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Easy Target, Cheap Politics
May 2, 2005

His approval rating sinking and his agenda stalled, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently has decided it's time to regroup. Unfortunately, instead of reverting to the bipartisan governor who just last year crafted compromises over cigars, he's keeping the tough-guy act. He has found a new group to rail against that he knows will prove less popular than teachers and nurses. Enemy numero uno is now illegal immigrants.

The governor of California has every right to be frustrated with this nation's dysfunctional approach to immigration. The United States relies heavily on undocumented workers while paying lip service to the idea that they are not welcome, a surreal contradiction that imposes any number of burdens on local and state governments. Schwarzenegger, in our view, has taken the wrong position on one of the classic dilemmas facing state governments â€â€