Senator Byrd's call for Michael Vick to get the death penalty?

Liberal Democrat Robert Byrd called for the death penalty for anyone involved in dog fights. I agree that having dog fights is evil, and such people should be harshly punished, but calling for the death penalty for it makes me wonder if he, like some liberals I have known, thinks other animal lives are more valuable than human lives, or if he is reverting to his KKK past and using any excuse he can to justify killing a black man. Both maybe?