Obama Seeks to Block Texas Execution

As Texas Governor Rick Perry gears up for a presidential run, he already has his first showdown with President Obama: The White House has asked the Supreme Court to intervene to block the state of Texas from executing Thursday a Mexican citizen who, contra the Vienna Convention, was denied consular access at the time of his arrest in 1994 for rape and murder. Former President George W. Bush also opposed the execution of Humberto Leal Garcia, but then, as The New York Times notes, he too has been at political odds recently with Perry. Congress, meanwhile, is trying to pass a bill that would block the executions of all foreign nationals who were denied proper access to diplomatic representation.