McCain again says amnesty is his top priority

In New Hampshire tonight, John McCain gave a short speech in which his only criticism of his opponent was that he would raise taxes. McCain is running against the first radical leftist major party presidential candidate in American history, and all he can say against him is that he will raise taxes. Then, “because this is New Hampshire,” McCain invited questions from the floor. A woman asked him about securing the border. He rehearsed his support for comprehensive immigration reform, which he said consists of border security, a “temporary” workers program, and regularizing the status of illegal immigrants. He went on to say that “comprehensive immigration reform will be a top priority of my administration.” He did not say that he would secure the border before pursuing legalization and temporary workers program. He said that comprehensive reform—which includes amnesty—would be a top priority. Thus he was AGAIN making a lie of the pledge he had repeated through every primary state, the pledge through which he had brought his presidential candidacy back from the dead and won the nomination And since he revealed, last May, that his summer 2007 to May 2008 “secure the border first” position had been a lie, he has consistently said that amnesty will be first on his list.

He finished by saying to the woman: “I know that answer doesn’t make you completely happy, but I had to give you straight talk in that respect.”

He was thus repeating, almost word for word, what he said last May:

I believe we have to secure our borders, and I think most Americans agree with that, because it’s a matter of national security. But we must enact comprehensive immigration reform. We must make it a top agenda item if we don’t do it before, and we probably won’t, a little straight talk, as of January 2009.

And “straight talk” is what he says when he’s telling people something they don’t want to hear. During his “secure the border first” period, he did not call that straight talk. He said, “If they want a goddamn fence, I’ll build them a goddamn fence.” But as soon as he had recanted his “secure the border first” pledge and had said that comprehensive reform would be his top priority, he called that straight talk. Meaning: “What I said to you from summer 2007 until after I secured the nomination was a bald-faced lie that I said to please you. Now I’m telling you the unvarnished truth that you will not like.”

As Republican activist John Hawkins commented at the time:

I just cannot in good conscience cast a vote for a man who has told this big of a lie, for this long, about this important of an issue.

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LA writes:

At the same time, you look at McCain speaking, and he’s an American man, he’s one of us, we know him. Obama is some exotic whom we do not know.

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Paul K. writes:

McCain’s commitment to comprehensive immigration reform is understandable, when you consider that it’s earned him the support of 22 percent of Hispanic voters. He wouldn’t want to jeopardize that by pandering to the conservative base.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at November 02, 2008 07:32 PM | Send