of their shifts.

That's the end of the "person of interest" language. BTW, Clemmons is believed to have been wounded in the abdomen, and may be dead by now.

PREVIOUSLY (11:52 a.m.): Associated Press:

The suspect in the slaying of four police officers gunned down in a coffee shop was not found Monday in the Seattle home where he was thought to have been holed up overnight, likely wounded from his bloody encounter with the officers.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

University of Washington police have alerted students to an unconfirmed report that the suspect in the Lakewood police shootings may have been sighted on or near the campus in Seattle.
Cmdr. Jerome Solomon says someone reported that Maurice Clemmons was seen getting off a bus about 7 a.m. Monday near the university's hospital. He says police are checking the area.

Michelle Malkin continues to update . . .

UPDATE 12:57 p.m. ET: Fox News reports "people who know Clemmons told investigators that he had been shot in the torso." The names of the slain officers have been released:

Those killed were identified as Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and officers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Gregory Richards, 42.

Dan Riehl is blogging the story. The Jawa Report and Gateway Pundit are also on the story.

More at Memeorandum. Will continue to update with latest developments.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Cops surround Seattle neighborhood
• 4 police officers ambushed

BREAKING: Cops surround Seattle neighborhood; Clemmons cornered? LATEST: 'Bleeding,' says 911 caller MORE: Now SWAT Operation

UPDATE 11:45 a.m. ET: Maurice Clemmons is still at large. I got six hours sleep and woke up to this news on TV.

LATEST NEWS ON SEATTLE MANHUNT HERE

UPDATE 4:55 a.m. ET: More from KIRO at SWAT standoff in Seattle:

Several bangs, followed by sound of breaking glass, then a louder explosion from Leschi standoff scene.

Obviously, the police want to end this before dawn. They've got night-vision equipment; Clemmons doesn't.

UPDATE 4:50 a.m. ET: KIRO reports from scene of SWAT standoff:

After loud bangs, negotiator on loudspeaker: "This is one of the toughest decisions you'll make in your life, but you need to man up."

UPDATE 4:25 a.m. ET: Michelle Malkin:

KIRO TV in Seattle has detail . . . 4:15am Eastern 11/30…hostage negotiator on loudspeaker attempting to communicate with Clemmons . . .

Young folks, pay attention to how hard Malkin works. Best-selling author, Fox News star and yet here she is, awake in the pre-dawn hours, working to provide up-to-date coverage of a breaking news story. And beating me!

Meanwhile, via Seattle police scanner, we learn that a neighbor is heading to the police command post to report the interior layout of the home where Clemmons is reportedly holed up.

UPDATE 4:40 a.m. ET: KIRO reports police are warning people in the neighborhood to expect loud noise from flashbang devices in event SWAT has to assault. As of now, it's a standoff situation.

BTW, my guess is Malkin filed her 4:15 a.m. blog update after getting a call from Fox News telling her they'd want her on "Fox and Friends" this morning to discuss the case.

UPDATE 3:40 a.m. ET: Zack in Seattle:

BREAKING: SPD SWAT has started their tactical operations

Zach reportedly lives near the scene and is listening to a police scanner.

UPDATE 3:20 a.m. ET: The Seattle University student newspaper reports:

The person of interest in the slaying of four Lakewood police officers this morning may now be hiding in a home at East Yesler Way and 32nd Avenue South, about two miles from Seattle University’s campus.
Police responded around 8:45 p.m. [i.e., 11:45 p.m. ET] to the location because a woman told police Maurice Clemmons, the person of interest, was on the property and bleeding, reports The Seattle Times.

Also: Why was this Arkansas convict in Seattle? Apparently because his sister lives there. And there has been a reported "spurt of crime" in the area near the university.

UPDATE 3:32 a.m. ET: Twitter updates from Seattle resident Zach:

SPD issuing an APB for Eddie David, light skin black male 6'3" 170lbs, assassin's accomplice driving white 83 Buick LeSabre . .

Medics are being summoned to the scene of the police standoff . . .

one of those SPD armored assault vehicles just rolled by my place en route to the scene

PREVIOUSLY 2:42 a.m. ET: Just now reported:

Seattle police cordoned off a section of Seattle's Leschi neighborhood late Sunday night, believing they had located the person of interest in the shooting deaths of four Lakewood, Wash. police officers.
Police cruisers surrounded streets in the neighborhood of 32nd Avenue and Yesler Way in the search for Maurice Clemmons. Several law enforcement sources say they believe they have Clemmons pinned down in the neighborhood. . . .

Previously reported here. Michelle Malkin has been all over the story. More at Memeorandum.

UPDATE 2:53 a.m.: Via Seattle's Channel 5 Twitter:

Seattle Police ask people living in blocked-off area to stay inside/keep doors/windows locked

UPDATE 3:10 a.m.: Also via Twitter, Seattle software developer Buzz Bruggeman says police are searching near the home of his friend.