So both John McCain and Barack Obama spoke over the weekend before a pro-immigration group of elected Latino officials. Here was a perfect opportunity for McCain to rally the conservative Republican base, clearly distinguish himself from Barack Obama, and state clearly just how he will crack down on illegal immigration.
Sure looks like he failed:
"Since McCain and Obama have identical views on immigration, I used to think that the issue wouldn't come up much in the general election campaign, just like in 2000 and 2004. But after their respective speeches to NALEO this week (see the Post has a roundup piece) and watching Emanuel and Pawlenty trading barbs this morning on "This Week," I see that I was wrong. It looks like Obama will be bringing the issue up repeatedly, accusing McCain of being insufficiently committed to amnesty, and McCain will take the bait and pledge in increasingly strident terms his commitment to legalizing all the illegal aliens. It's a win-win for Obama: he shows his solidarity with skeptical Hispanic Democrats by pointing to McCain's modified limited hangout on immigration after the collapse of last summer's bill, and McCain continues to inflame his ostensible supporters by constantly reminding them that he's Amnesty John."
Read the Washington Post article linked in the piece above, too.
