Thursday, February 7, 2008

Questions For McCain At CPAC

Mark Krikorian suggests some very pointed questions for John McCain at the CPAC:
  • Your Hispanic Outreach Director, Juan Hernandez, held a cabinet post in the government of former Mexican President Fox. Apart from Hernandez's outrageous anti-sovereignty views — for instance, his insistence that Mexican Americans should forever think "Mexico First" — how can you justify using a former foreign government official as the representative of your campaign to a group of American citizens?
  • You have refused to answer whether you would sign your own immigration bill if it were to reach your desk as president, saying that it's not going to happen. But what about a bill that could reach your desk, HR 4088, Heath Shuler's SAVE Act? It is focused exclusively on enforcement — in other words, no "path to citizenship" — and has more than 140 bipartisan co-sponsors. The Senate counterpart of the Shuler bill also has bipartisan support. If it comes up for a vote this year, will you vote for it? And if it reaches your desk next year, will you sign it?
  • Your colleague, Sen. Jeff Sessions, has put together a 15-point action plan on immigration, which Gov. Huckabee has endorsed. At the Heritage Foundation recently, Sen. Sessions said he hoped his plan would offer you an opportunity to clarify your immigration positions. Will you commit to Sen. Sessions action plan to enforce our immigration laws? And if not, why not?
  • There's been some skepticism about the sincerity of your assertion that you've "learned your lesson" on immigration with the collapse of your amnesty bill last summer. Will you reassure us by pledging that, at least during your first term, you will focus exclusively on enforcement and oppose or veto any legalization bill from Congress, leaving you free to make the case for legalization to voters in your 2012 reelection campaign?
If McCain wants to reassure the Republican party that he truly has the best interests of conservatives at heart, he would do well to start with answers to those questions.  I bet you he'll avoid every single one of these.

There's my two cents.


No comments: