See last paragraph->Tancredo takes ‘some credit’ for McCain woes
July 11, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful and illegal immigration opponent Tom Tancredo said Wednesday that he “can take some credit” for the current campaign woes of his rival for the nomination, Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Tancredo, a Colorado congressman and a longshot candidate, has hammered McCain in Iowa and other states for his support of a failed immigration bill that would have legalized millions of immigrants now in the country.
McCain is struggling to raise money and lags behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in most polls. This week he fired much of his campaign staff in an attempt to get back on track.
“To the extent that I believe that I have been somewhat successful in moving this issue and getting it to the point where it is now part of the presidential debate, yeah, I guess I can take some credit,” Tancredo said at a news conference. “Small, but some.”
The best thing about the Senate bill, which failed last month, is that “it means there will never be a President McCain,” Tancredo added.
To be sure, Tancredo said, there were other issues that hurt McCain, including his support for President Bush’s Iraq war strategy. But McCain’s immigration position is “almost like the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Tancredo said.
Tancredo is trying to keep the immigration issue alive. At his news conference Wednesday, he unveiled an immigration bill that would crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants and limit citizenship to children born to at least one parent who is also a U.S. citizen or lawful resident.< |
