Posted on 07/01/2010 8:27:45 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
With immigration stories dominating headlines nearly every week, President Obama is delivering a speech Thursday morning that will frame the issue on his own terms -- calling for comprehensive legislation and the importance of keeping the border secure.
But he is not expected to announce any new policy during the 10:45 a.m. address to an audience of 250 religious, business, labor, and community leaders and law enforcement and elected officials at American University, administration officials said. Nor is the Justice Department going to announce its decision on a lawsuit in Arizona, where a new law makes it easier for police to detain suspected illegal immigrants.
Obama officials have been widely critical of the law since it was passed and signed by the Arizona governor this spring. But in the Virginia suburb of Prince William County, about 40 minutes from Washington, local leaders have called for passage of a similar law.
"The president's view is that there's been a lot in the news about immigration lately," deputy press secretary Bill Burton said Wednesday. "There's been the Arizona law, there's been meetings about it, there's been protests about it. He thought this was a good time to talk plainly with the American people about his views on immigration."
The president has been looking for ways to appear more proactive, rather than reactive, on immigration -- a hot-button political issue that is important to Hispanics in the Democratic base, who could play an important part in the outcome of the midterm elections.
He met with reform advocates Monday and a group of Hispanic members of Congress on Tuesday. While campaigning for the White House in 2008, Obama promised to take on an overhaul of immigration law early in his first term.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Democrats are pessimistic about actually passing any new immigration laws this year, in part because the lead Republican partner in Congress, Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), has said Congress should proceed with other issues instead.
Those who are expected to attend Thursday’s speech at American’s School of International Service in Northwest Washington include longtime civil rights leader Al Sharpton, Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris, media mogul Mort Zuckerman, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, officials said.
Oh goody...another war front....
"There's been the Arizona law, there's been meetings about it, there's been protests about it. He thought this was a good time to talk plainly with the American people about his views on immigration."ROTFL. Which way did my people go? I need to get ahead of them so I can lead them.The president has been looking for ways to appear more proactive, rather than reactive ...
Obama will stop at nothing to destroy this great country. He, his administration and the policies set fourth by this Congress must be utterly disgraced and defeated before being thrown on the ash heap of history.
I think (hope) that Obama is really not going to do anything on Amnesty prior to the election. I think (hope) this is just a ploy to rally the Hispanic vote for November as the Dems hope this will limit the losses expected.
We shouldn't punish people who are just trying to make a living!!
He’s not one of us.
He is advocating amnesty. We don't need to have mass deportation--phony strawman.
This speech is dragging terribly. Awful. He just doesn’t have it.
FUBO should give that speech somewhere in Arizona.
“he is not expected to announce any new policy during the 10:45 a.m. address”
This is the key phrase here, and it’s accurate. The speech will just be more vague, flowery bullshit flowing from the teleprompter. The usual 0bama act. He won’t EVER say anything specific.
His toadies in Congress will do his heavy lifting and come up with the amnesty bill.
Can’t watch him.
Can’t listen to him.
Will wait for summary reports.
I've always thought he's WAY overrated as a speaker. He can read a TelePrompter, but that's it. After a few minutes, He's pretty friggin' boring.
This s—of a b-—h is really making me mad! He is lying through his teeth! Time for the governors to arm the citizens and put them on the border!!
This article is co-authored by Michael Savage??? Seems awfully vanilla for anything with his name on it.
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