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It depends on the meaning of “never”

By Michelle Malkin  •  December 31, 2007 11:00 AM

Your Monday morning coffee-snorter: Video of not-so-straight-talking John McCain claiming he “never” supported amnesty.

Quoth McCain: “The fact is that I’ve never supported amnesty.”

Depends on the meaning of never:

Sen. McCain, 2003: “Amnesty Has To Be An Important Part.” ” ‘Amnesty has to be an important part because there are people who have lived in this country for 20, 30 or 40 years, who have raised children here and pay taxes here and are not citizens. That has to be a component of it,’ he said. ‘How can we have a temporary worker program if we’re not allowing people who have been here for 30 years to hold jobs here?’” (C. T. Revere, “McCain Pushes Amnesty, Guest-Worker Program,” Tucson Citizen, 5/29/03)

In 2003, Sen. McCain Also Said, “I Think We Can Set Up A Program Where Amnesty Is Extended To A Certain Number Of People Who Are Eligible…” “‘I believe we can pursue the security programs and at the same time set up a system where people can come here and work on a temporary basis. I think we can set up a program where amnesty is extended to a certain number of people who are eligible and at the same time make sure that we have some control over people who come in and out of this country,’ he said.” (C. T. Revere, “McCain Pushes Amnesty, Guest-Worker Program,” Tucson Citizen, 5/29/03)

If this is McCain’s strategy for winning over conservatives–lying to their faces– it’s not working. Would you, could you?

Open-borders conservatives, on the other hand, are eating it up. Linda Chavez gives McCain her thumbs-up.

Posted in: John McCain

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  1. #1
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:04 am, meatpieandtatters said:

    Lame McCain. The rest of the GOP front-runners are all cut from the same cloth. Paul is the only one espousing a strict constitutional platform.

  2. #2
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:04 am, katieanne said:

    Wouldn’t it be nice to have a politician who actually had the strength of their convictions and stood by them? I’d have alot more respect for them if they did.

  3. #3
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:04 am, coldfront said:

    Didn’t Bryan point out John McCain’s strong support for John Bolton? I suppose it is something.

  4. #4
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:06 am, geminicontender said:

    Depends what “is” is. Depends what “sex’ is. Depends what “never” means. I hate politicians and I hate the media even more.

  5. #5
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:09 am, cf said:

    I’m sure his support of amnesty is an important reason why “straight-talk Keating 5″ McCain is getting so many elite endorsements now. The anti-endorsements in New Hampshire are a backhanded way of endorsing McCain, because they don’t have the guts to endorse him outright.

  6. #6
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:23 am, Milwaukee Mike said:

    Big snort for the first comment on the hotair page.

    Next he’ll be claiming he didn’t support MCain/Feingold :^)

    db on December 30, 2007 at 5:02 PM

  7. #7
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:23 am, DesertLover said:

    As an Arizona resident I had high hopes for McCain back in 2000 … but he has wasted his opportunity through his collaborations with Feingold and Kennedy …

    Now he appears to have taken a class in “Parsing 101″ from Billy Boy in how to deny statements by redefining the meaning of his spoken words …

    Throw in his absurd “Torture” bill as the straw for the proverbial camel’s back and he has marginalized himself as a candidate …

    I feel pretty sure that he is on his last legs as a Senator …

  8. #8
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:24 am, ajmontana said:

    Paul is the only one espousing a strict constitutional platform.

    He’s also a blithering idiot…..

  9. #9
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:26 am, beenthere said:

    The number of people who fit McCain’s description of “20, 30, 40 years” residents was always a very small component of the undocumented community (I’m trying to be sensitive in my language). The problem was enforcement of Federal laws: that once again we see how certain categories of people are exempt from the laws applied to others. Do you belong to a group that historically supports the democrat party? Then come on down for the goody bag. If you aren’t, too bad. Looks like your life and property are no big deal.

    That is what is so intolerable about this situation, what I call “cafeteria laws,” where belonging to one or more favored groups allows you the option to pick which laws you wish to obey, and allows our government officials to choose which ones to enforce. No, no, a thousand times no. It cannot, must not work that way. But McCain, like his good buddy Theodore Kennedy, could not care less. They think they are above any and all laws, just as they are above us, and I suppose to be fair, it must certainly seem that way to them.

    On a more positive note, I love that picture of McCain. Though I am usually skeptical that a picture can catch the essence of a man, I think this one does, thoroughly.

  10. #10
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:28 am, ACHefty said:

    He is just not that man. Neither are many others. When Bill Nelson was in my home-town explaining that he didn’t support amnesty, he then explained his (McCain’s, Kennedy’s, Bush’s) amnesty plan and how they plan to implement it.

