We are being led by ideologues who are wilfully ignorant of the legal topics about which they do not hesitate to opine. These people lack a simple inquisitiveness of the mind on topics about which they already have made up their minds.
First, Attorney General Eric Holder, the chief law enforcement official in the federal government:
Now Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security
I wonder if Barack Obama has actually read the Arizona law. If he ever gives another press conference, perhaps we can find out.
Of course, given the performances of Holder and Napolitano, I’m sure Obama will have read it by then.
Epilogue: Holder’s analysis was not far off base, as he did not ascribe racist motivations to the supporters of the law, and I agree that the law has the potential to be abused like many laws. But just because Holder ended up almost in the right place does not mean he should opine on things he has not read.
Update: Holder apparently also had not read a standing Justice Department memo setting forth the DOJ’s official position that states have the inherent power to enforce the federal immigration laws:
The document, written in 2002 by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, concluded that state police officers have “inherent power” to arrest undocumented immigrants for violating federal law. It was issued by Jay S. Bybee, who also helped write controversial memos from the same era that sanctioned harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects.
The author of the Arizona law — which has drawn strong opposition from top Obama administration officials — has cited the authority granted in the 2002 memo as a basis for the legislation. The Obama administration has not withdrawn the memo, and some backers of the Arizona law said Monday that because it remains in place, a Justice Department lawsuit against Arizona would be awkward at best.
And via JWF, Another of Obama’s Clowns Admits he Hasn’t Read SB 1070 (at 2:05):
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Related Posts:
Eric Holder Agrees The Arizona Immigration Law Is Not Racist
Do NOT Read This Supreme Court Decision
Saturday Night Card Game (The Arizona Immigration Bill Is Not Racist)
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