Hillary - F; Obama - F; McCain - D- on Illegal Immigration

Barack Obama received the endorsement,yesterday, of the Culinary Worker's Union. One of the reasons he received this endorsement is because of promises he has made to bring about comprehensive immigration reform (amnesty). Here's a quote:

"Immigration is a huge issue for our members," said the union's political director, Pilar Weiss, of a local whose members are about 45 percent Hispanic.

Hillary Clinton has never seen a comprehensive immigration reform bill that she wouldn't vote for and her positions are high on amnesty and low on border protection.

John McCain in the last few weeks has had a change of heart from earlier positions, but we must not forget he was the sponsor of one of the largest illegal immigrant giveaways since the Reagan administration. There is nothing in his current positions that shows the hardcore stance many Americans have adopted towards illegal immigrants.

Ballot initiatives denying services and protections to illegal immigrants abound all across the fruited plain. Newly passed laws in Oklahoma and New Mexico have so far been resistant to court challenges.

Yet, while this issue is one that absorbs the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens, it seems to have been forgotten by the candidates - at least in their campaigning. This from a December 2007 Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll:

Compared to other problems facing the country, how big a problem is illegal immigration? Would you say it is one of the most important problems facing the country, or is it an important problem but not one of the most important, or is it not all that important, or is it not important at all?"

The results show 27 % polled rank it the most important; 54% rank it important; 11% say it's not all that important; 6 % say its not that important at all; 2 % are unsure.

Without igniting the ongoing immigration debate (Dobbs does that well enough) it would seem that come the REAL election, the final two candidates are going to have to face the populist immigration issue. It may be the deciding issue if the "immigration mullah" Lou Dobbs keeps up the pressure - as he will.