Posted on 06/02/2007 4:36:45 PM PDT by Heman11
Immigration talk follows McCain to Iowa By HENRY C. JACKSON, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 32 minutes ago
LE MARS, Iowa - Republican presidential candidate John McCain (news, bio, voting record) has a message for critics of the immigration compromise he helped devise.
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"I respect your disagreement, but what's your proposal?" McCain said Saturday.
"If people who are running for president of the United States don't agree with this proposal, what's your proposal? ... The status quo is not acceptable," he told reporters.
McCain's comments came after a town hall event at a golf course in Le Mars, in northwest Iowa. Speaking to about 150 people, McCain dealt with questions about Iraq, government spending, health care and immigration.
The Arizona senator went back and forth with one man who said he did not think the immigration proposal was tough enough and that the government was not enforcing current laws.
"The old rules are not workable and enforceable," McCain said. "We've certainly proved that over the last 20 years."
Congress "failed you," McCain said. "We passed a law in 1986 that said we'd give amnesty to some people and now we have 12 million more" illegal immigrants.
McCain later headed to the Blue Bunny ice cream shop — a signature of Le Mars, which proudly calls itself the ice cream capital of the world.
It was where one of his GOP rivals, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, stopped this past week. Both Romney and McCain ordered chocolate shakes during their visit. McCain's had whipped cream and a cherry on top; Romney's did not.
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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Iraq was the dominant issue for Democratic presidential candidates at the state party's convention Saturday.
Ahead of their nationally televised debate Sunday night from New Hampshire, Sens. Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, Rep. Dennis Kucinich and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson each told delegates he had the diplomatic solution to the war.
"The only way which you can have a prospect of ending a self-sustaining cycle of sectarian violence is to separate the combatants and give them a political way forward," said Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Added Dodd, "Instead of talking about a surge in military power, how about a surge in diplomacy?"
Kucinich, whose campaign signs feature a peace sign, said, "Peace is inevitable if we have a president who is willing."
Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador, spoke of an ambitious to-do list as president. "First. Day one — announce that America is going to get out of Iraq," he said. "How do we do that? With diplomacy."
Kucinich won hearty applause when he took a swipe at the vice president.
"It is time to impeach Vice President Cheney," he shouted as the crowd whistled, cheered, clapped and got to its feet. Kucinich has introduced articles of impeachment against Cheney over the Iraq war.
"That's why I'm going to carry New Hampshire," Kucinich said later to reporters. "The response you see today is the response I'm getting all over the country. I'm just waiting to be discovered by you."
The three leading Democratic candidates — Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) and former Sen. John Edwards — did not attend the convention.
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said he doesn't regret not reading a critical intelligence report before voting to authorize the war in Iraq.
"I think I had the information that was available at the time," the former North Carolina senator told The Associated Press at a campaign stop in Las Vegas. "I wish I'd voted against the war."
Edwards' campaign said Friday that he misspoke when he initially said he had read the National Intelligence Estimate before the vote. He said Saturday he was well briefed by senior administration officials and read the summary of the NIE.
"I got my intelligence information from many sources," he said. "The intelligence we got was wrong."
The 2002 report concluded Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear program, but it has since been found to contain many errors. One of Edwards' rivals, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, also has said she did not read the report before voting to authorize the war.
Edwards, who renounced his vote earlier in his campaign, made the comments following a stop at the Culinary Workers Union headquarters.
The union represents 60,000 hotel and casino service workers, most of whom are in contract negotiations. The union's support is considered key to winning Nevada's Democratic caucus in January.
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Which is exactly why we don't trust the "new" rules, idiot.
McCain is toast... he should quit now.
That’s far too simple especially since current law calls for that. We can’t be enforcing laws or anything don’t ya know.
Here is my proposal John! 1. close the damn borders (build a double fence)Who were the brain-damaged people in the group he was talking to who couldn't come up with this simple and obvious response to Senator McStupid's stupid stupid lame question?
He’d just say “It’s not that simple you inbred nativist bigot”.
The government has never tried to enforce the old rules, because of pressure from left-wing immigration activists and businesses that enjoy the low wages/no benefits cost advantage of employing illegals.
The prospect that the politicians plan to force legalization down the country's throat eventually resulting in tens of millions of new pro-socialist voters, giving power to the 'Rats for generations, may finally be waking people up enough to insist on real border security and going after at least some employers.
6. Stop allowing anchor babies to be citizens. 7.Empty the prison’s of illegals and ship them out of here. 8. Round them all up and tatoo a big red “I” on their foreheads so everybody knows who they are.
Congress “failed you,” McCain said. “We passed a law in 1986 that said we’d give amnesty to some people and now we have 12 million more” illegal immigrants.
“Congress” John, was you, you have been a House member or Senator since the early 80’s you were there, you voted on that bill, and now you are trying to distance yourself by saying “Congress has failed you”
Really, weren’t you in Congress all this time? Does that mean that you have failed us and now are unwilling to deal with product of your indifference?
Why waste my time in responding. You said it all.
“The old rules are not workable and enforceable,” McCain said. “We’ve certainly proved that over the last 20 years.”
Yeah, “you” sure did.
Arrogant, arrogant.
Yes, we have proven that border enforcement isn’t a priority with those that fund and back many winning political candidates over the last 20 years.
Ha,ha,now this is the part where someone steps in with their eyes as big as silver dollars and a smartass smirk on their face and says “BUT THERE”S NO WAY WE COULD EVER ROUND UP AND DEPORT 12 MILLION PEOPLE” to which I reply bullshit !!!
Well, McStain is irrelevant in this election and irrelevant on this issue, since you knew which way he was going to vote going into it.
Kucinich, whose campaign signs feature a peace sign, said, "Peace is inevitable if we have a president who is willing."
These idiotic statements from leftists are as revealing as they are obtuse. Just what does Dodd believe a "surge in diplomacy" would accomplish? What interest does Iran have in ceasing its activities in Iraq based on our say-so? Or does Dodd believe that he, as an enlightened leftist who is glib, charming and smart could somehow change our enemies minds' by the power of his charisma?
And what is Kucinich saying? How will we have peace? By surrendering? How do we gain peace with al-Qaeda?
Sounds goo to me! I think you should run. You have more common sense than 90% of the US Senate!
That’s mine too. He’s a smart aleck coming back at people like he did. He might have a proposal but it is a lousey one and will destroy this country. He doesn’t give a damn,.
Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
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