    They are simply calling a duck a chicken.

    See here for more information. Excerpt:

    The first question from a constituent dealt with immigration reform. Readers of this column know that I firmly believe that the first thing to do is close the borders. After that, the Congress can lollygag all they want. Senator Nelson stated that he was opposed to amnesty. He felt “law and order” were the best approach. So far, so good. But then, he immediately launched into the amnesty plan that President Bush is encouraging. It looks like, sounds like, and smells like amnesty, but Nelson won’t call it that.

    Same song, different dance…

  11. #11
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:31 am, ThackerAgency said:

    Let’s see, 1987 all illegals were made legal (in the mold of Ronald Reagan). So in 2003, McCain said there were tons of illegals that had been here for 20, 30, 40 years. Doing the math, that seems like closer to 15 to me as the MOST amount of time that an illegal has been here (by 2003). I wouldn’t say that means we owe them anything.

    How about those families and children of ACTUAL CITIZENS (like me) who have been paying into social security and Medicare all their lives and won’t get anything because you can’t manage it properly?

    That said, I don’t think McCain was any more for it than anyone else even though his name was on it. He didn’t call people who opposed it ‘bigots’ (at least in public - like Huckabee).

    It’s time we all face it, it’s going to be Hillary for 4 years. Get used to it. Maybe the Reupublican party will figure out how to find a SINGLE CONSERVATIVE out of the 300 million American people to represent an alternative to the liberal Democrats.

    I don’t like any of the candidates on either side. All of the candidates we have to choose from makes America look exceedingly weak. It is a shame.

  12. #12
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:31 am, BadIdeaGuy said:

    I’m pretty sure straight talk on the campaign trail was banned by McCain-Feingold.

  13. #13
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:34 am, ajmontana said:

    The pic of McCain has an uncanny likeness to this guy.
    twins?

  14. #14
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:45 am, meatpieandtatters said:

    SHAZAMNESTY! A sudden reversal and denial of a previously held position in favor of illegal immigration.

  15. #15
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:45 am, deepdiver said:

    Just because someone has served their nation honorably and to the best of their ability, and has had moments of brilliance, insight and political integrity, does not mean that person is appropriate for the presidency. I fear we are going to face a Bob Dole type nomination. I’m also starting to think that is what McCain is counting on. Show just well enough in the primaries to make a “it’s my turn and I’m electable” argument like what happened with Dole.

    I’m thinking that if we give Amnesty to illegals who committed felonies to get here, we should give 1 “get out of jail free” Amnesty Card to every legal citizen. Illegals may have been here 20 years, but I have been here nearly 40 years, longer than these illegals (being as Thacker pointed out, they were given amnesty 20 years ago), and think of all millions of citizens who have been here for 60, 70, 80 or 90 years and have never committed a felony and gotten Amnesty for their crime.

    I think I don’t want to pay personal taxes or business taxes this year and would like to use my “Amnesty” card to not be charged or convicted for violating those laws. Any other legal resident/citizen who has been here longer than the 20 years since the last amnesty who wants to use their Amnesty Card for a crime they would like to commit?

  16. #16
    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:59 am, Laree said:

    Michelle,

    Remember your poll on McCain last week, remember the hold your noses and vote option? Given this morning snort and if one holds their nose while voting for McCain, well it might just turn out to be painful on many levels, to vote for McCain?

  17. #17
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:00 pm, coffee said:

    McCain is a lying sack of shamnesty.

  18. #18
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:01 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    Open-borders conservatives

    Talk about your contradiction in terms?

    Paul is the only one espousing a strict constitutional platform.

    Gr8888888888t. So, we need a guy who thinks 19 thugs flew planes into the WTC buildings? Yep, what a great choice he would be.

    McCain – like Ron Paul – will not get the nomination.

  19. #19
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:06 pm, coldfront said:

    Laree said:

    Michelle,

    Remember your poll on McCain last week, remember the hold your noses and vote option? Given this morning snort and if one holds their nose while voting for McCain, well it might just turn out to be painful on many levels, to vote for McCain?

    LAREE!!!! that’s hilarious….LOL :)!!!

  20. #20
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:22 pm, Alphonse said:

    http://laraza.com/news.php?nid=50113

    Nine Million Hispanics Could Vote

    The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute reports that this could be decisive in some states.

    Eileen Truax, La Opinión

    There could well be some nine million registered Latinos who could vote in next year’s presidential election, surpassing by 1.7 million the number of Hispanic voters registered in 2004. This could be decisive in the outcome of the 2008 election in some states, according to an analysis by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) at the University of Southern California.

    Some people don’t have any qualms about voting race.

