Is Tony Snow Playing Americans for Fools?
In a telling exchange, Whitehouse Press Secretary Tony Snow yesterday compared the amnesty granted illegals in the Senate bill to a traffic ticket, “If you had a traffic ticket and you paid it, you’re not forever a speeder, are you? So the fact is, you have paid your debt to society, and we have come up with a way to make sure that the debt to society gets paid. Then you move forward.”
Snow has long been regarded as a moderate conservative with a high level of inside access but a guy, nevertheless, who maintains down-to-earth middle-America sensibilities. The above statement, coupled with another statement Snow made on Rush Limbaugh’s radio program Thursday paint quite a different portrait however.
Snow told Limbaugh, and I’m paraphrasing, “Listen Rush, you and I are both optimists, and I have to believe that after these folks have been here a while, they’re going to look around and say, ‘America is really a great country.’” I may have gotten a few of the words wrong, but that is an accurate representation of Snow’s comment.
That leaves us with two probable conclusions. Either Snow is not paying attention to the millions of illegals who have already been here for a while, yet are out there waving Mexican flags or upside-down American flags in defiance of U.S. law or he’s become a true Washington insider who cynically holds a low view of the average American and is whitewashing the seriousness of the situation.
In any case, the rosy picture of millions of illegals yearning for U.S. citizenship may appeal to idealists, but it just isn’t the truth. Judging by the messages that gushed forth at the recent rallies, most illegals would be just as happy to remain Mexican citizens while living, working, and taking as much of our generosity as they can get within our borders.