Barack Obama was against the death penalty. Then he was for the death penalty but in favor of a moratorium like the one imposed by Republican Gov. George Ryan (as an expression of the concern people have about the increased evidence of many false convictions for crimes in general). Now candidate Obama is simply in favor of the death penalty.
Obama comes off a bit better than the other Presidential candidates (at least the ones who might actually get elected, i.e. not Ron Paul) in
this SF Chronicle article about the various candidates stands on the death penalty, crime and punishment, and the war on drugs -- but the piece doesn't leave much for antiauthoritarian types to feel hopeful about.
The piece focuses substantially on the "good old days" under President Clinton, which may give us a hint of what to expect from a neo-Clinton administration:
"Bill Clinton, by contrast, interrupted his 1992
presidential campaign and flew back to Arkansas for the execution of a
brain-damaged killer named Rickey Ray Rector. As president, Clinton signed a
1994 crime bill that included a major expansion of the federal death penalty;
according to the New York Times, first lady Hillary Clinton lobbied fellow
Democrats for that provision. Bill Clinton also signed a 1996 law restricting
state prisoners' ability to appeal their convictions and sentences in federal
court."
Long shot Republican holdout Mike Huckabee actually comes off a bit better than Clinton regarding the drug war: "One note of dissent came from Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, who opposes three-strikes sentencing laws saying they have "created a system that is overrun with people, and the cost is choking us."