  21. #21
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:22 pm, TXRose said:

    Can we hope that there is someone that could be drafted at the
    convention instead of what is in the running now?

  22. #22
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:29 pm, Boomer said:

    De-Nile just isn’t a river in Egypt for some people. Maybe his definition of amnesty doesn’t meet what one would find in Webster’s Dictionary. I appreciate his service to the country and everything this once brave warrior went through at the hands of the North Vietnamese people, but he just made the lying crapweasel list just in time for the New Year. It will be a very cold day in hell before he every gets my vote for POTUS.

  23. #23
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:30 pm, mattymatt10 said:

    I remember as a young 21-year old stationed in South Korea seeing John McCain on Leno on Armed Forces TV (during 1999, preparing for 2000 campaign). His combination of humor and military background won my support. I’m ashamed to say no real analysis of issues informed my decision-making at the time.

    But that was a long time ago, and I’ve learned a great deal in the ensuing years. To answer Ms. Malkin’s question, I could not, in good conscience ever vote for McCain.

    Here’s hoping the .00000000001% of Americans in Iowa who will shape the presidential race show some love to Fred Thompson.

  24. #24
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:41 pm, mnmike said:

    With the always necessary caveat being John’s POW history, he is the biggest bag of shinola known to civil discourse.

    The supposed McCain rocket in the polls is loaded with MSM gas.

  25. #25
    On December 31st, 2007 at 12:47 pm, zorro said:

    If he gets the nomination, I’ll request a 90 second waterboarding to help clear my mind before I vote.

  26. #26
    On December 31st, 2007 at 1:16 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    If he gets the nomination, I’ll request a 90 second waterboarding to help clear my mind before I vote.

    This of course is three times longer than the dopey (but extremely dangerous) terrorist was able to bear before spilling his guts! Go Zorro!

  27. #27
    On December 31st, 2007 at 1:20 pm, Papa Louie said:

    Using McCain’s definition of torture, Paris Hilton could sue the government for torture. After all, wasn’t she humiliated by having to wear prison garb? Wasn’t she degraded by having to eat prison food? To me, just being put behind bars would be humiliating and degrading.

    I think McCain should sue the press for the “harsh interrogation” that forced him to lie about his past support for amnesty.

  28. #28
    On December 31st, 2007 at 1:33 pm, nbarry said:

    As of now, I still give my bipartisan support to None of the Above.

  29. #29
    On December 31st, 2007 at 1:48 pm, blues said:

    Papa Louie,according to McMain’s defintion of torture,we should all be able to sue the MSM for subjecting us to Paris Hilton stories,although the photos aren’t all that bad.sarc off.
    Seriously,I can’t see anyone other than Hunter,at this point,who would stand up for the values of conservatives.Of course the reason no one has brought up anything negative about him is because he is so far behind.Frankly,they all SUCK,but any Republican is better than the alternative.

  30. #30
    On December 31st, 2007 at 1:56 pm, Papa Louie said:

    To come to Sen. McCain’s defense here, I have to admit that he does have a valid excuse for lying. He has always claimed that harsh interrogation is torture and that torture never results in reliable information. Those who are tortured only lie to give the interrogator what they want to hear. So, if McCain lies while being harshly interrogated by the press, he is simply a tortured soul saying what he thinks we want to hear, and by doing so is proving himself correct.

  31. #31
    On December 31st, 2007 at 2:14 pm, ArmoredCAV said:

    Would I vote for him in the primary? No. Would he get my vote in the general election? Yes, and not a question about it. I am not going to sulk and not vote because “my guy” didn’t get the nod. ANYBODY with an R is better than ANYBODY with a D. Who says otherwise? You had all better be on board with that next NOV, or it could get bad. I don’t want to wait four years more years for people to clue in. A lot of damage can be done in four years.

  32. #32
    On December 31st, 2007 at 2:16 pm, Papa Louie said:

    Yes, Blues, all the MSM “news” coverage of Anna Nicole, Paris, and other victimized celeBRATies has indeed been torture. That’s why I gave up my cable TV and now rely on Michelle for my news addiction.

    I, too, wish Hunter would get more attention. I’m still waiting for his negatives to be exposed. That doesn’t seem to happen until someone takes a jump in the polls. But he seems to have the best conservative platform of all the candidates.

    What? There’s no “brat” in celebrity? Next, you’ll be telling me there’s no “ham” in Mohammed.

  33. #33
    On December 31st, 2007 at 2:28 pm, blues said:

    Papa-I thought “brat” was the root word in celebraty.

  34. #34
    On December 31st, 2007 at 2:29 pm, blues said:

    OOps,my bad,isn’t ‘BRAT’,ITS’RAT’.

