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McCain must speak plainly on immigration reform
Articulating his position
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STORY TOOLS 
More from NationalSAN DIEGO — Presidential candidates who seem to change positions as they change audiences should avoid accusing others of flip-flopping. It makes them look silly.
That's the lesson for John McCain, who has criticized Barack Obama for reversing his views on campaign finance and easing off his keep-up-with-Hillary-Clinton opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Obama also flip-flopped on building hundreds of miles of fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border; the Illinois Democrat voted for the fence before he was against it.
"This election is about trust and trusting people's word," McCain recently told supporters in Louisville, Ky. "And unfortunately, apparently on several items, Senator Obama's word cannot be trusted."
Obama may be the candidate of change, but he deserves to be hammered for changing course on some issues. Yet, McCain isn't one to talk. When it comes to consistency, the Arizona senator has a soft spot of his own — immigration, once a signature issue.
And during a recent speech, Obama went right for it.
"One place where Senator McCain used to offer change was on immigration," Obama said last month at the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. "He was a champion of comprehensive reform, and I admired him for it. But when he was running for his party's nomination, he walked away from that commitment and he's said he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote."
I'm glad to hear that Obama admired McCain for championing immigration reform, since the presumptive Democratic nominee kept mum on the issue in the Senate and for much of the 16-month-long primary battle with Clinton. Besides, for those of us who support comprehensive immigration reform and worry that the debate has been poisoned by racism, quick fixes and scapegoating, there are many reasons to admire McCain.
Among them is the fact that McCain wasn't afraid to stand up to members of his party, as when — during a debate — he dismissed Rep. Tom Tancredo's nativist take on what it means to be an American as "beyond my realm of thinking." Or when, according to former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., McCain scolded GOP colleagues for attempting to declare English the national language and warned them that Hispanics would see it as a divisive and racist loyalty oath.
It's true that McCain said during a debate in January that he would not vote for the bill that he twice introduced with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. But I interpreted that to mean that Congress had made its views on the legislation clear by killing it, and that McCain realized that he would have to propose different legislation to achieve his reform goals.
After all, in recent weeks, McCain has broadcast his intention, if elected, to press for comprehensive immigration reform. Still, he also tells Republican groups that he "got the message" that we must secure the borders first before we decide what to do with the 12 million illegal immigrants already here.
No wonder a lot of people think McCain is talking out of both sides of his mouth on immigration. He isn't. Anyone who says that this is a departure from McCain-Kennedy needs to go back and read that legislation as amended last year. As the proponents of comprehensive reform said at the time — including some of the same people now painting McCain as a flip-flopper — the bill had enforcement "triggers" that had to be met before any legalization kicked in.
So Obama is wrong. This isn't a flip-flop. McCain is basically in the same place he was a year ago. If you want to fault McCain, fault him for failing to communicate that and making a mess of his own position. He should have one speech on the subject, and he should deliver it to groups on both the right and the left.
McCain can finally set the record straight in a couple of weeks when he addresses the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza in San Diego. When he gets before that audience, he needs to say — clearly and unequivocally — what he would do as president to fix the immigration system, and in exactly what order.
Then John McCain won't have to worry about being misunderstood.
— Ruben Navarrette writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. His e-mail address is ruben.navarrette@uniontrib.com.
Posted by mikeb6804 on July 6, 2008 at 12:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I just have to hear what John McCain will tell La Raza....
Posted by nelsonknows on July 6, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
McCain and Obama have almost the same stance on Illegal Aliens, both are useless and would give these lawbreakers amnesty. The fact is, every illegal alien, no matter where they came from, is a criminal. Every U.S. citizen or person applying for citizenship, has to obey the laws of this country, those laws are enforced upon us yet people can illegally invade this country, break the laws, and those who want to hold them accountable are smeared with some of the most vile attacks I've ever seen.
McCain has Juan Hernandez on his campaign team as Hispanic Outreach Director. Hernandez, who has dual citizenship yet has served in the Mexican Cabinet under Vicente Fox supports even a more ridiculous stance on illegals. U.S. code says that anyone who has U.S. Citizenship and serves in another country's government must be stripped of their U.S. Citizenship.
Hernandez is a supporter of Atlazan, the return of as many as nine U.S. States to Mexico, by force if necessary.
