[ArtyFO]

I think that with 20 million Mexicans who have recently come to this country illegally who hide in the shadows there is a lot we don’t know about the diseases that they are bringing into this country. In the old days they would go through Ellis Island for a medical exam before being admitted. Today they don’t bother to see any officials on their way to LA or wherever. When they get sick enough they end up on the dole of some unsuspecting county hospital.

[Mr. Know It All]

I think that with 20 million Mexicans who have recently come to this country illegally who hide in the shadows there is a lot we donÂ’t know about the diseases that they are bringing into this country.

That's an excellent point, and I think it's the point that Dobbs was trying to make. This point is, however, entirely speculative. With the "7000 cases in the last three years" statistic, I think he (and his guest) were trying to substantiate this claim, and they failed — badly. Dobbs then made things worse by getting all huffy about it.

It's too bad, because good data supporting the epidemiological cost of illegal immigration would have furthered the national debate. Instead, Dobbs militantly defended bad data and made the story about what an arrogant jerk he was being. I generally like Lou Dobbs, but I think he was his own worst enemy here.