Ben Adler: Revoking Birthright Citizenship: What Would Bush Do?
[Ben Adler is National Editor of Newsweek.com.]
As Matt Bai recalled in his New York Times column this weekend, President George W. Bush wanted a part of his political legacy to be expanding Republicans' appeal to nonwhites, in particular among Latinos. This hardly seemed a preposterous notion when he took office: Bush had performed respectably among Latino voters in Texas, and many Latinos are devout Catholics who lean conservative on social issues.
So much for that! A fierce opposition to illegal immigration swept the Republican base, nearly killing John McCain's presidential campaign in the primaries, and it is bubbling up again. As The Washington Post reports, Tea Party groups are planning an anti-immigration rally at what they say is a popular illegal crossing on the Texas-Mexico border.
In a rush to appease the angry mobs, a gaggle of leading congressional Republicans has raised the idea of revoking the Constitution's apparent granting of citizenship upon birth in the United States. (The 14th Amendment declares "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.")
Some former members of the Bush-Cheney administration think that the 14th Amendment, adopted in the wake of the Civil War, ought not to be changed to suit the GOP's midterm strategy...
Read entire article at Newsweek
As Matt Bai recalled in his New York Times column this weekend, President George W. Bush wanted a part of his political legacy to be expanding Republicans' appeal to nonwhites, in particular among Latinos. This hardly seemed a preposterous notion when he took office: Bush had performed respectably among Latino voters in Texas, and many Latinos are devout Catholics who lean conservative on social issues.
So much for that! A fierce opposition to illegal immigration swept the Republican base, nearly killing John McCain's presidential campaign in the primaries, and it is bubbling up again. As The Washington Post reports, Tea Party groups are planning an anti-immigration rally at what they say is a popular illegal crossing on the Texas-Mexico border.
In a rush to appease the angry mobs, a gaggle of leading congressional Republicans has raised the idea of revoking the Constitution's apparent granting of citizenship upon birth in the United States. (The 14th Amendment declares "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.")
Some former members of the Bush-Cheney administration think that the 14th Amendment, adopted in the wake of the Civil War, ought not to be changed to suit the GOP's midterm strategy...