The entire piece is required reading.
http://www.metrotimes.com/blog/newsblawg.asp-snip-
Townsend, a retired judge filling in for an ill Judge Margie Braxton, has a reputation of being tough on defendants. He was once referred to as a "hanging judge" in this rag. But he was all sweetness and light on Thursday as he looked out for the constitutional rights of defendant Kilpatrick as well as the rights of Michigan citizens to have superdelegate Kilpatrick attend the Dem convention.
Reports indicated that the Prosecutor's Office as well as the office of Attorney General Mike Cox — which has brought felony charges alleging that Kilpatrick assaulted a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on KK pal bobby Ferguson — were immediately attempting to have the restrictions reinstated.
What gives?
We heard a possible answer on Mildred Gaddis' WCHB-AM radio talk show when she got Angelo Henderson on the line. Now a minister,
Henderson is former Detroit bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. Henderson asserted that the African-American Townsend is also a Republican.That, said Gaddis, explains everything.
Here's the conspiracy theory: The GOP wants to do everything it can to embarrass Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama, and a 350-pound black mayor facing multiple felony counts is a wonderful millstone to hang around the candidate's neck.Henderson and Gaddis went so far as to muse that Kilpatrick could become Obama's Willie Horton. For those of you too young to remember or old enough to have failing memories, a bit of background: Horton was serving a life sentence for murder in Massachusetts in the 1980s, but was allowed to participate in a weekend furlough program. Horton took advantage of the furloughs to commit armed robbery and rape. Those facts — and the image of African-American Horton — were used in a devastating attack ad against Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee running against George H.W. Bush for president in 1988.
We know how that turned out.
Not that we want to give too much credence to conspiracy theories — it may be that Townsend is just a loose cannon. And although it's a way-long stretch to be comparing the Kwamster to Horton, the conversation supports what we've been writing — that Kilpatrick's legal problems could spell big trouble for Obama.
With polls showing the race between Obama and John McCain a virtual dead heat in this state, and with Michigan playing a pivotal rule in selecting the next president, the whole Kwame Kilpatrick mess has implications far beyond what it is doing to Detroit.Posted by Curt Guyette on 8/14/2008 1:27:01 PM