Romney: SEN. MCCAIN "NEVER SUPPORTED AMNESTY"?

Sen. McCain Called For Amnesty; Pushed A Bill Derided As Amnesty

Sen. McCain, 2003: "I think we can set up a program where amnesty is extended to a certain number of people who are eligible…" (C. T. Revere, "McCain Pushes Amnesty, Guest-Worker Program," Tucson Citizen, 5/29/03)

Sen. McCain, 2007: "The fact is that I've never supported amnesty." (ABC's "This Week," 12/30/07)

Sen. McCain Claims He Has "Never Supported Amnesty":

On ABC's "This Week," Sen. McCain Claimed "I've Never Supported Amnesty."


SEN MCCAIN: "The fact is that I've never supported amnesty." (ABC's "This Week," 12/30/07)

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

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)

Sen. McCain Teamed Up With Sen. Ted Kennedy To Push 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)

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)

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)

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 Krauthammer, 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)