I don’t like ill-considered pardons being used against Governors turned Presidential candidates. A small possibility of clemency built into the machinery of our modern prison industrial complex is not a bad thing. If every Governor feels that they may be haunted by the future acts of someone who seemed deserving of mercy, I see the possibility of clemency evaporating.
But this Pawlenty Pardon – with the wiping clean of the sex offender record – seems like it could be damaging.