I heard the interview too and I'm a bit stumped on the problem. Rush was being Rush and was not intimidated from asking Tony some hard questions (most not all that hard from what I heard), and Tony was Tony Snow, offering his expertise and what he's learned from working in the White House. Tony did not duck the questions and I thought did a credible job putting out the Administrations explanations. I thought the whole thing was interesting and well done. I'm not sure I understand why there's a question about it all now.
No disrespect meant for Tony. I've followed him or years and hold him in high regard. I was responding to #574 re a theory that Rush was hard on Tony because Rush is somehow jealous that Tony is more successful, has a stable marriage, etc. I think it was just a manifestation of a very close relationship between these men and they were very candid and frank with each other. As to reference to "talking points", I felt Rush scored some debate points on incongruity or inconsistency of WH positions, and Tony didn't have much to come back with. Rush poked some holes, and Tony was not free to cede the point. OK?
I see it on the Rush thread. People will post I Hate Rush rants there because he did not say what they wanted to hear on issue I or P or whatever. Then he WILL say stuff and they will post some glowing gush about how "Rush gets it now" It the "For me to win, you must lose mindset".
I simply wonder how long we can survive this way. A functioning Constitutional Republic works on consensus, NOT domination. The 100%ers do NOT get to dictate to everyone their own emotional whimsy.
We have now reached the point where anyone who trys to build a working consensus is screamed at by the feverish 100%ers and their Pet talking head media types as "betraying the base, a traitor, a sell out, a RINO or CINO".
Real sick little negative feedback loop they got set up here. The Ranters email each other and the talking heads voluminously. The 2nd and 3rd rate Talking Heads are Media Stars, not people of principals. They simply read their mail to find out what to think and say on an issue. So they see the mail and start regurgitating the talking points and factoids. Since they are now being told by their media heros what they WANT to believe, the 100%ers simply tune out any fact or position that does NOT validate their emotion based position. The people who AGREE are their side, anyone else is the "other team" and now the enemy.
No way any Civil Society can function at that level of factionalism. Like it or not, Mike Moore, Howie Dean, Babs Boxer et all ARE STILL Americans citizens. I dislike them intensely, disagree with them totally but they are still MY people. For too many people not only are the Democrats "The enemy" anyone who disagrees with them on anything is NOW "the enemy too".
Really sad that is.
I am glad there is someone else who heard the Rush/Snow interview as I did. Tony was saying the same things before he joined the White House...they have to pay a fine, stay employed, learn English. I do wish the proponants would stop saying those things though. The fine is meaningless, it doesn't have to be paid for years and, by that time, the illegal will have received quite a bit more from the EITC. The continuous employment requirement is not continuous at all and who will monitor whether an illegal has been unemployed for 45 days and rush to deport them? There is no real requirement that the illegal learn English. They need only enroll in an English course, for which they will get a $500 stipend. The "pay back taxes" is equally illusory. I cringe every time I hear this list of their "hardships" recited.