Where does Hillary stand on this issue?

She thought Governor Spitzer's idea for giving drivers licenses to illegals "made sense." And on the heels of the stinging capitulation on that issue a new controversy has arisen for the governor of New York. It seems that under his administration Governor Spitzer is fast-tracking the parole of criminals from prison; yes, even the violent ones:

New York parole officials are speeding up the release of hard-core criminals who spent decades behind bars - including violent murderers and cop killers.

Parole boards under Gov. Spitzer are springing jailbirds at a far higher rate than they did during Gov. George Pataki's administration, state Division of Parole figures show.

One of the lucky prisoners is convicted killer Maurice Murrell, 40, of Brooklyn.

Just two years ago, board commissioners rejected Murrell's bid, saying his criminal past shows a "propensity for extreme violence and a disrespect for human life."

But Thursday, after 23 years in prison, Murrell was released.

Another recently freed killer is Richard Winkler, who did a 26-year stretch for blowing away his father with a shotgun in North Tarrytown, Westchester County.

He was released in September, and has been living quietly in Manhattan.

Gerald Balone was freed in August after serving 30-plus years for killing three people in Buffalo with a hammer and a handgun.

And Harry Morrison, who served 27 years for giving his ailing wife a drug overdose and smothering her with a pillow in upstate Broome County, was released in July.

Parole Board spokesman Mark Johnson insisted there is no mandate for commissioners to release more inmates and "no directive to tell anybody to behave any differently."

Yet state figures show that while Pataki's parole boards released A-1 felons at a 3% to 5% rate between 2000 and 2005, in the first 10 months of this year the release rate climbed to 10%.

Asked to explain the increase, one Spitzer insider said, "The commissioners may feel freer now to exercise their discretion. The only thing we expect of our agencies and our commissioners is to follow the law."

Senate GOP leader Joe Bruno said reports of a higher inmate release rate "in the first year of the Spitzer administration are disturbing. We support longer sentences for convicted felons, especially for those who kill police officers."

I've never been a fan of this circus buffoon, and this isn't the smartest move he's made in recent months. The idea behind keeping animals that can't live in a civilized society behind bars for extended periods is so that the populace doesn't get victimized again. Evidently, Governor Spitzer and his parole commissioners are getting into the Christmas spirit early this year. Let's hope New Yorkers stay on guard against the animals released from their cages.

Publius II