Romney on Huckabee II

AP: During the four years Romney was in office, 100 requests for commutations and 172 requests for pardons were filed in the state. All were denied.

The language from the ad appears nowhere in the news article, which is certainly no endorsement of Romney's policies. It actually portrays the governor as unreasonably stubborn. The article focuses primarily on Romney's refusal to pardon National Guard Lt. Anthony Circosta, who had been convicted of assault at age 13 for "shooting another boy in the arm with a BB gun, a shot that didn't break the skin," according to the AP. After returning from duty in Iraq, Circosta wanted to become a police officer but needed to have his childhood charge pardoned first. Romney refused twice, despite the recommendations of the state Board of Pardons.
 
We're not passing judgment on either governors' record on clemencies, but we take issue with Romney's misleading attempt to claim this news article endorsed his actions. It didn't.

Sources
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Senate bill No. 2183, "An Act to Control the Use of Methamphetamine." 18 Aug. 2005.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Chapter 94C: Section 32A. Class B controlled substances. Accessed 18 Dec. 2007.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Arkansas state fact sheet 2007. Updated June 2007.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Massachusetts state fact sheet 2007. Updated June 2007.