When you hear that John McCain is speaking to an AFL-CIO immigration forum, alarm bells should instantly start ringing. The man is positively desperate to cozy up with his leftist masters. He's not going to miss a chance to kiss the glorious union ring. So, when you hear that he used the appearance to announce his willingness to pare back border security in an immigration reform deal, you shouldn't be surprised.
McCain made it clear that, while amnesty "a pathway to citizenship" would always be a "fundamental element" of the reform bill, everything else could "be adjusted" as part of a House/Senate deal to secure passage.
His primary example was border security. As passed by the Senate, the bill would double the number of border patrol agents in an effort to stem the tide of illegals. McCain thinks that's a waste of time.
"We don't need 20,000 additional border patrol agents," McCain told the AFL-CIO. "But what we do need is use of technology that has been developed where we can survey the border more effectively."
If the $46 billion earmarked for new agents is such a waste, why did McCain vote for it in the first place?
"I voted for it so friends of mine would be comfortable that we are securing the border," McCain said. "But the real securing of the border is with technology, as opposed to individuals."
In other words, he voted for it so his fellow Republicans - who are suckers - would believe he actually intended to follow through with the security end of the plan. Now that the bill has escaped the Senate, he can chuck those morons under the bus. If he gets his way, we'll just throw a few drones at the border, and McCain will be able to claim victory.
There's a lesson here if the GOP membership is interested in learning it. Trusting John McCain is like feeding cobras by hand. Eventually, you're going to get bit. The base has known this for years.
However, it seems unlikely that McCain's gullible colleagues will ever catch on.
