| Now what Spitzer wants to do is get rid of that requirement and make it so that people can present other valid documentation, including a valid foreign passport, to obtain a driver's license. So all he's doing is getting rid of the SSN policy and implementing another policy involving valid documentation. That's all it is.
However, this plan has been depicted by those who don't know anything about this plan or people who just hate Spitzer in general as a plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Lou Dobbs has said that Spitzer will be giving these licenses away, which is a lie. New York State Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, a Republican, argued that Osama bin Laden is sipping champagne over this announcement. This is what we get in response: Ignorance and idiocy.
So what does this have to do with Hillary Clinton? During tonight's debate, this issue became not just a New York state issue, but a national issue:
Dodd also was the only candidate who raised his hand when Brian Williams, managing editor and anchor of "NBC Nightly News," asked whether anyone believed illegal immigrants should not have driver's licenses. "This is a privilege, not a right," he said.
Clinton may have given her opponents an opening to bear down on their "doubletalk" attack. In a convoluted answer to the same question, Clinton first said she thought New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to let illegal immigrants have driver's licenses "makes a lot of sense." Then she said she did not endorse Spitzer's plan even though she repeated that he had the right idea. Then she accused Russert of asking a "gotcha" question.
Edwards leaped, noting that Clinton appeared to have given two different answers in less than two minutes.
"I think this is a real issue for the country," he said. "I mean, America is looking for a president who will say the same thing, who will be consistent, who will be straight with them."
I wrote a diary before expressing my thoughts about Hillary Clinton. She is one of my senators here in New York and I have respected the job she has done as one of our representatives in Washington D.C.
However, in regards to this issue, I would've respected her response if she said "No, I don't support Spitzer's plan" or if she said "Yes, I support the plan." She said neither, if you look at that portion of the debate over and over again. John Edwards was right. She did say two different things. But she worded them just right that she seemed not to be for it, but not really against it either.
Kind of like... "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." Just like we asked what was Bill Clinton talking about when he said that, we will question which side of the Spitzer-driver's license debate Hillary is on.
But like I said, I would've respected her if she came out for or against it. If she picked a position, I would've respected it. I might not have agreed with her, but I would've been happy to know that I know where she would stand on this issue.
And thus, my biggest problem with Hillary Clinton. I have been criticized by others for NOT supporting her, even when I can provide and make great points as to why I don't support her candidacy. But my biggest issue with her is the fact that on issues like this, you don't really know how she stands.
After the debate, I was waiting for some type of focus on this, considering Clinton's status as the leader of this pack and being that she is holding onto a dominating lead in the national polls. Yet, we get talk about Dennis Kucinich's comments regarding UFOs and Bill Richardson's comments about a government coverup.
Nevertheless, Hillary flip-flopped right before our eyes tonight. It's too bad that the media's eyes were closed while the rest of ours were open. |
