Death Penalty? What would Jesus do?

In response to a question from Tyler Overman on the CNN YouTube debate, Republican Candidate Mike Huckabee was confronted with his position, as a Christian, on the death penalty – an interesting question for all followers of Christ.

“You know, one of the toughest challenges that I ever faced as a governor was carrying out the death penalty. I did it more than any other governor ever had to do it in my state. As I look on this stage, I'm pretty sure that I'm the only person on this stage that's ever had to actually do it.
“Let me tell you, it was the toughest decision I ever made as a human-being. I read every page of every document of every case that ever came before me, because it was the one decision that came to my desk that, once I made it, was irrevocable.
“Every other decision, somebody else could go back and overturn, could fix if it was a mistake. That was one that was irrevocable.
“I believe there is a place for a death penalty. Some crimes are so heinous, so horrible that the only response that we, as a civilized nation, have for a most uncivil action is not only to try to deter that person from ever committing that crime again, but also as a warning to others that some crimes truly are beyond any other capacity for us to fix.
(Applause)
“Now, having said that, there are those who say, "How can you be pro-life and believe in the death penalty?"
“Because there's a real difference between the process of adjudication, where a person is deemed guilty after a thorough judicial process and is put to death by all of us, as citizens, under a law, as opposed to an individual making a decision to terminate a life that has never been deemed guilty because the life never was given a chance to even exist.”

But when faced with the question again, Huckabee’s response needs no further commentary, What would Jesus do? Would Jesus support the death penalty?
Huckabee’s response? Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office. That's what Jesus would do.

Amen!