McCain sends mixed message to Latino voters

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WASHINGTON -- At a key moment during her Oct. 2 vice presidential debate with Joe Biden, Sarah Palin looked straight into the TV camera and said, "Well, the nice thing about running with John McCain is I can assure you he doesn't tell one thing to one group and then turns around and tells something else to another group."She was referring to the financial "bailout plan" which had failed in the House of Representatives. The Senate passed a proposal the afternoon of the debate and the House later approved the measure.But the bailout bill was not the one where the truth has been stretched like a rubber band. McCain championed an immigration reform bill in the Senate with Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) in 2006 that went down in flames. This January he told CNN he would not support his own bill if he became president. Then he told the late Tim Russert later the same month on "Meet the Press" he would sign itNow we know he can contradict himself in English. But does McCain currently have one position in Spanish and another in English when it comes to immigration?Consistently, studies show from 60 percent to 75 percent of the population wants some kind of reform. About a quarter don't want a resolution by way of "amnesty," which includes a path to legalization.The Republican platform doesn't give McCain much wiggle room to bring the majority view into the fold. He has a problem in the critically important New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Florida, swing states where pro-immigration-reform Latino voters will determine the outcome.In a TV interview last month with Univision anchor Jorge Ramos (conducted in English, but aired using Spanish voice-overs for that network's audience) McCain said he favored a step-by-step process to "apply and achieve citizenship." He stated he favors a "path to citizenship" for about 10 million people who should pay a fine and wait their turn in line after other immigrants. He prefaced, "My position is very clear.""Amnesty," the GOP convention platform scornfully labels it, in very clear English. Referring to his original Senate proposal on Univision, McCain interjected, "By the way, Senator Obama tried to kill it." He was referring to proposed amendments to eliminate a guest worker program from the bill.That was the message to a Spanish-language audience in late September. Just days later, by Oct. 1, the McCain-Palin campaign was promoting a new Spanish TV ad accusing Obama "and his allies in Congress" of fighting for "poison pill amendments...to kill the immigration reform compromise." The ad was for airing in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, all swing states.Back in 2006, McCain was thanking fellow senators Brownback, Lieberman, Graham, Salazar, Martmnez, Obama and DeWine for working to move his comprehensive immigration bill "successfully intact through the legislative process."His new Spanish campaign ad, entitled "Fraudulent," clearly paints McCain as the reformer and Obama as a deceiver. "They've said no to us long enough," the ad closes. "This election, let's tell them no."In North Carolina, where the campaign to "get tough with illegal immigrants" showcases a grand total of 112 students spread through the state's 52 community colleges, McCain's campaign issued a statement opposing the amnesty or benefits for undocumented immigrants.Campaigning there, Obama said he favored undocumented students' rights to attend, a position consistent with his stand for immigration reform.So did McCain mean what Jorge Ramos' audience heard him say in Spanish? Or is the "Straight Talk Express'' delivering the real John McCain in English.And, oh yes, did Sarah Palin fact-check what she believes before looking into the camera and proving John McCain's pants are on fire?(Jose de la Isla writes weekly commentaries for Hispanic Link News Service. Email him at joseisla@yahoo.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)