[FreeReign]

It's all a little unclear when reviewing the text of the verbal interchange. It does seem that the reporterette was referring to the MM and W was essentially calling them vigilantes (in the armed, enforcing sense).

No it doesn't seem that way. The Minutemen patrol wasn't even on the border yet. And more to the point the President didn't even make an accusation.

Q:And, President Bush, I wanted to ask you about your opinion about those people who are hunting migrant people along the border.

PRESIDENT BUSH: I'm against vigilantes in the United States of America. I'm for enforcing law in a rational way. That's why you got a Border Patrol, and they ought to be in charge of enforcing the border.

There's a difference between a specifically directed accusation of vigilantism and a general denouncement of potential vigilantism.

[Paladin2]

The rep0rterette asked ab0ut "th0se pe0ple" - m0st likely the MM.

Bush didn't answer the questi0n.

Since the discussi0n was "live", it d0es say s0mething that W ch0se t0 use the l0aded w0rd "vigilante" in resp0nse. It's clear that by n0t directly answering the questi0n, he's 0ff the h00k by direct qu0tati0n. His th0ughts c0me clearly thr0ugh th0ugh.

It's very likely that W believes in his heart that the MM ARE vigilantes. By his acti0ns, we can c0nclude that W d0esn't really believe that this is a nati0n 0f laws wrt illegal immigrati0n.

0ne is left t0 draw 0nes 0wn c0nclusi0ns, but I think that 6 years 0f inacti0n speaks v0lumes. The vigilante thing is just icing 0n the cake.