Huckabee signs Sen. Sessions' Immigration Pledge

CBSNEWS ^ | February 2, 2008 | Joy Lin

[Tennessee Nana]

TUSCALOOSA, ALA. -- Mike Huckabee has changed his mind and will sign an Alabama senator’s immigration pledge for presidential candidates - an effort to defeat the McCain-Kennedy proposal in the U.S. Senate.

In Birmingham last week, Huckabee said he was almost ready to sign the pledge put forth by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., but was on the fence regarding one of its aspects. "Which one?" a reporter asked.

Huckabee said it had to do with the 13th point of the 15-point pledge, one to “eliminate the visa lottery program and change current preference categories that guarantee automatic entry for aging parents and extended family members and replace it with a system that fairly and objectively evaluates at least 50% of applicants based on characteristics such as education, skills, English ability, and age.”

Huckabee said he wasn't sure if the ratio for immigrants with advanced degrees was "arbitrary" or flexible enough for changing needs.

"Everything else about it is...absolutely fantastic," Huckabee said. "That's the one piece we haven't been able to completely work on. Hopefully we can get with Senator Sessions to get that verified."

Later at a rally in Tuscaloosa, Huckabee announced he would sign Sessions' pledge. Asked about the decision during the media avail that followed, he said, "Point 13 dealt with ratios of people in engineering-- we looked at that and decided it really is not a big issue and certainly not something that ought to keep us from signing it. It's very consistent with our 9-point immigration plan so I thought, what better time to do it than when I'm in Alabama."

Regarding the seemingly quick manner in which he decided to sign the pledge, he said, "We've been looking at it for about a week…I looked at it last night and today and decided when we got here that this would be a great time to sign the pledge."

[Mojave]

Mike Huckabee has changed his mind and will sign an Alabama senator’s immigration pledge for presidential candidates

Hey, he's pulling a Romney!

[apocalypto]

Mike Huckabee accepted more than $110,000 in gifts in 1999 alone as governor.

[CindyDawg]

I’m serious UnSpun. Make him put up a lot of money that will go to the Minute Men for border security if he backs down.

[chaos_5]

Unfortunately it is going to take more than a good pro life record to be the President. We are living in a global economy and facing the threat of radical Islam, the list goes on. Huckabee may very well be the best pro-life vote out there, but he just doesn't measure up to Romney when it comes to the economy. Being a younger person, this is very important to me. As for immigration, I’m taking his word for it. If he doesn't do as he promised, I’ll do what I did with the amnesty bill, write and call. I will do what I can to hold his feat to the fire on that.

[pogo101]

It is good that any politician signs this. I just find it hard to believe Huckabee has really, really changed his underlying views in so little time since he was seeking more Mexican consul construction, seeking in-state tuition for illegals, etc. Hope so; find it hard to believe, though.

[AuntB]

Plagiarist Huckabee???

I was listening to Laura Ingraham talking with Center for Immigration Studies Mark Krikorian yesterday . Huckabee claims Krikorian devised his ‘immigration’ policy for him. Mark said he had been contacted by several people and wrote up a brief ‘what had to be done list’, by no means a complete policy that was published some time ago.

Huckabee simply took that article, added little to it and implied Mark and Huck worked out this new ‘policy’. Mark has never worked with or endorsed Huck. Never. His supporters made it sound like CIS had worked with him on this and thereby endorsed him for Pres.

Krikorian says, [Well, at least he finally credited me with writing it]

http://www.lauraingraham.com/

Cool clips (Laura365) NEW! Mark Kirkorian on the immigration issue.(pay to play)

This seems to be the article Krikorian was talking about that Huckabee hijacked. http://www.cis.org/articles/2005/mskoped052305.html Ten Points for a Successful Presidential Candidate

By Mark Krikorian National Review May 23, 2005

BACKGROUND:

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2008/01/wapo-huckabee-p.html

“I have created a nine point immigration policy that says there is a 120 day period in which people go to their home country and start the process from the back of the line. —Mike Huckabee, Republican Debate, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Jan. 10, 2008.

