Political winds shifting for Tancredo

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_2942775


By Dan Haley
Denver Post Editorial Board



Told three years ago to never darken the doorsteps of the White House again, Congressman Tom Tancredo suddenly is the toast of Washington.

OK, that's pushing it, but more and more people want to hear from the Littleton Republican, who's been on a one-man crusade against illegal immigration since he was elected in 1998.

Even Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman is saying nice things about him. Three years ago, the party was embarrassed by Tancredo, saying he didn't represent mainstream Republicans.

But the winds are shifting.

You can expect immigration reform to replace Social Security as the next big issue in Washington when lawmakers return from their August recess.

Before they adjourned, President Bush visited the Republican congressional caucus and lawmakers told him they were getting hammered at home over immigration. Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave hears about it wherever she goes.

Tancredo has been barnstorming the country, trying to make immigration an issue in the 2008 presidential race and threatening to run if no one else picks up the torch. He's as suspicious as anyone as to why immigration is suddenly the hot topic - his rabble-rousing paying off? - but it's likely a combination of things, including the London bombings, that has Washington ready to act.

Either way, it's long overdue.

The immigration president?

Speaking of Tancredo, his would-be presidential run is turning a few heads. He landed the No. 9 spot on PoliticalDerby.com's power rankings for the 2008 race - one spot ahead of Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. "He's gone from an afterthought to a candidate worthy \[of\] an extra look," the site reads. "... He's speaking on college campuses, and his message is being eaten up faster than a cheese danish at a Howard Dean presser."

Tancredo stumped in California last week and has trips planned this month to Utah, Minnesota and Iowa. Next month, he'll head back to New Hampshire, the nation's first primary state.