GEORGE W. BUSH: OPPORTUNITY MISSED FOR COMPASSION

Karla Faye Tucker, a prostitute and drug user, committed a horrific crime
while under the influence of drugs. In 1983, Karla Faye and a boyfriend
repeatedly swung a pickax into Jerry Dean and Deborah Thornton until their
bodies were lifeless and mutilated almost beyond recognition.

The Karla Faye that America saw had no pickax in her hand. Inside prison,
she became drug free, and free of her addiction, she possessed an angelic
smile. It was that radiant smile that captivated America and the world,
causing disparate personalities such as Pat Robertson, the founder of The
700 Club, and Pope John Paul II to beg the state of Texas, and its
governor, George W. Bush, to spare her life.

Before deciding her fate, Bush professed to have sought "guidance through
prayer," and the answer that he received from the Almighty was simple: do
not lift a finger, or a pen, to spare the life of Karla Faye Tucker for her
misdeeds committed under the influence of drugs.

The God that answered George W. Bush was an avenging angel, not a God of
mercy. It was a lost opportunity for the Texas governor to breathe life
into "compassionate conservatism" and to teach our children about the
dangers of drugs. Life choices at an early age had real-life consequences
for Karla Faye and her victims and could not be erased.

Karla Faye claimed to have learned about drugs and prostitution from her
mother. It was her mother who introduced her to the street life in order to
buy drugs.

After her conviction and incarceration, Karla Faye claims to have found God
and asked that her life be spared so she could live in prison spreading the
Christian message of love to other female inmates. Tucker did not claim
innocence. She did not ask for freedom. She only asked for life - inside
prison - atoning for her sins by preaching the message of a God of love.
Gov. Bush would not hear of it. The only appropriate penalty for the
drug-crazed pickax double murderer was death, and on Feb. 3, 1998, George
W. Bush allowed the execution of Karla Faye Tucker to proceed.

It took an agonizing eight minutes for Karla Faye to die by lethal
injection, but even in the face of imminent death, she managed to smile and
ask for forgiveness.

Karla Faye's transformation from pickax drug murderer to articulate
proselytizer of Christian love had the potential for teaching an entire
generation of children about the downside of drugs. Karla Faye's conversion
brought calls for clemency from the siblings of the man and woman she
murdered.

Single-handedly, from inside a prison cell, she persuaded others to join in
her call for mercy including Amnesty International and even the United
Nations. Despite such an impressive array of support, Bush saw no value in
sparing Karla Faye's life.

George W. Bush professes to have firsthand knowledge about alcohol abuse
and its negative effects on life. What was there about his own life
experiences that caused him to conclude that the world was better off with
Karla Faye Tucker dead than living a life inside of prison proselytizing
about Christian love?

As the Texas governor campaigns for president as a "compassionate
conservative," the governor's handling of Karla Faye Tucker ought to be a
relevant area of inquiry. Few people get to hold the power of life and
death over others. The president of the United States is one of the few.
The president is a world player in determining the rules under which all
people of the world lead their lives.

The Karla Faye execution gives Americans an insight into the Texas
governor. George W. Bush had the power of life or death of Karla Faye in
his hands. He chose death. His decision needs to be explained as it relates
to drug policy and "compassionate conservatism."

Richard J. Orloski is an attorney and author in Allentown, Pa. Although not
associated with any presidential campaign, he has been active in local
Democratic Party politics.