EDITORIAL: Abbott showed logic on prison law change

It's hard to imagine anyone objecting to a federal effort to reduce rape in prisons and jails. The problem is real, and it's finally getting the attention it deserves. Prisoners are supposed to be rehabilitated when they're behind bars, not subject to more violence that makes it even harder for them to get on the right path when released.

But when former Gov. Rick Perry was eyeing his second presidential run for this year, he wanted to emphasize his opposition to anything connected with Washington, D.C., or President Obama - even though the Prison Rape Elimination Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003. So Perry declared it was "impossible" to comply with the law's demands, even though that also meant turning down $800,000 in federal grants designed to cover any increased costs.