David Broder thinks the Arizona immigration law is a very bad law. He goes looking for those responsible:
What has been missing from the discussion is any apparent recognition of those responsible for killing the last effort at comprehensive federal immigration reform that would have headed off the need for this kind of punitive state action.
And he finds a list of conservative opponents of immigration reform, finding “the blame for this mess rests with those who killed that bill.” But hmm. Who is missing from this tale of irresponsibility? Let’s recall what Chicago Sun Times reporter Lynn Sweet wrote in 2008:
Obama “did not absolutely stand out in any way,’’ said Margaret Sands Orchowski, the author of “Immigration and the American Dream: Battling the Political Hype and Hysteria,” and a close follower of the legislation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a McCain ally and a key player on immigration, said Obama was around for only a “handful” of meetings and helped destroy a 2007 compromise when he voted for making guest worker visa programs temporary. A permanent guest worker program was to be a trade for a legalization program to cover many illegal immigrants.
“When it came time to putting that bill together, he was more of a problem than he was a help. And when it came time to try to get the bill passed, he, in my opinion, broke the agreement we had. He was in the photo op, but he could not execute the hard part of the deal,” Graham said,” Graham said.
So will Broder add Obama to the list of culprits? Well, here’s an easy way for Obama to redeem himself: have the McCain-Kennedy bill reintroduced and fight for its passage. After all, there is a large Democratic majority now. Or does Obama want an issue, and not a bill? We’ll find out whether he’s up to his old tricks — or whether he really is interested in solving the immigration problem, which Arizona and the other states must cope with.
RE: Biden. . . I like the guy (who couldn’t? He gives great copy), but as a politician, let alone leader, the man is wrong time and time again.
Seriously, who gets to be the first person to ask him about his brilliant “Partition Iraq” proposal, which was just as awful as not supporting the Surge?
Also– all the Sunday show talking heads and guest Dems were gushing over Biden, repeatedly claiming that Obama would choose him because he’d “take the fight to McCain” and do very well in a debate matchup with McCain’s Veep.
Ummm, excuse me, but I forget– how many debates did Biden win in the fall? As a candidate he couldn’t even communicate *his own* messages successfully– how would he be any better now on a team as scatterbrained as Obama’s?
not alot of variety in Jennifer Rubins blog choices. if your right to left goes from the weekly standard to the new republic you are missing most of the current thought on these issues.
Biden? He needs an old man to shore up his credential? Too insecure with McCain? Maybe THE ONE should just leave Biden to do the townhall debate against McCain.
Hair plugs for VP? You gotta believe!
“A good debate question for Barack Obama: does he think Bill Ayers is a model citizen?”
A good debate question for your beloved maverick: is he still “proud” of G. Gordon Liddy?
http://tinyurl.com/62btzk