Marathon Pundit: Could it be that Obama has always opposed capital punishment?

In his 1996 run for the Illinois Senate, Barack Obama said he opposed capital punishment. Eight years later, while running for the US Senate, he supported it, which is position he maintained during his successful presidential campaign.

But could it be that Obama has opposed the death penalty all along?

The Chicago Sun-Times has an interesting account of Pat Quinn's visit to the White House earlier this week:

President Obama has appeared to tip his hand on Illinois’ bill to end the death penalty, which Gov. Quinn is expected to act upon within the week.

During an encounter with Quinn at the White House last week, the president praised the governor on the legislation and on Illinois' legalization of civil unions, said state Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago), a lead legislative backer of the abolition bill and Obama’s successor in the Illinois Senate.

"The governor said Barack had complimented him and the state on our work on civil unions and the death penalty," Raoul said Friday, recounting a conversation with Quinn following his return last week from a Washington, D.C. trip to attend National Governors Association meetings.

Quinn, who won a narrow reelection victory last fall, told voters he supported the death penalty. State House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) claims Quinn traded votes for his massive income tax hike with Democratic legislators who favor abolishment of capital punishment in Illinois.

As for the income tax hike, Quinn campaigned on an income tax hike half the amount he signed into law in January.

Man, do we know how to pick the Pinocchios in Illinois...

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