Analysis: Rivals hide immigration similarities
By DAVID ESPO
Associated Press
July 1, 2008
Page 2 of 2
Nor does his campaign Web Site offer much guidance.
"John McCain has always believed that our border must be secure and that the federal government has utterly failed in its responsibility to ensure that it is secure," says the beginning of a section on immigration.
It also stresses the importance of "assimilation of our immigrant population, which includes learning English, American history and civics, and respecting the values of a democratic society."
The closest it comes to addressing the thorny issue of citizenship for illegal immigrants is when it stresses the importance of making sure that "America will always be that 'shining city upon a hill,' a beacon of hope and opportunity for those seeking a better life built on hard work and optimism."
In his remarks to NALEO on Saturday, Obama said he supports "reform that finally brings the 12 million people who are here illegally out of the shadows by requiring them to take steps to become legal citizens."
His campaign Web Site -- clearer than McCain's on the issue -- says Obama supports a system that "allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens."
Obama, too, supported the immigration measure in the Senate last year, and participated in the bipartisan negotiations that produced it.
His votes on the amendments cited by McCain's campaign aligned him with organized labor -- as powerful a force in the Democratic primaries as conservative voters are in the Republican contests -- despite protests that their approval would doom the overall bill.
In one instance, Obama sided with other lawmakers favoring a five-year limit on a new program providing visas for guest workers. Key labor unions opposed the guest worker program, arguing it would depress wages and subject immigrants to exploitation by their employers.
The amendment failed, 49-48. McCain and Kennedy opposed it.
A second proposal would have cut the size of the guest worker program from 400,000 to 200,000 a year. It also failed. Kennedy opposed it, while McCain did not vote.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: David Espo covers presidential politics for The Associated Press.
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