http://www.weeklystandard.com/Check.asp ... 68&r=ntsfn

Tancredo's Credo
One-note Tom.
by David Harsanyi
3/3/2007 12:03:00 AM, Volume 012, Issue 25



Denver
Don't worry: Tom Tancredo--the latest Republican to stick a toe in the presidential waters--knows exactly what he's doing. The Colorado congressman's sporadic inflammatory outbursts are merely part of a symbiotic relationship with the media. The process goes something like this: (1) Tancredo lets fly with a provocative statement, (2) the media run with statement, meeting their right-wingers-are-fanatics quota for the day, and (3) Tancredo's name recognition grows.



Take Tancredo's recent assertion that Miami is a "third world country." The comment provoked humor columnist Dave Barry to retort by calling him a "xenophobic dimwit" and "stupid idiot" (really, the insults were funny in context). But the very fact that Barry used his nationally syndicated column to hammer a representative from a quiet suburban Denver district proves that Tancredo is far from an idiot.



"Calculating politician" might be a more appropriate description. Like anyone in his line of work, Tancredo craves publicity. Feeding off a growing agitation over illegal immigration, the congressman has an edge on his colleagues. Many of Tancredo's supporters have legitimate concerns about border enforcement; others believe the United States is turning into Guatemala; and then there's a group that is convinced George Bush--with the help of sinister multinational corporations--is trying to sell our sovereignty to China for kicks. To save America from these various self-inflicted calamities, Tancredo has formed a presidential exploratory committee.
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