Let us make no mistake, illegal "immigration" is an invasion and anyone in Washington D.C. who supports this, condones this, or even ignores this, violates Article 4, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.
Neither Obama or McCain support what is required by federal law and the U.S. Constitution which is the total deportation of every illegal alien.
It's amazing that anyone could support any candidate who so openly scoffs at U.S. law and both Candidates do.
Posted by Freedom1 on July 6, 2008 at 12:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
First Mr, Navarrette, it isn't "immigration" that is the problem for McCain (and Obama for that matter), it's "illegal immigration," which is why McCain's amnesty bill failed to pass and his toss off remarks about "I got the message" means nothing. Regardless of who wins the election our illegal Hispanic population and the organization the supports them (LaRaza) can be assured that the the "fix" for our immigration system they have long sought - the reward for breaking our laws is the gift of citizenship - will be awaiting them since real Americans will have no other candidate to vote for. But that doesn't mean the anger and frustration that has been growing over the last two decades as our elected officials have ignored the pleas of those that voted for them and allowed this invasion to continue will go away, but grow even more vocal. Until the lives of John McCain and Barrack Obama and their families are affected by the daily problems the rest of us face that are created by uncontrolled illegal immigration, they will never see it as a problem, just pander to a population that once was part of American and now delights in separating itself.
Posted by nelsonknows on July 6, 2008 at 9:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe, when one of the 545 idiots in Congress has one of THEIR family members killed by an illegal alien (excluding Duncan Hunter, Roy Blunt, Jeff Sessions, and a handful of REAL Conservatives, things might change with this illegal invasion.
Did anyone see the video of McCain having his OWN constituents thrown out of a public forum in Arizona for asking valid questions about illegal aliens?
Here's the link http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1073039...
Posted by hamskid on July 15, 2008 at 3:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why do any of our presidental candidates even talk to a racist group like La Raza (the race)? These are the most racist people I have seen and shouldn't be pandered to or even talked to. We know what they want.
Posted by kenternst on July 19, 2008 at 8:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Obama and McCain will not come clean and tell the country what their true plans on immigration and illeagal aliens are (they are not connected) until after the election. The hispanic vote (which will include improperly registered illeagal aliens) is too important to get elected. We are all hungry to know what their stance is but it is best to close our ears when either Obama or McCain talk about the subject until after the election. Then let the fight begin. The country is not going to be passive and let our elected representatives screw us over on this subject anymore. That is why the last legislation proposals failed. Sound imigration policy is what built this country (I am the son of a legal alien who became a citizen). The country has shown that they will no longer tolerate the criminal activity of entering this country without permission and due process but; both candidates are going to lie about their plans until after the election.
Posted by Blueskies on July 21, 2008 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We Need Immigration. That was a foundation policy set in 1965, that allowed the sexual revolution, birth controll and all else.
Our native born population, we dropped below replacement rate in 1972, and now were below ZPG, just like Europe.
Even overall after factoring in the children of the large immigrant families, we reach barely 2.o9 per couple- 2.10 is exactly ZPG.
But look how lucky we are!!!!!
But different from Europe we have far more immigration from catholic countries, mostly not Muslim, now replacing the older population thats beginning to die off.
I look around the world, and all populations are imploding famililies less than 2 children....exceptins about all black nations seem to have families of 5 children, and all other muslim nations families 3 children.
Eventully the whole world will be black muslims. Except we will be mexicans here. And free!
Whatever happened to the roman people, anyway?
Posted by nelsonknows on July 22, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Anyone who doesn't get the difference between "Immigration" and "Illegal Aliens" must have a screw loose in their cabasa!
Illegal Aliens are now going onto contractor's job sites, destroying the contractor's work, destroying and stealing materials, and even threatening to kill workers who won't leave their job sites. I've seen this first hand because I'm a CONTRACTOR! Try to report this to the Ventura or Oxnard Police! Ventura P.D. won't show up and Oxnard P.D. says their hands are tied because of "Administrative Policy".
Posted by bbbdugout on August 11, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
the bottom line of this issue is exactly one word - "illegal" - I don't care where they come from or their religion or their sexual preference - I could care less - it's the word "illegal" - arrest them and deport them - penalitize the employers that hire them heavy enough so they don't do it again ... but get it done
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