  35. #35
    On December 31st, 2007 at 3:00 pm, CC said:

    #9 beenthere: “But McCain, like his good buddy Theodore Kennedy, could NOT care less”.

    Thank you, thank you. For the first time in ages I’ve seen this phrase written correctly, with the “not” in it, instead of “could care less” which is incorrect.

    Saying one could NOT care less, is the least amount of caring. Saying one could care less, suggests that one could care some more, but doesn’t.

  36. #36
    On December 31st, 2007 at 4:15 pm, gayle said:

    I have almost come to the conclusion that we do not need a president.

    Heck, the illegals are taking over anyway. There are NO political candidates that I trust to follow the rule of LAW.

    We are doomed - my friends.

  37. #37
    On December 31st, 2007 at 5:05 pm, ProudGulfWarVet65 said:

    And happy boo-hoo year to you too, gayle. Cripes.

  38. #38
    On December 31st, 2007 at 5:52 pm, Blind_Mule said:

    is: is the Internet country code top-level domain for Iceland.
    So that’s what Slick Willy was talking about Iceland.

    So what is McCain talking about when he say’s never: Not at all; in no way; absolutely not. Ooop’s sorry John can’t find another definition for ya Slick Willies gonna flunk you in BS 101.

  39. #39
    On January 10th, 2008 at 4:23 am, Ombre Rose said:

    On December 31st, 2007 at 11:04 am, coldfront said:
    Didn’t Bryan point out John McCain’s strong support for John Bolton? I suppose it is something.

    It was expedient, meaningless (given the real Congressional numbers - those handful of Senators who broke for the Dims so very often always knew when their support of a Dim issue was not going to carry the day for the Dims anyway, and was a meaningless and self-damaging empty gesture they could afford to forego for the sake of the reputations), and merely a drop in the ocean (sorry, no where NEAR just a bucket), and expedient.

    And self-serving.

    You think with all his many different colusions with Toady Chapaqquiddick that he couldn’t have twisted Kenney’s arm of this one small thing and gotten it, if he WANTED to?

  40. #40
    On January 10th, 2008 at 4:46 am, Ombre Rose said:

    Hold your nose and vote?

    I’ll vote, no matter what.

    But I will NOT vote McCain, Fred, Rudi, or Huckleberry - NO MATTER WHAT, and remember before you fuss at me OR ANY OTHER CONSERVATIVE about it - Gerald Ford and Robert Dole.
    Not to mention Arnold Schwartzeneggar!!!

    Some of YOU may be able to hold your nose - way way way too many Conservatives CANNOT.

    And WHY SHOULD WE - the PREMISE is that the RINOS would still be “AT LEAST REPUBLICANS”. And “PRESUMED” to be better than DIMS.

    I give you Arnold Schwartzeneggar.
    Who has done even more of the Dim agenda THAN EVEN I THOUGHT HE WOULD EVEN DREAM OF ATTEMPTING! And certainly has proven my point well, for me.

    So to those of you who say that ANY GOP Candidate is better than ANY Dim candidate, I say “KISS MY GRITS!”

    Too many of them ARE THE SAME OR WORSE!

    Who’s the Carrot - Who’s the Stick???

    I.E., Hillary wouldn’t be a Senator much less a Presidential candidate if NOT FOR THE ENABLEMENT OF FRED THOMPSON/McCain’s butt buddy.
    JUST A FACT!
    *Fred’s vote for NOT GUILTY of Perjury for Bill
    *Fred’s diversion of the purpose of the Senate Committee HE CHAIRED which had been ASSIGNED to investigate CHINESE DONATIONS to the Clinton Campaign Funds.
    results of THAT Committee “investigation”??? hear the cricketts chirping??? Seems ol’ Good Ol’ Boy Fred didn’t want to EMBARRASS THE DIMS by exposing their DIRTY LAUNDRY before America!
    So he instead dragged in all the GOP dirty laundry that he could find to make it a “MATCH GAME”, instead!
    Otherwise the Clinton’s would BOTH BE IN JAIL.

    Makes it SOOOOOOOOOOO amusing to hear Fred on Fox News denouncing the activities of the Clintons!

    So barfing!

    What else can you expect of McCain’s Presidential Campaign Manager and Howard Baker protege???

    Hurt America by letting a Dim in office instead of a RINO?

    As John Wayne said to John Russell in Rio Bravo, about the question of it being “MURDER” if the murderer in jail awaiting trial - if his brother tried to break him out of jail before the trial - were to get “ACCIDENTALLY DEAD” before the brother could get to the murderer -

    “Hell, we’d all be dead by then, anyway!”

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