Thread: John and Jon stay mum on Joe and Phil feud

John and Jon stay mum on Joe and Phil feud
Apr. 29, 2008 12:00 AM

I've received a series of e-mails from Sen. John McCain over the past several weeks, but none of them answered my question about Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

Earlier this month, I wrote to the offices of McCain and Arizona's other senator, Jon Kyl, with what I thought was a relatively simple question: Do the senators support the immigration sweeps being conducted by Sheriff Arpaio, or do they agree with Mayor Gordon, who wants the U.S. Justice Department to determine if Arpaio is violating civil-rights laws?

A Kyl spokesman got angry with me for posting an Internet blog about my query at the same time that I wrote him. He answered, "I'm left to question whether you really wanted to get a response or if your e-mail was merely a formality for a column that you had already written?" advertisement




That was 10 days ago. I responded that I had not yet written a column and was genuinely interested in what Kyl had to say on the subject. I still am.

Kyl recently sponsored a rule change that allows federal law-enforcement agencies to collect DNA from people other than U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are detained by authorities.

But he has said nothing about Arpaio, Gordon and Arizona's on-going immigration crisis.

As for McCain, he has one staff running his presidential campaign and another at his Washington office. I wrote to them both.

I didn't hear from the Senate office.

A McCain campaign spokesman did respond, saying that my question involved a "state issue," and adding, "Don't think he (McCain) would get involved, but you might check with the senate office."

I told him that I had contacted the Senate office and mentioned that at least for now McCain represented Arizona, ground zero on immigration.

In response, the spokesman pointed me to a McCain statement from his campaign Web site. It begins: "Immigration is one of those challenging issues that touch on many aspects of American life. I have always believed that our border must be secure and that the federal government has utterly failed in its responsibility . . . "

It didn't answer whether McCain supports Arpaio or Gordon.

A few weeks ago I asked this same question of Gov. Janet Napolitano and included her answer in a subsequent column. She favors the enforcement approach employed by the state Department of Public Safety and other agencies. Unlike Arpaio, they focus most of their resources on arresting gang members and felons.

Politics is like playing in traffic.

Thanks to Arpaio, Maricopa County is now where the rubber meets the road on immigration. Whether or not you agree with the sheriff's tactics, he is doing us a tremendous service. The more he forces the issue, the more other politicians will be forced to react. It's a political demolition derby.

Kyl and McCain know this firsthand. They got pretty banged up last year while trying to put together a comprehensive immigration-reform bill.

Maybe that's why they now appear to be content to remain in the bleachers.

Still, during the days I've been waiting for McCain to answer my question about Arpaio and Gordon, I've gotten a number of e-mails from his campaign. They've dealt with many issues. Over the weekend I got one that begins:

"We are running a different kind of campaign because John McCain is a different kind of candidate. This week, he traveled to some of the forgotten areas of our nation. From rural Alabama to hurricane-ravaged Louisiana."

Arizona was not mentioned.


http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... 0429.html#

Earlier this month, I wrote to the offices of McCain and Arizona's other senator, Jon Kyl, with what I thought was a relatively simple question: Do the senators support the immigration sweeps being conducted by Sheriff Arpaio, or do they agree with Mayor Gordon, who wants the U.S. Justice Department to determine if Arpaio is violating civil-rights laws?

The Feds have already visited Sheriff Joe Arpaio's place..
www.mcso.org

..and commended him on his FINE work..!

Yee Haa for Sheriff 'Hero' Joe Arpaio..!!