Brad Marley

I don't want it to seem like I despise the media, because I don't.

While I stay away from the shows that lean decidedly one way or another, I do like watching Anderson Cooper present his subject matter in a way that allows the viewer to draw their own conclusion.

For instance, if you watched last night's report on the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, you would conclude that Willingham's defense lawyer, David Martin, was, quite possibly, drunk.

With his cowboy hat sitting askew atop his head, Martin tiptoed around Cooper's questions regarding the idea that his ex-client might have been innocent, using words like "absurd" and "absurd" again to refute the preposterousness of such a claim. He challenged the investigative reporter from the Chicago Tribune(who was participating in the discussion) to name the names of the experts who said the arson investigation was faulty, then simply let out an "pssssh" when he was given the names of the experts who disagreed with his take on the trial.

If you're not familiar with this story, Cameron Todd Willingham was sentenced to die by lethal injection after he was found guilty of killing his children by setting his north Texas home ablaze on a December night in 1991. The trial lasted all of two days and the jury delivered a verdict in less than one hour.  (You can read the entire story here. I suggest you do.)

There was always a question of whether or not he really was guilty, but the evidence presented at the time was enough to put him on death row.

Since his death in 2004, fire forensic investigators have updated their procedures. Some of the science behind arson investigation presented at his trial has since been cast off as outdated.

That brings us to last night.

This story is back in the news because Texas Governor Richard Perry recently disbanded a Forensic Commission slated to publicly accept a report by nationally recognized fire expert Craig Beyler that questioned every single piece of evidence of the case. In an election campaign, there are some who question Perry's motives.

Martin, who was tasked with defending Willingham during his trial, was adamant during his interview that Willingham was justifiably handed the death penalty, but he acted like a fool on national television.

A fool who's too headstrong to realize he may have sent an innocent man to his death.