Chicago Tribune Columnist Eric Zorn says that Illinois Governor George Ryan's sincerity is hard to doubt if you do the math.

Any political strategist who suggests that Ryan could reverse his fortunes by crusading against the death penalty will be fired for incompetence. Even supposing that Ryan doesn't care one way or the other about the death penalty, it looks like the absolutely wrong issue on which to launch a comeback, persuade the law to go easy on him and get reporters to stop writing so much about his sleazy past.

Zorn notes Ryan's popularity has dwindled, articles about his alleged misdeeds and the indictments of those in his Administration have multiplied, most people support the death penalty making it an unpopular issue to begin with, even support for Ryan's moratorium has declined. So what gives? What's really motivating Ryan?

That Ryan stayed the course anyway suggests three possibilities. One, he is insane. Two, he has a political and legal death wish. Or three, he really is profoundly, morally troubled at the idea of giving the power to kill to an arbitrary, error-prone system presided over by officials who can't admit when they're wrong and are stubbornly resistant to reform.

Never mind what he says or what his supporters and detractors say. Never mind the promise of international plaudits, the slough of troubles he will wade into when he leaves office Monday or the cohort of chortling cronies he will leave behind in their soft new state jobs.

To see George Ryan's heart on the death penalty, look at the numbers.

We're behind door number three.