Posted on 09/14/2007 9:24:44 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Outgoing White House press secretary Tony Snow said today that the Bush administration had underestimated the ferocity of opposition to White House-backed immigration legislation.
"I freely admit that we underestimated the (public) skepticism," Snow said over breakfast with a group of reporters on his final day on the job.
Snow said that the White House was not prepared for the anger of foes of illegal immigration, who believed that government at all levels had failed to secure the nation's borders. While the public backlash is aimed "not merely (at) the Bush administration," he conceded that the White House "made some miscalculations, as well."
The president's chief spokesman, who has waged a very public battle with cancer during his two years in the high-profile job, said that though a compromise immigration bill came close to passage, the process now "requires a much longer debate."
"We should have gotten it through last time," he said. "This is an issue that will be with us -- it will not go away."
After the 2007 debacle, he said, the government must demonstrate that the federal government can secure the border "in a competent way" before legislation that would allow American companies to hire more immigrants and permit the legalization of illegal workers can gain traction on Capitol Hill.
But Snow argued strongly for a flow of immigrant workers. "We have this big, booming economy," he said, "and we don't have enough workers."
Calling America "a nation of immigrants," he said Congress and the president needed to come up with a plan to deal with the about 12 million people who are illegally in the country today. "A lot of these people really are pursuing the traditional path to the American dream," he said.
To win political support for comprehensive legislation, Snow said the government needed to re-establish "the credibility of the rule of law" by protecting the border and requiring illegal immigrants to pay substantial penalties -- "not just a wrist slap, but something significant" -- before taking their place "at the back of the line" to citizenship. While awaiting legal status, they should not be permitted to collect welfare and should be required to maintain continuous employment and crime-free lives.
Despite the passionate opposition to illegal immigration on the Republican right and populist left, Snow said that both political parties should be sensitive to the feelings of Hispanic voters.
"No political party is going to be able to survive (without the) fastest-growing voting bloc in America," he said.
Asked what he thought of the 2008 Republican presidential candidates' repeated attacks on President Bush's immigration record, Snow uncharacteristically demurred.
"Ask me that question in a week -- or even tomorrow," he said. "As the president's press secretary, I'm not going to step into that one."
We have imported millions of illegal immigrants to fill the jobs that our aborted children would have filled. I have four children. Sometimes people look at me and ask “Are you done yet?”. I tell them, “My children will be paying for your Social Security”. Good luck getting illegal immigrants to pay taxes.
Tony Snow’s stupid comments are disappointing. I used to take him for an ethical person.
b u m p
These are Snow’s own views. He was pro illegal immigration before he took the job.
Which is why he was as blind as Bush on the subject.
These are Snow’s own views. He was pro illegal immigration before he took the job.
Which is why he was as blind as Bush on the subject.
Sickening ain’t it .........:o)
Snow did say when asked what he thought of this La Migra issue on friday ..... something to the effect of I can’t or won’t say as a WH press secretary but will comment later as a journalist...........
I haven’t the time to wait and see if it Snows on the Immigration Amnesty efforts. Calling , writing and visiting my congress critters since yesterday and yanking their money chains.
Thanks for the link, Stay safe !
Get the bath ready, then go over to DU.
They’re eating each other alive over illegal immigration and jobs.
Threads involving H1-B visas are also very interesting.
The writer at the Chronicle is on to something.
Yep. I'd often watch him on Fox News interviewing some Leftist, when he'd introduce a liberal point of view for his Leftist guest to opine on. Far too often Tony Snowjob would let the guy run off at the mouth for awhile, and then just smile when the leftist rant was over. Then he'd say something like, "Hey, I had to ask", or offer some other response that didn't even attempt to rebut the Leftist. Believing that Snow was a conservative Republican, I always puzzled at his inability to defend conservative positions when interviewing these Lefties. But after he was on the job at the WH for a short time the puzzle was pieced together quickly. Tony Snow is not a conservative, he's a patch work of conservatism, liberalism and libertinism.
Bite me Tony.
LOL! He still doesn’t get it!
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