Posted on 05/31/2007 6:58:57 AM PDT by truthkeeper
McClatchy Exclusive: Bush Accuses Conservative Critics of Fear-Mongering on Immigration
Firing back at conservative critics, President Bush defended his plan to overhaul immigration laws Tuesday and accused its opponents of "trying to rile up people’s emotions" with misinformation.
In an exclusive interview with McClatchy Newspapers, Bush expressed his determination to fight for changes that would let millions of illegal immigrants gain legal status. He cast the debate as a struggle over America’s soul and its reputation as a welcoming nation.
"I’m deeply concerned about America losing its soul. Immigration has been the lifeblood of a lot of our country’s history," the president said during an interview on Air Force One. "I am worried that a backlash to newcomers would cause our country to lose its great capacity to assimilate newcomers."
Bush underscored his commitment to the proposed overhaul — despite harsh criticism from some conservatives — as he traveled to Georgia for a speech that blasted the legislation’s critics.
"I’m sure you’ve heard some of the talk out there about people defining the bill. It’s clear they hadn’t read the bill. They’re speculating about what the bill says, and they’re trying to rile up people’s emotions," he told an audience at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, near Brunswick. "If you want to kill the bill, if you don’t want to do what’s right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it, you can use it to frighten people. Or you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all."
Bush acknowledged that the proposed overhaul faces a difficult time in Congress, where it’s under attack from both ends of the political spectrum.
(Excerpt) Read more at sanluisobispo.com ...
Just try going and staying in Mexico illegally. You would get sent packing real quick or get a few wonderful days in their jails.
I would have guffawed in her snotty face, and told her, "Then prison will eventually control your brat!"
Back to the point of this topic, I'm a little bothered that I haven't seen much in the way of protest against congresscritters returning to their districts for the Memorial Day break. I would have expected at least someone to have taken a potshot by now...
Well, that’s probably not the woest of it. Our competitors think nothing of hiring them, putting legitimate contractors out of business. we have been unable ot compete with them, but were always legal, believing we didn’t have time to go to jail.
One day the chickens will come home to roost. We are in the business of building bridges, and other structual infrastructure. I’m here to tell you, your infrastructure is crumbling. Bridges used to be designed and built by competent well paid labor to last a hundred years-—Now-—How does twenty years strike you? welcome to the third world!!!
Don’t do it -
I was a registered Libertarian, then figured out that I had no influence in the Repub primaries.
MR. Bush says us critics are only looking at a “Narrow Slice” of the bill. Here is a “NARROW SLICE OF IT” that I want Bush to explain before he gets an ounce of support from me on this, and that’s the 24-Hour Background check. Does he really think a low-grade government clerk is going to be able to do a thorough background search of someone in 24 hours? Of someone who has made a practice out of hiding their identity for as long as they have been in this country?
For crying out loud, If I want to purchase a hand gun in my state I have to wait 3-days for a background check, and I am a law abiding, tax paying, flag waving Veteran, with roots in this country going back to the early 1700’s
I think its time to drug test all government employees starting with the President and Senate.....could some foreign agents have put something in the water in DC to kill common sense? I find no other plausible explanation.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/525923/posts
We will continue to fight, and hopefully give the President the tools to say..."I tried," to the powers that are potentially making him say these things and to finish his sentence with, "but I must listen to the will of the people."
He is every bit as good at pissing off his base as his father was. It will only drive the party apart and he could care less. I agree with Bush on the War on Terror, but he couldn’t be anymore wrong on this. I even voted for him and his dad twice.
“Bush expressed his determination to fight for changes that would let millions of illegal immigrants gain legal status. He cast the debate as a struggle over America’s soul and its reputation as a welcoming nation.”
These are NOT the words of a “conservative.” These are the words of a Wilsonian Liberal.
Right now, we just lack the will.
In the face of 911 and the continuing radical Islamic threat, and in the face of the contiunued military buildup of Red China, such a course of action should be a national imperative.
Part of that imperative should be absolutely securing our borders and evicting the illegals already here.
We are stronger as a nation and a people then those who say that such a thing will somehow "ruin" us...or that we are incapable of doing so. That's rubbish, and they know it.
We must incent the vast majority of the illegal workers to deport themselves by ending the social give away to illegals and by telling them that they have 90 days to do so, and if they do and pass a background check, we will view their legal application favorably. But that after 90 days, anyone we catch (and then go about catching them) will be deported after three months of hard labor and will be ID'ed biometrically and will never be considered for entrance into this country. if we catch them again, it's 10 years hard labor. All the while we are doing this we can and should be building the secure, monitored, double fence, using our nbational guard to patrol the same as training for the ongoing WOT.
Clearly, we could do all of this. But the fact is that there is an agenda supported by many politicians and others to create an American Union and pattern it after the European one that is such a debacle. We lose our heritage and our soveriegnty if we go down that road and there are tens of millions who will not countenance it under any circumstances. I am one of those.
I voted for his dad once, and regret what we received as a result (Clinton). But after he lied about raising my taxes, enough was enough.
Like you, I’m getting more disappointed with his second term with each passing day.
He's either extremely stupid or extremely deceptive, and I don't think he could possibly be so stupid to not know the difference between legal and illegal immigration.
This is liberal 'weasel-words' being spoken by a (theoretically) conservative President.
This is actually, a better (though more baseless) deception than even slick willie is able to pull off.
He's a liar and a cheat, our President is.
Good for you. I stopped giving to them a few years ago when I first heard Bush's stance on this issue. I was such a Bush supporter and loyal to him, especially on the WOT. Now, I'm heavily disappointed in him with this issue. It's a contradiction and obviously a sell out.
FR Exclusive: Conservatives Accuse bush of being a dumb-ass
“GWB has jumped the shark. He can now kiss my conservative butt”
Ditto!!
““I’m deeply concerned about America losing its soul.””
You, Mr. Bush, have lost your mind!!
“Unfortunately many of us are currently living the nightmare of seeing what this unchecked influx has done to our lives. I will soon be retiring and leaving California”
I left last year after 30 years.
“This group of immigrants are the rudest people I have ever met.”
Some are outright mean spirited.
“
We shred Bill Clinton for shirking his duty to take on Terrorists and take them seriously among his many other shortcomings, lies etc.
The failure of GWB to close the borders of this country on 9/12/01 is a worse offense to me than all of Clinton’s combined.
If a man crawls through your open window and hurts your family. Do you not close and lock your window in the future?
“Mexico is a failed state, for what else can you call a nation that, for example, encourages the departure of tens of millions of its often hard-working (albeit uneducated) citizens while harboring tens of thousands of ultra-violent drug criminals who influence national and local policy makers? Unfortunately, a nation reflects the character of its people, and millions of Mexican failed-staters have made (and are making) their way into every nook and cranny of the United States. Anyone who thinks that this is a good thing does not have the vital interests of the United States uppermost in his heart and mind.”
You NAILED it!
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