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JUNE 22, 02:11 EDT Bush Stays Firm on Graham Execution By LAURIE KELLMAN
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After days of being heckled by death penalty opponents, Gov. George W. Bush was retreating to the quiet of his Capitol office to await a state board's decision on whether convicted murderer Gary Graham should die by lethal injection Thursday. He refused to bow to protests that followed him throughout a three-day tour of the West Coast, and shrugged off any consequences the execution could pose to his bid for the White House. ``I'm going to uphold he law of the land. And if it costs me politically, it costs me politically,'' the Republican presidential contender told reporters Wednesday in California. Bush also repeated his belief that none of the 134 Texas prisoners put to death during his 5 1/2 years as governor were executed in error. But Vice President Al Gore, Bush's likely Democratic opponent, entered the debate for the first time during the campaign Wednesday, suggesting Bush wasn't being entirely straightforward. ``If you are honest about the debate you have got to acknowledge there are always going to be some small number of errors,'' Gore, a death penalty supporter, said en route to Minnesota aboard Air Force Two. He added that the goal of both sides of the issue should be getting erroneous executions ``down to the virtual zero point.'' Other issues pressed Bush on his campaign swing, including the newly announced Federal Trade Commission probe into soaring gasoline prices. Bush, a former oilman whose family has strong political ties to the industry in Texas, voiced support for the investigation. But he put most of the blame on what he said was the Clinton administration's failure to convince foreign crude producers to ``open the spigots.'' ``I do think it's fair to have the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) investigate,'' Bush said Wednesday, adding that the results would be ``healthy'' for the debate about prices that have climbed above $2 per gallon in Chicago and Milwaukee. Gore said Bush had come late to the issue. ``Big oil may have gotten too big. The competitive pressures may not be what they used to be,'' Gore said The vice president quickly added he was not calling for a breakup of any oil companies. Meanwhile, a new national poll shows Bush gaining popularity among voters. An NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday showed Bush with 49 percent support and Gore with 41 percent support among registered voters. Last April, the same poll had Bush ahead, 46 percent to 41 percent. Support decreased for both candidates when Green Party candidate and consumer activist Ralph Nader and Reform Party contender Pat Buchanan entered the picture. In a four-way matchup, Bush polled at 43 percent, Gore 38 percent, Nader 7 percent and Buchanan 4 percent. The poll was based on interviews with 1,740 registered voters from June 14-16, and had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. Graham's scheduled execution Thursday shadowed Bush most. Convicted of murder largely on the testimony of one eye witness, Graham's sentence has become a rallying point for death penalty opponents who say many murder defendants don't get fair trials. Bush defended his state's legal system as ``fair and just'' on Wednesday and said he saw no need for a moratorium. He also said he understood the emotional impact the case has on the electorate. But, he said, ``The reason I support the death penalty is because I believe it saves lives.'' Because Graham already received a temporary reprieve from Bush's predecessor, the governor has no power to spare his life unless the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends a pardon, a reprieve or commutation of his sentence. The board was expected to announce its decision by noon Thursday, six hours before the scheduled execution. |