[jwalsh07]

I think you are wrong here. The right candidate can take the illegal immigration issue and run with it to a landslide. Hopefully, that fellow or gal is a conservative republican. But, it could be a conservative democrat.

[oceanview]

which leading republican candidate for 2008 is going to say anything like that? same thing on trade - who is going to break ranks - specifically on China? List the leading candidates: senator Allen, Bill Owens, McCain, what is their position on these two issues?

my point is, we are going to run in 2008 on the same two issues - national security & moral issues. now don't get me wrong, those are two good issues to have. But it will, at best, give us another 3-5% win and a 1 or 2 state margin.

[af_vet_rr]

The right candidate can take the illegal immigration issue and run with it to a landslide.

No major politician wants to do anything that is going to alienate large groups of voters, and unfortunately some of the Hispanic groups have tied the illegal immigration issue to racism. It's pretty crappy that they have done so (I say this and I'm considered a Hispanic), but that's the way things have fallen.

That's why President Bush labeled the Minutement project as "vigilantes" and that's why he buddies up to Fox.

It would take another 9/11 for the people in Washington to get serious about the border, and even then, I doubt they'd try all that hard. It's far easier to push the burden back onto the states, through the driver's license issues, etc.