Romney refuses to take the rap

As horrible as the murders of Beverly and Brian Mauck are, the reason their story seems to be getting so much traction is because the guy who put the judge that released their killer on the bench is now running for president.

Mitt Romney, who appointed Judge Kathe Tuttman in 2006, was in Washington state the day the Maucks were murdered. Because Tavares had previously threatened the former governor, the campaign received a heads-up call from authorities in Massachusetts.

But those same authorizes didn't make any calls to Pierce County police, even though they had reason to believe that's where Tavares was. And they never bothered to try to extradite Tavares back to Massachusetts for violating his probation. Massachusetts, it seems, only issues extradition warrants for people who are in other New England states.

Romney's main rival for the Republican nomination, Rudy Guiliani, has been trying to capitalize on the Tavares case since the story broke.

"'The governor is going to have to explain his appointment, and the judge is going to have to explain her decision, but it's not an isolated situation," Giuliani told the Associated Press last week. "Gov. Romney did not have a good record in dealing with violent crime."

But Romney wasted little time firing back. He condemned the decision to release Tavares, called for Tuttman to resign and tried to put as much distance between himself and the judge as humanly possible - he never knew her, she wasn't a political ally, they never even had a cup of Sanka together.

Campaign officials did, however, manage to twist the Tavares case to Romney's advantage, using it as an example of why people need to consider reinstituting the death penalty in states where it's been abolished.

"This is a dangerous man who killed his own mother. He should have been held on bail, given his violent record, attacks on correction officers and a history of threats against public officials, including

Gov. Romney," Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney spokesman told the Herald. "It is because of monsters like Daniel Tavares that we need the death penalty."

That type of talk didn't make much headway with Darrel Slater, Beverly Mauck's father.

"He was the governor - he picked this judge," Slater told the Herald. "He should be answering for what happened." But he's not, and he won't. Romney has refused to apologize or accept any responsibility, despite his refusal to accept any recommendations for judicial reforms that some say may have had an effect on the Tavares case.

And, as far as presidential politics seem to go, Tavares seems to have been last week's sound bite. Romney has moved on to religion as his next big issue, and Guiliani has more than likely turned his attention to Mike Huckabee, who is now all the rage in Iowa.