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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (746719)	8/1/2006 3:29:30 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Re: "FOX News interview with Congressman Tom Tancredo." Here is a REAL, (not a phony) news item from Fox News... unlike the imaginary 'interview' you posted. It bears on the same topic you were trying to speak to: immigration reform and politics. Conservatives' Love-Hate Relationship with John McCain Sunday , July 30, 2006 By Tom Bevan foxnews.com John McCain is a fiscal hawk. Even more than being a war hero, it's probably the single greatest quality that most conservatives love about the guy. If you've ever seen McCain step before a group of rock-ribbed Republicans and start railing away about pork-barrel projects and runaway spending, you know what I mean. There's something about talk of slashing government spending that makes conservatives go absolutely giddy, and McCain has the sort of pork-busting chops that few, if any, can match. But as much as conservatives love McCain when it comes to matters of foreign policy or fiscal discipline, they squirm in their seats when he starts talking about other issues — like campaign finance reform. When McCain starts opining on what a success his bill (McCain-Feingold) has been and ranting against the FEC's unwillingness to close more "loopholes," the room gets quiet and tense, as if the senior senator from Arizona has just taken out a copy of the Constitution, laid it on the floor and begun jumping up and down on the First Amendment. Obviously, another prickly subject for McCain among conservatives is immigration. In person, McCain argues passionately about the subject and makes a solid case for comprehensive reform — though it usually falls on plenty of deaf ears. Many conservatives have long since deemed McCain's immigration proposal "shamnesty," a derisive term meant to conjure up unfavorable comparisons with the dreaded Simpson-Mazzoli bill of 1986. In one part of his brain, McCain must understand how much his stance on immigration puts him at odds with the base of his party. But it seems there's another part of McCain's brain that doesn't really have a clue just how deeply the issue cuts against him with conservative voters. McCain gave a perfect example of this right brain-left brain dichotomy at a recent press conference. When asked what might help improve Republicans' prospects for the election this November, McCain listed off three things. One was progress in Iraq. No quarrel there. Another was getting President Bush to veto a pork-laden appropriations bill. "We just need to overall show our base that we can get spending under control," McCain said, "I am concerned that they might stay home because they're unhappy with our dramatically increased spending practices over the last six years." Giddiness. The last item McCain cited was passing comprehensive immigration reform. Come again? If McCain is really concerned about conservatives staying home in November, how can he think that passing a comprehensive immigration bill, opposed by large numbers of conservative activists in districts all over the country, is something that will help improve Republican prospects? It makes little sense — unless McCain envisions a bill that is much more like the enforcement-first approach passed by the House than the one McCain voted for in the Senate. That may turn out to be the case, but even if McCain goes on to vote for a tougher House-type proposal, conservatives will remember that when it came to immigration McCain's first instinct was to join forces with Ted Kennedy and produce a piece of legislation that was fundamentally out of touch with the majority of members in the base of the Republican party. McCain is clearly gearing up to run for president, and he's probably concerned about alienating the largest and fastest growing minority voting bloc in the country. But to get the chance at the brass ring in 2008, McCain must first receive the blessing of Republican primary voters and caucus goers, and his position on immigration probably isn't going to help matters. Instead, it will only complicate his relationship with the base and add to the conflict felt by many conservatives who find McCain so perfect on certain fundamental issues, and so perfectly out of touch on others.

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (746719)	8/1/2006 6:18:33 AM
From: JDN	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

haha, I always enjoy reading your posts as you have a way of putting things that is very funny. (gg) jdn

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (746719)	8/1/2006 9:31:40 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Border Agents Let Fake IDs Go Through By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS August 1, 2006 Filed at 8:45 p.m. ET nytimes.com WASHINGTON (AP) -- Undercover investigators entered the United States using fake documents repeatedly this year -- including some cases in which Homeland Security Department agents didn't ask for identification. At nine border crossings on the Mexico and Canadian borders, agents ''never questioned the authenticity of the counterfeit documents,'' according to Government Accountability Office testimony to be released Wednesday. ''This vulnerability potentially allows terrorists or others involved in criminal activity to pass freely into the United States from Canada or Mexico with little or no chance of being detected,'' concluded the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, in testimony obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. The findings, to be presented to the Senate Finance Committee, come as Congress considers delaying a 2007 deadline requiring passports or a small number of previously approved tamperproof ID cards from all who enter the United States. Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said agents are trained to identify false birth certificates, driver's licenses and other documents. But he conceded that agents sometimes cannot verify more than 8,000 different kinds of currently acceptable IDs without significantly slowing border traffic. ''This creates a security vulnerability we were hoping to close'' with the deadline at the end of next year, Agen said. The GAO probe follows a similar inquiry in 2003 and 2004 when undercover investigators crossed unhindered into the United States at least 14 times using counterfeit drivers' licenses and, in one case, an expired, altered U.S. diplomatic passport. During that investigation, however, border agents in New York and Florida stopped three undercover officials who were using expired and forged passports, drivers' licenses or birth certificates. By comparison, between February and June 2006, 18 GAO investigators breezed by border agents at checkpoints in California, Texas, Michigan, Idaho, Washington state, and twice each in Arizona and New York. In two cases -- in Arizona and California -- border agents did not ask the undercover investigators for any identification. In a third case, in Texas, investigators offered to show identification -- a counterfeit Virginia drivers' license. The border agent replied, ''OK, that would be good,'' but released the investigators before inspecting it, according to the prepared testimony by GAO investigator Gregory D. Kutz. Two of the 9/11 hijackers used fake Virginia residency certificates to get valid state ID cards needed to board the planes that flew into the World Trade Center. Neither GAO probe specified the location of any border checkpoints investigators went through. The 9/11 Commission called for tougher ID card rules at borders to help prevent terrorists from entering the country. Responding, Congress in 2004 approved requirements for all travelers -- including Americans -- to show passports or a small number of other approved secure documents before entering the U.S. Those requirements are supposed to take effect Dec. 31, 2007. But lawmakers from states that border Canada have since rebelled, contending the rules could hamper commercial and tourist travel. They are pushing to delay the rules by 17 months to ensure Homeland Security has proper technology to speed legitimate travel though border checkpoints. Agen said Homeland Security agents intercepted 75,000 fraudulent documents from border travelers last year. The department last month arrested a Mexican fugitive suspected of running a counterfeit document operation whose fake ID cards have turned up in all 50 states. ------ On the Net: Government Accountability Office: gao.gov Department of Homeland Security: dhs.gov Senate Finance Committee: finance.senate.gov Copyright 2006 The Associated Press