I don’t know how we’re supposed to parse Senator Sam Brownback’s incoherent position on the death penalty (Hotline subscription required):

On the death penalty, Brownback called it “something that I’ve changed on in my career in public life” and now believes that it should be used only when “society can no longer protect itself from the perpetrator” such as, for example, the case of Osama bin Laden. Brownback: “It is tough for us to teach a culture of life and still use this tool of death.” However, he added that this is not a policy point which he plans to push “aggressively” (Hotline reporting, 4/25).

What does it mean to use the death penalty only when “society can no longer protect itself from the perpetrator”? By definition, we can only execute perpetrators who we’ve already caught, which means that we’re protected if they’re given a life sentence.