But wait! Late-breaking news from the statehouse: Governor Mitt conclusively demonstrates his fundamental lack of legal knowledge, and a surprising faith in the scientific method, by naming a committee to draft "a new kind of death penalty" for Massachusetts! That's right friends, just when you thought you might never have to rally on Beacon Street for this issue again, Mitt is out to bring capital punishment to the Commonwealth the old-fashioned way, by writing a new law: ''We want a standard of proof that is incontrovertible...just as science can free the innocent, it can identify the guilty.'' Oh really? That must be news to all the defense attorneys out there struggling to stir up reasonable doubt. Even the head of this panel admitted that it may well be impossible to craft this law...stay tuned.

Coincidentally, today the Globe also reported that federal prosecutors may file federal death penalty charges against Charles Jaynes, one of the two men convicted -- and currently serving mandatory life sentences -- for the murder of a Cambridge boy, Jeffrey Curley. As you might imagine, trying a man already incarcerated for life for the same crime poses some legal issues...but nothing's too harsh for John Ashcroft! I was very surprised to see that the victim's father is opposed to capital punishment...that case is a very troubling one, but maybe some political good can come of it, if he gets invovled with opposing the new trial or Romney's new law.

UPDATE: Robert Travaglini stepped up over the weekend, and promised to fight off this proposal...hey, he's good for something!