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Illinois governor leaves a legacy
By Bill Schneider
(CNN) -- A week ago, George Ryan was about to leave the governor's office of Illinois with a tarnished legacy. He was embroiled in scandal, repudiated by his party and so unpopular he chose not to run for a second term. Last weekend, Ryan created a different kind of legacy for himself with one decisive act -- and a political Play of the Week. It was a dramatic and breathtaking decision. Ryan said to the public, "Today, two days before my term ends, I stand before you to express my deep frustrations with the system and the penalty of death." With that, Ryan commuted the sentences of 167 death row inmates in Illinois to life imprisonment. The reaction in Illinois was one of anger and disbelief from prosecutors, from families of the crime victims and from Ryan's successor. Outside the United States, however, Ryan's decision was met with acclaim. The president of Mexico -- who once canceled a meeting with President Bush because of the execution of a Mexican citizen -- called Ryan personally. President Vicente Fox said "We commented on the important step Gov. Ryan took, and that it included three Mexicans, who luckily have been saved from the death penalty." Activists abroad are treating Ryan as a hero. They say it shows that American democracy works. Actually, it doesn't. Ryan could do this only because he was not answerable to the people. His political career is over. He acted out of conscience. Ryan said, "Our capital system is haunted by the demon of error. Error in determining guilt; error in determining who among the guilty deserves to die." The decision is likely to have political impact. A recent poll shows U.S. citizens are divided right down the middle over whether Ryan did the right thing. Ryan's decision will be fiercely debated and long remembered. That's a legacy. It's also the political Play of the Week. Why does America still have the death penalty when most other countries have abolished it? Because popular opinion supports the death penalty, and U.S. democracy is highly sensitive to public opinion. How do you change public opinion? With a debate. Exactly the kind of debate Ryan's act has provoked.
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