Posted on 01/06/2008 10:28:50 AM PST by freespirited
...During the ABC News debate, John McCain denounced an ad by Mitt Romney's campaign that characterizes McCain as favoring amnesty for illegal immigrants. McCain insisted he does not support amnesty. Romney then made a surprising comment.
"I don't describe your plan as amnesty in my ad," Romney said.
Minutes later, viewers of New Hampshire's ABC affiliate saw the ad. It featured people describing McCain's plan as "amnesty" ...
Moreover, Romney is airing another ad in which an announcer [says] "McCain supported this year's amnesty bill..."
At issue is McCain's support for a bill under which illegal immigrants would pay a $5,000 fine, take English classes, and get in line behind legal immigrants to apply for citizenship. Critics said that would in effect grant amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants. Asked whether he still supports the plan, McCain replied, "Sure."
But he explain[ed] his caveats: He first wants to secure the border, send back two million illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, and wants the nation's governors to help work out a solution.
"If you have 12 million people here illegally, then obviously you have de facto amnesty," McCain said. "It is a federal responsibility. ... I will act as president."
Romney, in a 2005 interview with the Boston Globe, described McCain's plan as "very different than amnesty, where you literally say, 'OK, everybody here gets to stay.' It's saying you could work your way into becoming a legal resident of the country by working here without taking benefits and then applying and then paying a fine."
[Complicating matters], Romney called the plan "reasonable" and, like McCain, said it is not practical to round up 12 million illegal immigrants and send them back home. Romney has since said that he didn't like the details of the plan ...
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Nope.
If we keep puttin' poxes on peoples houses, they will all die of the pox. Do you want ron Paul to be the last "man" standing?
I concur.
McCain was (and remains, apparently) for amnesty. He’s lying to say otherwise.
Romney is correct, but vulnerable himself on the issue, given he did nothing (well, until 2 weeks before leaving office and running for president) on the issue himself.
A false assumption.
Fred stands tall above all on the issue (and others).
A large majority of Americans want the borders closed.
How do you allow folks to reside here as good citizens when they broke the law to begin with?
Round them all up and deport ALL illegals.
If a politician supports amnesty, don’t support, vote for or help them. Throw their sorry butts out of office.
Hell stone them in the local town square.
Yes - and he also stands in single digits.
Entirely and totally pathetic. I am ready to fight another round on the amnesty travesty, and a presidential election year strikes me as a good time to do it. But truth be told, whoever is elected President can’t do adopt or reject amnesty on his own. This has to be fought out in the congressional elections, and especially the Senate elections as well. I saw the South Carolina Weeping Pansy on TV this morning talking about his support for McCain and nearly lost my breakfast. Smug hick bastard.
1. Illegal immigrants are NOT really illegal (as he has in the past),
2. Why provide schooling for children is the right thing to do (while completly ignoring the fact that that ENCOURAGES EVEN MORE illegals coming here), and
3. Why it is right to only turn in those illegals who have committed crimes (while ignoring the fact that they are ALL COMMMITTING CRIMES BY JUST BEING HERE ILLEGALLY). Great tool in the WOT there too--just wait until they commit a second more important crime before aprehending them. (rolling eyes)
I hope that Fred calls him on all of the above--and gives Rudy all the time he needs...lol
1. Illegal immigrants are NOT really illegal (as he has in the past),
2. Why provide schooling for children is the right thing to do (while completly ignoring the fact that that ENCOURAGES EVEN MORE illegals coming here), and
3. Why it is right to only turn in those illegals who have committed crimes (while ignoring the fact that they are ALL COMMMITTING CRIMES BY JUST BEING HERE ILLEGALLY). Great tool in the WOT there too--just wait until they commit a second more important crime before aprehending them. (rolling eyes)
I hope that Fred calls him on all of the above--and gives Rudy all the time he needs...lol
Fred is toast unless you want to donate $50,000,000
Too bad the Keating-5 corruption charges didn't stick better to this dishonest man. We could have been rid of him years ago.
I am glad they will talk a length about illegal immigration tonight. McCain, Huckabee and Romney all have problems in this area and they are major problems. Fred will shine through on this issue and all the others simply because he is the real conservative. GO FRED!
Julieannie: Fred they will have to go through a process. Pay fines.
Fred: Do they get to stay here? Then it is amnesty!
Fred make Rudy look like a fool on that one!!! Fred should have first asked, "you mean like a traffic ticket"???..lol
Not one candidate last night agrees with you, not one! The only two that did or do, Hunter, and Tancredo were not one the stage last night.
Fred did say that letting them stay was amnesty, but when asked, he said the same thing (in a different way) as Huckabee of all people!
Freds answer was that they would leave by attrition when their jobs dried up. Huck said, they found their way here they will find their way back after their jobs dry up!
All said that when they commit a crime they will be sent back, but that is only 2 million out of the estimated 12 million.
None of them are sending them back, and except Paul (the kook that wants them to starve, or die from lack of medical care) they all said the same thing in different ways. Fred gets kudos for the zingers, but in substance he did not say anything different!
Where, New Hamphire? Who cares.
This whole argument is getting old. Everything short of a an active program to round up and deport illegals is amnesty in some sense — and no candidate supports that because its politically unworkable.
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