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McCain slams Cruz's call for religious test for refugees
The Hill ^ | 11/18/15 | Alexander Bolton

Posted on 11/17/2015 11:56:31 AM PST by VinL

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday panned the idea of favoring Christian refugees from Syria over Muslims, delivering a rebuttal to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a GOP presidential candidate.

McCain said using a religious test on Syrian refugees, especially children, makes no sense.

“I don’t think any child, whether they are Christian or whether they are atheist or whether they are Buddhist, that we should make a distinction,” McCain said. “My belief is that all children are God’s children.”

It’s a rare example of McCain siding with President Obama, who defeated him in the 2008 presidential election, on a hot-button political topic.

Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush over the weekend said efforts to resettle refugees from Syria should focus on Christians.

"There is no meaningful risk of Christians committing acts of terror,” Cruz said at a Sunday event in South Carolina, according to The Washington Post. “If there were a group of radical Christians pledging to murder anyone who had a different religious view than they, we would have a different national security situation."

Bush on Sunday told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the U.S. “should focus our efforts as it relates to the refugees with the Christians that are being slaughtered.”

McCain’s comments Tuesday backed up Obama, who earlier this week called a religious test “shameful” and “not American.”

Bush, however, softened his stance in an interview with Bloomberg Politics on Tuesday.

“The answer to this is not to ban people from coming. The answer is to lead, to resolve the problem in Syria,” he said.

Noting public worries over the vetting of refugees, he said that “if there’s any kind of concern, we shouldn’t allow people in.”

“But I don’t think we should eliminate our support for refugees,” he added.

McCain said Tuesday “there should be no litmus test” for the religious affiliation of refugees as long as they are vetted and determined not to pose a threat.

“Are we going to differentiate children by their religion? I don’t think so,” he said.

McCain blamed what he called Obama’s “failed, feckless” policy in Syria for the violence that has sent hundreds of thousands of migrants flooding into Europe.

“The decisions by the president of the United States, the commander-in-chief, have put us into this position where we’re fighting over refugees


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Syria; US: Arizona; US: Florida; US: South Carolina; US: Texas; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2016election; arizona; cruz; election2016; florida; johnmccain; lindseygraham; macthornberry; marcorubio; newyork; senatorjohnmccain; senatormccain; southcarolina; syria; tedcruz; texas; trump; waronterror
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To: VinL

IF McCain is against it... I am for it!


61 posted on 11/17/2015 12:51:53 PM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (You can't spell Hillary without using the letters L, I, A, & R)
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To: VinL

It’s more of a insanity test.

Only an insane lunatic would follower the satanic mumblings of Mohamad.


62 posted on 11/17/2015 12:53:04 PM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (You can't spell Hillary without using the letters L, I, A, & R)
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To: VinL

Like clockwork

AZ get rid of this POS


63 posted on 11/17/2015 1:05:10 PM PST by A_Former_Democrat (In Missouri, and coming to a State near you, #BlackLiesMatter)
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To: VinL

Muslims don’t share McCain’s belief.

Our national security and the well-being of American citizens take priority over Muslims’ feelings.

Screw you McInsane; I’m glad a POS like you had the stuffing beaten out of him by Obama back in 2008.

You’re still a loser!


64 posted on 11/17/2015 1:18:39 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: VinL
I posted this on the "Obama slams Cruz" article so I will post it here too.

A "religious test" for refugee status is un-American? What an absolute bunch of frickin' idiots. By definition, a religious test, or other specifically enumerated basis, is a requirement for refugee status:

8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42) The term 'refugee' means (A) any person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, or (B) in such special circumstances as the President after appropriate consultation (as defined in section 1157(e) of this title) may specify, any person who is within the country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, within the country in which such person is habitually residing, and who is persecuted or who has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. The term 'refugee' does not include any person who ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

An Immigration Judge would be required to conduct a nexus determination to ensure that the well-founded fear is as a result of religious persecution or other specifically enumerated basis. A general assertion that the conditions in the country suck would be insufficient for refugee status.

65 posted on 11/17/2015 1:32:12 PM PST by Armando Guerra (Cruz 2016)
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To: VinL
The day McCain dies, I will party only a little less than on the day Soros dies.

I have never in my life rooted for malignent melanoma.

COMON, MELANOMA! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

66 posted on 11/17/2015 1:33:46 PM PST by Lazamataz ( If they try firearm confiscation or gun registration, I go ballistic.)
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To: VinL

“It’s a rare example of McCain siding with President Obama, who defeated him in the 2008 presidential election, on a hot-button political topic’”

Au contraire, it’s not that rare.


67 posted on 11/17/2015 1:35:18 PM PST by flaglady47 (TRUMP ROCKS)
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To: VinL

“It’s a rare example of McCain siding with President Obama, who defeated him in the 2008 presidential election, on a hot-button political topic’”

Au contraire, it’s not that rare.


68 posted on 11/17/2015 1:35:25 PM PST by flaglady47 (TRUMP ROCKS)
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To: Diogenesis

Is that not our ambassador in that picture? God rest his soul.


69 posted on 11/17/2015 1:38:29 PM PST by LachlanMinnesota
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To: VinL

John McCain wrote to Lois Lerner and asked her to use the full power of the IRS against TeaParty groups. McCain doesn’t like Christians very much.

McCain has never spoken up in support of the Christians in Muslim nations, as far as ICan remember.


70 posted on 11/17/2015 1:38:40 PM PST by Eva
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To: VinL

Please do us a favor and die John.


71 posted on 11/17/2015 1:41:29 PM PST by ohioman
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To: VinL

All of GODS children like bacon.


72 posted on 11/17/2015 2:30:41 PM PST by freebird5850 (Barry, just how are you going to lie out of this one?)
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To: Psalm 144
I voted for the man and kicked him a LOT of money I could sure use now. I am not sure but what his election would have been worse than his defeat. Impossible to quantify, but it gives me gooseflesh every time I think about it.

It really is too bad.

With his background and experience McCain could have had it all but he has a fatal flaw.

Sometimes It seems as if he has a terminal case of Stockholm Syndrome.

He just cannot resist collaborating with and appeasing those who are clearly enemies of what he professes to believe and represent.


73 posted on 11/17/2015 4:19:49 PM PST by Iron Munro (<p> The wise have stores of choice food and oil but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20)
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To: VinL

Shut up MCcain, u sellout. Lets send this bum to syria.


74 posted on 11/18/2015 3:39:43 AM PST by Carry me back (.Cut the feds by 90%)
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