It appears that Tim Kaine took on death-penalty cases out of a deep-rooted opposition to the death penalty. If you agree with the death penalty, as I do, then criticizing Kaine for his abolitionist views is legitimate. A commutation of a sentence by a governor is fair game for criticism, and that forms part of the GOP attack as well. I have no problem with such arguments.
But criticizing a man simply for defending a criminal defendant, in my view, runs counter to our values as Americans. Don't get me wrong: I am in favor of law and order, and I don't like murderers. I prosecute murderers, on a daily basis. But when I do, I expect them to be well represented by counsel on the other side of the table -- making sure that the blows I strike against the accused, while they may be hard blows, are fair ones.
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