Am I Lying to Myself About the Death Penalty?

I am supposed to be against the death penalty.

Intellectually, I still think I’m against the death penalty. If asked, that’s probably how I’d describe myself. Practically, though, I’m just not sure that this remains true. In recent years, the gap between what I think about the death penalty and how I behave when the death penalty is at stake has grown so dramatically that I have come to wonder if I’m just lying to myself out of a desire to feel virtuous or open-minded. I don’t know if this is the result of my having kids, getting older, or moving to the South, but whatever it is, my job is to tell people honestly what I think about political issues, and what I honestly think about the death penalty in 2026 is that I am profoundly annoyed by the people who are against it.

About the Author

Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

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I am supposed to be against the death penalty.

Intellectually, I still think I’m against the death penalty. If asked, that’s probably how I’d describe myself. Practically, though, I’m just not sure that this remains true. In recent years, the gap between what I think about the death penalty and how I behave when the death penalty is at stake has grown so dramatically that I have come to wonder if I’m just lying to myself out of a desire to feel virtuous or open-minded. I don’t know if this is the result of my having kids, getting older, or moving to the South, but whatever it is, my job is to tell people honestly what I think about political issues, and what I honestly think about the death penalty in 2026 is that I am profoundly annoyed by the people who are against it.