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The Catholic view on the death penalty has been a bit over-simplified on this thread--more consistent with what tends to be presented by a substantial portion of the U.S. Bishops than what Rome actually puts forth.

The Universal Catechism, in its definitive revised edition, has this to say (parg. 2267)
"Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm--without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself--the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are 'very rare, if not practically non-existent'[citation of Papal document".

While the Church offers guidelines regarding the application of capital punishment, the punishment is not forbidden. Viewed from the grand scheme of human history, executions in the U.S. presently are "very rare, if practically non-existent." Compare our rate of execution to that of China, or Saudi Arabia--and remember this document is aimed world-wide.

I'm still not entirely certain I follow your question. If you mean in what regard do I think Catholicism should play a role in analyzing the judgment or character of political figures, then I think that's twofold.

The Catholic Church's tenets and values are hardly a mystery. If one is a practicing, faithful Catholic then it's safe to conclude that one's principles are mostly, if not entirely, consistent with those proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church. Even if one is a nominal Catholic or a lapsed Catholic, then barring contrary information, it's safe to assume that one's upbringing was shaped by those same principles.

But as a matter of practical course, it doesn't seem to have much bearing at all anymore. The modern Catholic Church is (a) pro-life on both abortion and execution; (b) pro-life on war - i.e., anti-war; (c) traditionalist with regard to family and sexuality; (d) quasi-monarchist with regard to government - i.e., ambivalent with regard to populist movements; (e) socialist with regard to economic affairs.

So, how many people do you know adhere to that entire spectrum of issues? Not many I'd bet. In its totality, the Catholic Church cuts across contemporary liberal/conservative lines and the ideology of its congregation tends to be much more defined by political views than religious teachings.

So, in short, I would say that it's not especially useful except in the most broad sense of identifying the religious influences that shaped one's beleifs, although whether in a proactive way or a reactive way depends on the individual, on the given issue, and on his social context.