We clearly as Retardo-Americanos care more for pets than for people. I remember when a candidate had to prove his nanny wasn't an illegal slave. No one cares about that now. Now he has to prove he worships Dog.

Somehow it all fits with the whole Republican "let them eat cake" attitude, but even these stories are beyond belief. Do these people really have no compassion at all for other living beings?

May they all be reincarnated as dogs belonging to Republicans.

... Huckabee's son, David Huckabee, lost his job as a Boy Scout camp counselor in 1998, when he was 17, for killing a stray dog by hanging it from a tree.

Actually he killed the dog by hanging it from a tree, stoning it, and then slitting its throat. In short, he tortured it to death, let's not minimize it.

Normally, I wouldn't make much of this beyond the fact that it shows that the kid is a sick, twisted, nutjob uninterested in the suffering of what he considers to be a lower creature, in need of serious help and not really fit to be out in public until he gets it. But the part where Daddy's friends made sure he suffered no consequences changes that. Sound familiar?

I don't want this Fortunate Son to run for President. And I think the fact that all he got was fired should be hung around Dad's neck. I know that a father will go to extraordinary lengths to protect a kid, I've got kids of my own, but he also has a responsibility to protect the rest of us from his offspring, as well.

David Huckabee's psychological issues have little bearing on Mike Huckabee's qualifications to be president, even if hanging dogs is clearly indicative of a troubled individual.

Giuliani's wife was not running for office last time I checked. Stapling dogs and euthanizing them isn't very compassionate, but then this behavior is nothing surprising from the former secret lover of a guy who exploited the tragedy of September 11th for his own self-promotion.

The tale of Romney's dog is really reaching. I was expecting to read that he threw the dog from the car, left it behind, or beat it to death.

This entire post mostly smacks of attempted guilt by association, and is only going to make Salon look silly for such sensationalized "reporting."

Nothing to see here, move along...

I would surmise that most hunters are Republicans and that cruelty to animals is something not well understood by these folks.

but the one that both concerns me is the one about Huckabee's son. Something is really off with that kid. What sort of father produces a child who would do something like that?

Mitt Romney seems to have serious problems as a control freak. Not only did he probably terrify the dog, but in order to keep to his schedule, he didn't let his poor children go to the bathroom. (I remember well trying to hold it when my parents took us on vacation. Misery.)

Too long we have accepted unnecessarily cruel experimentation on animals, but remember Judith "Don't call me Judy" Giuliani wasn't experimenting. She was selling. For her sales demonstrations, those poor dogs died. Besides, has anyone noticed that she looks like the Bride of Frankenstein?

Behavioral scientists say that serial killers almost always have two of three of these traits: tortured animals in youth, suffered head trauma and/or were sexually abused.

Just sayin'.

Not only do you not seem to understand that people's behavior reveals their characters, but you misuse the popular culture phrase of "nothing to see here, move along."

I say there is plenty to see here in the cruelty of Huckabee's son. We may not be able to see clearly what went on in that Christian family, but we sure as hell are seeing something. Do you think kids like that are produced in a vacuum?

Each one of these stories gives a clue to these candidates behavior towards other human beings and not just toward animals.

1) Strapping your dog in a carrier on the roof of your car--especially for a LONG drive--is about the stupidest thing I can think of to do, if you give even a minor damn about your family pet. What if the straps fail? A crate big enough to hold an Irish Setter (which I understand is what the dog was) is DANGEROUS. The straps fail, not only does the dog end up dead, you probably will take out a motorist or two as well. Living creatures belong inside the car--strap your STUFF on top of the car.

2) The way Huckabee's son behaves IS a reflection on Huckabee, no matter what. Maybe that's not fair, but there it is. What the kid did was cruel (and he WAS a kid, was he not?). Where did he pick up such cruelty? Hmmm... skinny mangy dog. Take it to a vet where it might be euthanized humanely? Nope, let's hang it and torture it, yippee!

3) Most of the hunters I've known are not cruel people. They do like to hunt, but it's a matter of pride that the animal doesn't suffer.

The surgical staples story COULD be passable but I'm smart enough to know that dogs rounded up for these types of experiments are either somebody's lost pet or they are raised in terrible warehouse situations and lead miserable, short lives. If you anesthesize a stray dog and then humanely euthanize it afterwards, that, on paper, isn't so bad, but there's bad stuff happening before and after that gives me pause. Some medical testing probably has to be done on animals, but I don't have to buy floor wax and mascara that tests on same.

The Romney story is old news. My parents had to come a long way via education and my own admonishments and they look at animals differently now. I'm sure the Romneys meant no harm but it does show a real lack of common sense. At least they tried to bring their pooch with them. Kudos, I guess. Collectively we're a lot more aware of the feelings of animals today than we were in 1980.

The Huckabee story is the worst. David clearly has psychological problems and it would be easy for us all to not worry too much about a possible president's son...whoops, no I take that back. Some sons have been a world of trouble.

Huckabee should have done prison time. To the other poster who shed more light on the story, thanks.

In my opinion, a civilization is only civil insofar as it treats its lowliest members with compassion.