I have mixed feelings about the attacks on Huckabee over pardons. If it’s true, as has been reported, that convicts saw him as an easy mark, or that he was unsympathetic to victims’ families, that’s pretty bad. But I can’t say I like to see Romney bragging about how rarely he used the pardon power. Using it sparingly will save you from negative headlines if something goes wrong. But it exists for a reason.