This isn’t coming from a Romney campaign release; this is the Washington Post”

“When the campaign announced the governor’s nine-point immigration plan on Dec. 6, it noted that it was “partially modeled” on Krikorian’s proposal three years earlier. But Huckabee took credit for the plan in the Republican debate on Thursday night, and Mitt Romney’s campaign is crying foul. A Romney “Fact Check” said that the Huckabee plan had lifted “whole sections of Krikorian’s editorial without quotes or direct attribution.”

BTW, the democrats like open borders Huck:

A DEMOCRATIC PARTY STRAW POLL

It may be snowing here in Washington, D.C., but the sun is apparently shinning on Congressman Ron Paul, who edged out Senator John McCain in the 2008 Democratic Party Republican Straw Poll. Meanwhile, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ended up in a familiar place: sixth.

Top 3 results: Candidate %

Rep. Ron Paul 25.72%

Sen. John McCain 24.73%

Gov. Mike Huckabee 17.17%

http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/01/paul_tops_mccai_2.php

[Mojave]

And they call Mitt the flip-flopper?

Only because of all of his flip-flopping.

[ApplegateRanch]

What is the difference between “tailoring answers to the crowd”; “flip-flopping”; “changing positions”; “lying through your teeth to get elected”; and signing a pledge one has every intention of weaseling out from under?

[Tennessee Nana]

Yes I’m not happy with Huck’s stance in the past

Or his record on immigration..

Someone had mentioned this article so I found it and posted it

I’m waiting to see who else will sign it

Sen Cute-as-a-Button is a stright shooter...

[Tennessee Nana]

What is the difference between “tailoring answers to the crowd”; “flip-flopping”; “changing positions”; “lying through your teeth to get elected”; and signing a pledge one has every intention of weaseling out from under?
____________________________________________

Oh, RINO Romney intends to sign the pledge, also ???

That’s good

[skeeter]

What other political figure was famous for playing fast & loose with the truth like that?

Don't drink the water in Hope.

[CindyDawg]

If a man respects the life of babies then hopefully he will respect the rights of life of our military and people at home. If a man doesn’t though then it will reflect in his policies all the way down. Besides the Lord can’t be too happy with us right now. Putting a man in the office that supports abortion and doesn’t support Israel might be the “that’s it. I’ve had enough”point.

[lonestar]

If I sign it, can I be POTUS?

[Tennessee Nana]

he’s pulling a Romney!”

Can we get that into the Dictionary as a new word ????

:)

[Tennessee Nana]

Are you American born and over 35 ????

[CindyDawg]

I see Ron Paul is coming on up. How come he doesn’t get the Huckabee attention around here too?:’)

[Tennessee Nana]

Besides the Lord can’t be too happy with us right now. Putting a man in the office that supports abortion and doesn’t support Israel might be the “that’s it. I’ve had enough”point
_______________________________________________

You and me both

When president Bush went to Israel and started arranging to dole out parcels of land to the Palestinians, I wonder of he realized the curse he will bring upon us ???

[ApplegateRanch]

Every “statement” is followed by TES/NO check boxes?

So, ANY candidate can sign this, and it means NOTHING unless we also see their ANSWERS to each, individual, question.

And, it is almost pointless, due to the final statement.

AND, it says NOTHING about not granting amnesty; nor (like Carter did for draft dodgers) a blanket Presidential Pardon to CURRENT illegals.

IOW, it is nothing but a fluff document a candidate can wave at the cameras, without the sheeple knowing that it is glitz wrapped around a big, fat, bag of more hot air.

Try again, Huckabeast.

[mtbopfuyn]

Oh, I can hear it now. This will be another, “I was for it before I was against it” flip floppers.

[CindyDawg]

I Pray for him and us.