We now know what Gov. Palin thinks about immigration, and the results are not good (h/t Auster):
Amnesty
Governor, let me ask you about immigration. How many undocumented immigrants are there in Alaska?
I don't know, I don't know. That's a good question. [MK: She'd have some idea if she'd read my Washington Times piece.]As governor, how do you deal with them? Do you think they all should be deported?
There is no way that in the US we would roundup every illegal immigrant -there are about 12 million of the illegal immigrants- not only economically is that just an impossibility but that's not a humane way anyway to deal with the issue that we face with illegal immigration. [MK: Same old false choice of mass roundups or amnesty.]Do you then favor an amnesty for the 12 or 13 million undocumented immigrants?
No, I do not. I do not. Not total amnesty. [MK: "total amnesty"! At least she admits McCain's plan is a "partial" amnesty!] You know, people have got to follow the rules. They've got to follow the bar, and we have got to make sure that there is equal opportunity and those who are here legally should be first in line for services being provided [MK: "services" like Medicaid and food stamps and TANF?] and those opportunities that this great country provides.To clarify, so you support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants?
I do because I understand why people would want to be in America. To seek the safety and prosperity, the opportunities, the health that is here. It is so important that yes, people follow the rules so that people can be treated equally and fairly in this country. [MK: None of these sentences follow from one another.]
Now, it was obvious, as McCain's running mate, she had to toe the McCain line. But which McCain line? After the campaign's near-death experience, McCain took to talking about "border security first" — which he qualifies out of existence whenever he's pressed on it, but at least the rhetoric was there. What Palin's response shows is that, first, she's completely open to whatever kool-aid they want her to drink — i.e., she has no innate resistance to amnesty for illegals that would cause her to look for less-unappealing ways of saying what the campaign wants her to say. And second, it shows what the campaign is telling her about McCain's views on the issue — if McCain's talk of "border security first" were anything but boob bait for Bubba, his operatives would have made it clear that Palin was supposed to include that in her discussion of immigration, but she didn't even make a passing reference to it.
