re: "I was a bit taken aback ...[with the]... applause when Brian Williams pointed out that Rick Perry has executed 234 people."
In this day and age, when liberal politicians and journalists have done their best to turn criminals into objects of sympathy, finding a politician who has the courage to say that he has NO problem dealing with murderers in the harshest possible way is a rare event. I'm not at all surprised by the crowd's reaction - but I was still delighted to hear it.
Too many politicians are afraid to say what they really believe. Mitt Romney is a good example of that, when he tried to say that he's for the tea party "if what they believe is that government spending must be reined in." No, Mitt. The Tea Party is a lot more than that, and you do not support it.
Rick Perry isn't pulling that kind of B.S. He knows his stance on capital punishment is controversial and isn't willing to sugar coat it just to avoid offending those of you who cottle criminals. I say good for him. While he won't get my vote, my estimation of him DOES improve because of that.

Gold is $1,581/oz today. When it hits $2,000, it will be up 26.5%. Let's see how long that takes. - De 3/11/2013 - ANSWER: 7 Years, 5 Months