In their efforts to defend their racist law, Arizona officials have cited increasing violence along the border, Sen. John McCain claimed that Phoenix has become the “No. 2 kidnapping capital in the world,” (after Mexico City, of course) and Gov. Jan Brewer asserted that “Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying there that have been beheaded.” The problem is that none of this is true.
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post on Sunday demonstrated the falsity of each of these claims, but his article appeared on the “Sunday Opinion” page. If the Governor and senior Senator of a state make claims that are demonstrably false, shouldn’t that be on the front page, in the news section? Be that as it may, this is what we are up against in the struggle for immigration reform. Out-and-out lies.
The other night, I had martinis with a conservative friend. We do not agree about much, except that we enjoy discussing the issues of the day with each other. I also learn something every time I spend time with this conservative thinker. But, if he were just willing to lie about facts, I do not think there would be much point in the discussion. One of the things we discussed was President Obama’s inability to foster the kind of post-partisan politics he preached during the campaign. Here is Exhibit A as to why the President’s ambition for a less partisan politics was doomed by the Republicans and not by him: When a once outstanding Senator like John McCain is willing to simply lie to defeat a proposal he once co-sponsored, what is the point in discussing things with him?
