Vice President Dick Cheney has rejected Pope John Paul II's request that Timothy McVeigh's life be spared by President Bush. Legal scholars say it appears the president has no way to intervene in the execution even if he were inclined to. Bush supports capital punishment. A spokeswoman Claire Buchan said, "The president has great respect for the pope and this is a tragic situation. The president also has deep compassion and sympathy for the 168 victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and their families." Cheney went further on Sunday. "I think if there was ever a man who deserves to be executed it's probably Timothy McVeigh,'' he said on Fox News Sunday. McVeigh allowed a Feb. 16 deadline to pass without filing a request for clemency.
Bush: No McVeigh Clemency
Vice President Dick Cheney has rejected Pope John Paul II's request that Timothy McVeigh's life be spared by President Bush. Legal scholars say it appears the president has no way to intervene in the execution even if he were inclined to. Bush supports capital punishment. A spokeswoman Claire Buchan said, "The president has great respect for the pope and this is a tragic situation. The president also has deep compassion and sympathy for the 168 victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and their families." Cheney went further on Sunday. "I think if there was ever a man who deserves to be executed it's probably Timothy McVeigh,'' he said on Fox News Sunday. McVeigh allowed a Feb. 16 deadline to pass without filing a request for clemency.
