Double standards as wedge issues

Newt Gingrich says it's sickening that President Bush and Congress went on vacation while young Americans are being "massacred" by illegal immigrants, according to a report by Eunice Moscoso for Cox Newspapers.

Although the three victims - college students from Newark, N.J. - were buried last week, and there's been a week-long investigation, Gingrich apparently has already convicted the three suspects in the case based on their immigration status. The Newark Star Ledger has reported that one of the suspects had obtained residency in 2001.

Maybe these guys do have criminal records, maybe they are from other countries - illegally - does this prove they committed the crime? Couldn't it just as well have been three white suspects or three black suspects or three Asian suspects?

Why is ol' Newt so concerned about these three Americans? If he is so concerned about Americans being killed, why hasn't he balked about the thousands of Americans who are killed every year because they don't have any, or enough, health care coverage?

I'm certain Newt knows why there's a flood of illegal immigrants into this country. However, instead of talking about globalization or America's so-called "free trade" agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA, he deliberately distracts his audience.

"As an American, I am sickened," says the former House Speaker, "that the political leadership of America could continue to go on vacation and do nothing. Why are the August vacations for the president and the Congress more precious than the lives of young Americans who are being killed because of government incompetence and inaction?"

Exactly, Newt. Ya think?

And because of this incompetence and inaction, our military is in the middle of a manufactured quaqmire in Iraq, bin Laden is still OUT THERE, the Taliban is doing well in Afghanistan, millions of innocent Americans are without medical or dental care, our nation's infrastructure is crumbling...

I think I also read that Newt is "considering a run for the White House." Well now we know what his choice wedge issue will be.