Romney: SEN. MCCAIN: "I THINK WE CAN SET UP A PROGRAM WHERE AMNESTY IS EXTENDED..."

"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." – Sen. John McCain (C. T. Revere, "McCain Pushes Amnesty, Guest-Worker Program," Tucson Citizen, 5/29/03)

Sen. McCain "Still Dogged By Immigration Issue":

Many Considered McCain-Kennedy "Tantamount To Amnesty." "For many of those same voters, McCain — co-sponsor of the immigration bill that died in Congress earlier this year — is on the wrong side of the issue. The McCain-Kennedy bill — there's nothing like coupling your name to Ted Kennedy's to automatically enrage some conservatives — would create a path to so-called earned citizenship for some of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. To some voters, earned citizenship for someone who came into the country illegally is tantamount to amnesty." (Ron Claiborne, "McCain Still Dogged By Immigration Issue," ABC News, 12/26/07)

Voters Still Doubt Sen. McCain's Position On Immigration. "Often, his questioners tell him to his face, they just aren't buying it. 'I just think it's not fair to all the people who came here legally and went through the process and now all the illegals, you're gonna give 'em citizenship?' said a woman in Durham, N.H., after hearing McCain explain his stand. 'That's not fair.'" (Ron Claiborne, "McCain Still Dogged By Immigration Issue," ABC News, 12/26/07)

Sen. McCain Hasn't Renounced McCain-Kennedy:

Despite Using Careful New Language On Immigration, Sen. McCain Still Hasn't Renounced McCain-Kennedy. "He hasn't exactly renounced the bill he championed in the spring, but he has fine-tuned his position and changed the emphasis to assure the skeptics and critics — and there are many — that dealing with the fate of those already in the country only occurs after the borders are secured." (Ron Claiborne, "McCain Still Dogged By Immigration Issue," ABC News, 12/26/07)

Sen. McCain Still Won't Admit He Supported Amnesty:

At The Recent CNN/YouTube Debate, Sen. McCain Claimed, "We Never Proposed Amnesty." CNN's ANDERSON COOPER: "Senator McCain, let me bring you back to the question that was asked by the YouTube user. Would you willing to veto any immigration bill that involved amnesty for those who have come here illegally?" SEN. MCCAIN: "Yes, of course, and we never proposed amnesty." (CNN/YouTube, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, St. Petersburg, FL, 11/28/07)

Sen. McCain's Political Director Recently Claimed That Sen. McCain Has "Never Been For Amnesty." "'Obviously when John McCain is attacked with un-truths, we are going to set the record straight,' Dennehy told The Telegraph. 'He's never been for amnesty. That's the bottom line.'" (Kevin Landrigan, "McCain Launches Direct Mail Attack," The [Nashua, NH] Telegraph, 12/18/07)

Yet As Early As 2003, Sen. McCain Was Specifically Calling For Amnesty:

In 2003, McCain Declared, "Amnesty Has To Be An Important Part." "'There are jobs that American workers simply won't do,' McCain said. 'As long as there's a demand for workers, workers are going to come across.' An amnesty program is vital to any immigration legislation that includes a guest-worker program, he said. '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, McCain Also Said, "I Think We Can Set Up A Program Where Amnesty Is Extended To A Certain Number Of People Who Are Eligible..." "Immigration reform that was put on hold after the 9-11 terror attacks must be a priority when Congress reconvenes next week, Sen. John McCain said yesterday. While national security remains a crucial concern in light of the war on terror, lawmakers should pass a guest-worker program that includes amnesty for some illegal workers now in the United States… '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)

And For The Last Few Years, Sen. McCain Pushed For Legislation Widely Derided As Amnesty:

Union Leader Editorial: McCain-Kennedy Proposal "Would Encourage Border Jumping." "Sens. John McCain and Ted Kennedy have a bill that, surprise, includes a generous guest worker program that would encourage border jumping. Illegals who register would have to pay a fine and taxes, but they would get to stay here and apply for permanent residency. That sure beats waiting at the border and hoping to be let in." (Editorial, "Turnstile Security," The [Manchester, NH] Union Leader, 3/27/06)

Mark Krikorian: "The McCain/Kennedy Amnesty Bill Has Been Unveiled, And It’s The Same Hoax We’ve Fallen For Before." "The McCain/Kennedy amnesty bill has been unveiled, and it’s the same hoax we’ve fallen for before. Like the telemarketer who bilks a widow and then comes back in a different guise to charge a fee to 'help' her get the original money back, the anti-borders crowd created today’s immigration crisis and is now offering as a solution the very policies that got us in this mess in the first place." (Mark Krikorian, "Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me," National Review, 5/13/05)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich Said McCain-Kennedy "Actually Provides For Amnesty." NEWT GINGRICH: "However, the bill you mentioned – the Kennedy McCain bill – actually provides for amnesty. And it provides for amnesty for millions of people whose first act in the U.S. was to break the law. I think amnesty is profoundly wrong. I think it sends exactly the wrong signal." (Fox News' "The Big Story," 3/20/06)

Columnist Charles Krauthammer: 2007 Immigration Bill Supported By Sen. McCain Was "Amnesty" And "Vacuous Nonsense." "The immigration compromise being debated in Congress does improve our criteria for selecting legal immigrants. Unfortunately, its inadequacies in dealing with illegal immigration -- specifically, in ensuring that 10 years from now we will not have a new cohort of 12 million demanding amnesty -- completely swamp the good done on legal immigration. … The amnesty is triggered upon presidential certification that these bureaucratic benchmarks are met -- regardless of what is actually happening at the border. What vacuous nonsense." (Charles Krauthmammer, Op-Ed, "One Short Amendment," The Washington Post, 5/25/07)

Brian Darling, Heritage Foundation: "It's Clear To Any Reasonable Person That This Is Amnesty." "'It's clear to any reasonable person that this is amnesty,' said Brian Darling, director of Senate relations for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. 'It's forgiving individuals for being present in the country illegally and working in the country illegally as recently as five months ago.' That, he said, could come back to haunt McCain." (Christi Parsons, "GOP Foes Trade Fire On Immigration," Chicago Tribune, 6/5/07)