Chertoff: won't do job; going after bloggers; will stage show raids to inflame left

DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, in a meeting with the editorial board of USA Today, admitted that he's not going to do the job he's supposed to be doing, said that the White House will be creating a "rapid response" team to counter criticism from the MSM and from bloggers, and implied that those immigration raids that he'll be conducting in the future will be designed to inflame the left and other illegal immigration supporters.

Bottom line: Congress should try to get him fired. Since it's clear that he has not and will not do his job, that should be easy. Except, of course, most of them appreciate the fact that he's not doing his job.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday that Republican conservatives working to block an immigration bill risk endorsing a "silent amnesty" by insisting on deportations that are "not going to happen."

Chertoff also leveled criticism at liberal immigrant rights advocates, saying they could prolong the anguish of immigrant families by withholding support for legislation that could make them legal.

...a "rapid response" team is countering critics, not only in the conventional media but, for the first time, on Internet blogs, said White House communications director Kevin Sullivan...

Chertoff acknowledged that there is "a fundamental unfairness" in a bill allowing illegal immigrants to stay. But trying to force them to leave would be impossible, Chertoff said, "We are bowing to reality."
Trying to force many of them to leave would not be impossible if we had a DHS Secretary who was willing to do his job, together with a president who would make sure that he was doing his job.
..."[Responding to attrition:] You're not going to replace 12 million people who are doing the work they're currently doing," Chertoff said. "If they don't leave, then you are going to give them silent amnesty. You're either going to let them stay or you're going to be hypocritical."

[Rep. Brian] Bilbray said his idea hasn't worked because "there's been a conscious strategy of not enforcing the law."
Chertoff, whose department has staged a number of recent raids that have resulted in mass roundups of illegal workers and sharp protests from religious groups, warned there will be more if the workers don't get a chance to become legal. "We're going to enforce the law," he said. "People all around the country will be seeing teary-eyed children whose parents are going to be deported."
I've suspected that some of the high profile raids which appeared to have been flubbed were intentionally managed in a way to generate the most negative publicity, and Chertoff has just almost confirmed my suspicions.
[Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez says:] "The reality is, we don't have enough people," said Gutierrez, adding that many of the USA's economic competitors, such as France, Germany, Japan and China, will be facing a similar demographic shift. "The big challenge of the 21st century is: Who gets the people? Who gets the immigrants?" he said. "We don't appreciate today that these people are coming in for free."

Comments

"......a "rapid response" team is countering critics." Earth to Chertoff: Those critics are YOUR OWN PARTY!

Chertoff is one of the evildoers. The blood is also on his hands, as it is Kennedy/Bush/McCain etc.

"We don't appreciate today that these people are coming in for free" LOL. Well, if they don't like the deal they are getting here, they are free to try to go to one of those other countries.

Going after bloggers? Well, as the leader of the FOR SALE (as opposed to FREE) WORLD once said, "Bring it on!"

Chertoff is concerned about the illegal aliens "prolonged anguish"? Oh, how horrible it is, forcing them against their will to live in America. Set them free from all the anguish, release them from their bondage. Allow them to return home! In fact, insist on it. It would be the family values thing to do.

"The big challenge of the 21st century is: Who gets the people? Who gets the immigrants?" Like Michael Gerson's comparison of Tancredo and Huntington, Gutierrez is a lowbrow version of Julian Simon. Each time one of Gutierrez or Chertoff opens their mouth, I have to reevaluate which is the bigger boob. However, the quote above puts Gutierrez in the lunatic category. As for Chertoff, Mikey, you are supposed to be ENFORCING law. After hobnobbing with Teddy Kennedy now he thinks he's a legislator, economist, political commentator, etc.--everything but his actual job. When people whine to law enforcement, the standard reply is 'we just enforce the law'. Has any other serving law enforcement officer at any level ever talked so much but done so little?

quote] "The reality is, we don't have enough people," said Gutierrez, adding that many of the USA's economic competitors, such as France, Germany, Japan and China, will be facing a similar demographic shift. "The big challenge of the 21st century is: Who gets the people? Who gets the immigrants?" he said. "We don't appreciate today that these people are coming in for free." /quote] some questions for this brown la reconquista advocate: -Were americans ever consulted through a referendum over the immigration issue ? What if a majority of americans don't want them ? Isn't it their country after all ? -why import people to do jobs instead of lowering taxes so that nationals could do them and still earn a decent living ? -why import people from foreign races or cultures and risk a balkanization of the host country instead of encouraging the nationals to make more children ? -if the proportion of public funds that they use directly or indirectly is a lot higher than their proportion of the population why tell us that they come for free ? more than 80 hospitals in California have closed in the recent years because of all the illegals not insured getting medical care. Even in New Jersey the medical costs of illegals is in the hundreds of millions.