Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post says John McCain has gone "on offense" regarding illegal immigration. No, he's not going on offense against illegal immigrants, but against critics of the "compromise" reform plan he helped engineer which critics say amounts to amnesty for illegals.
Cillizza writes:
No issue animates the Republican base like immigration. And, in the days following the announcement of a bipartisan deal on the issue, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) found himself on the receiving end of a series of body blows from his presidential rivals -- most notably former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) -- who attacked the agreement as nothing more than amnesty.
Privately, the McCain campaign seethed at the characterization that he was backing amnesty; they argued that his work on the issue was a prototypical example of his willingness to tackle tough issues and try to find solutions to them.
While President Bush has begun to make that same case, it's clear the McCain people are now taking matters into their own hands. Over the last week, McCain has made a flurry of appearances on conservative talk radio television to sell the plan. He's been on "The Mike Gallagher Show," Sean Hannity's radio show," The Michael Medved Show," "Captain's Quarters Blog Radio" as well as local radio programs in South Carolina, Iowa and Arizona. He also appeared last night on "The O'Reilly Factor"
McCain will continue the offensive through Monday when he has a major immigration address plan aimed at making his case to the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce in Coral Gables, Fla. The argument? Doing nothing amounts to the very amnesty that conservatives are railing against.
It's a silly argument. The 12 million aren't going anywhere, that's true, but that really just means we don't have to compromise - we can insist on doing the border security and fence first, before doing anything about the 12 million who are already here.
But, really, McCain has no choice. He has to defend the immigration plan - it's, basically, his baby. Politically, he's an a no-win situation. If he walks away from the immigration plan he looks like a weakling shifting with the political winds rather than a leader. In going "on offense" for his plan he is showing strength and character of leadership - but he's trying to lead people where they don't want to go. In going on offense for his immigration plan, John McCain is going on offense against a large segment of the Republican Party.
You've got to admire his courage and sincerity. You just shouldn't expect him to win the nomination.
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