Fred Thompson On Immigration Reform Bill

In an interview with Mark Levin, Fred Thompson demonstrates civility, common sense, and a realistic worldview while discussing immigration reform. The link takes you to a transcript and an mp3. Here's a little taste. Notice that although Mark Levin tries to frame the discussion in terms of party politics, Fred simple speaks of doing the right thing.

FDT: Part of our problem is the inducements that we give folks here. You know, I've pointed out that I don't think that we have to have a choice between amnesty on the one hand, and trying to arrest everybody and put them on buses. Practically, that's not going to happen. But you don't have to choose between those if you can have attrition through enforcement, if we enforce the law with regard to employers - and we have an eligibility verification system out there that's voluntary; it should be mandatory - if we made arrests, if we reduced the inducements that especially some of these states give - some of which is against federal law incidentally, and some of that is not being enforced - if we talked a little straighter to Mexico - and the fact that their national policy is dependent upon the exportation of their own citizens - for their own economic benefit, sending money back and so forth - there are plenty of things that we could do, I think, to take care of this problem. If we could do it, but part of it has to do though with the states that are doing these things.

MRL: Is it also part of the problem - putting these Republicans aside - that you have a Democrat Party that thinks by doing this that eventually they will so change the makeup of the country in terms of politics, in terms of political allegiance, they they'll increase Democrat voters. Because, let's face it - poor people coming from the Third World into this country, most of them don't vote Republican. Because, you know, most of them are not conservative in terms of philosophy. Because if you give them a choice between "Hey, you have a right to national health care," and "Let's step back and talk in terms of cost effectiveness," what are they going to respond to? And the Democrats know this. Wouldn't this be a potential destruction of the Republican Party?

FDT: Well, I would hope not because I don't know how this thing's going to turn out. But we're in a danger zone here because we're playing the Democats' game. The Democrats have decided that the politicians that make it the easiest for people to come into this country are going to get their votes. And some of the Republicans are looking at that and saying, "They may just be right, and we want to get in on the action." I think that's driving a lot of this. You know, I don't know the answer to that, but if you study history, you come to the conclusion that doing the right thing often times works out. We can't predict how this is going to work or how that's going to work, but when the rule of law is at stake, when national security is at stake, when you're doing some things that's unfair to good people who are standing in line waiting their turn to be good United States citizens legally, then you have to put that aside. And as Republicans we have always been more likely to take that position. And I'm hoping that at the end of the day that's still where most of our legislators are going to be on this, and we can get back to where we need to be, focusing on border security.

Run, Fred, run!