Still don't trust him on illegal immigration, and will not vote for him.
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Posted on Fri, Nov. 02, 2007
McCain talks tough on immigration
By Lisa Fleisher - The Sun News

Sen. John McCain said Thursday he will vote against any issue related to immigration reform until the borders are secured - even if it's an issue he agrees with.

McCain, an Arizona Republican running for president, made the comments during an interview with the editorial board of The Sun News before he spoke before a full auditorium at Coastal Carolina University.

The immigration issue has dogged him across conservative South Carolina. McCain said a win in South Carolina is pivotal, and it would be "awfully hard" to win the nomination without winning the state.

He said his support for an attempt at immigration reform at the start of the summer was a "very hard blow" to his campaign.

"This immigration issue became white-hot, and people were truly frightened," he said. "I haven't changed my position, but I certainly understand the priority of the people, and that's secure the borders."

Last week, McCain skipped a Senate vote on immigration legislation called the DREAM Act - Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors. He then said he would have voted against the bill, even though he was a co-sponsor.

The act, essentially, would allow most people who had entered the United States before age 16 who have been in the country for five years to remain and apply for permanent residency.

"I think it has certain virtues associated with it," McCain said of the DREAM Act. "And I think other things have virtues associated with it. But the message is they want the borders secured first."

He said he even would vote against a temporary worker program, which he supports.

"I will vote against anything until we secure the borders," he said.

"There is no way we're going to enact piecemeal immigration reform."

A spokeswoman for Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who sponsored the DREAM Act, ripped McCain for his statements.

"Think about all the kids who are going to be deported in the next six months while he waits for comprehensive immigration reform that he knows is unlikely to pass the Senate," said the spokeswoman, Sandra Abrevaya.

To the editorial board and in front of around 270 people at CCU, McCain also said he supported President Bush's embattled nominee for attorney general, Michael Mukasey.

McCain said Mukasey believes waterboarding is "repugnant," that Mukasey was not briefed on the procedures because those are classified, and Mukasey does not think the president can disregard the law in a signing statement.

At CCU, McCain discussed his support for choice in education and health care, among other things, and took questions from the audience.

"I appreciated the fact that he did address our future," said Jamie Dellisanti, 24, a CCU senior majoring in finance, though she noted that he probably was tailoring his speech to his student audience.

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