"If Perry's rivals weren't so hellbent on proving who can be the least thoughtful on the subject of

[pampango]

illegal immigrants, they could learn something from the Texas governor."

Perry, after all, runs a state with a 1,200-mile border with Mexico. More often than his competitors, he has to wrestle with real-world immigration issues, so when he says building a fence along the entire border is a dumb idea, it's worth listening. Ditto when he talks about why it's right to give the undocumented children of illegal immigrants a chance to go to Texas colleges and pay the in-state tuition rate.

In fact, better border enforcement — along with the shaky U.S. economy, crackdowns on the hiring of undocumented workers and lower Mexican birth rates — have dramatically reduced the flow of illegal immigrants. Apprehensions have dropped to their lowest levels in decades, and the border is much safer and less porous than it has been in a generation.

You'd never know that from listening to the GOP presidential debates, though, where there's a sharp disconnect between the tough, anti-immigrant rhetoric and the obvious progress along the border.

To hear rivals savage Perry for defending in-state college tuition for undocumented students is especially disappointing. Perry's position is, of course, politically savvy in a state with many Hispanic voters, but it also stands on its merits: Virtually none of the students had any say in their parents' decision to bring them to the United States. They are bright enough and ambitious enough to qualify for college — exactly the kind of immigrants the nation prizes. Texas, and the nation, are better off if they're educated and productive members of society. A dozen states have already recognized this, but the federal DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act — has been stalled in Washington by anti-immigrant sentiment.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/story/2011-09-26/illegal-immigration-GOP-debate/50560658/1

The twelve states that provide in-state tuition for undocumented students are California (2011), Illinois (2011), Kansas (2004), Maryland (2011), Nebraska (2005), New Mexico (2004), New York (2002), Oklahoma (2008), Texas (2001), Utah (2002), Washington (2003), and Wisconsin (2009).

Some republican states adopted this common sense reform before the tea party took control of the party on immigration policy, but the states that have adopted it this year are all have Democratic legislatures and governors. Perry can't say it now out of fear of appearing to be a flip-flopper, but he is probably sorry that he signed the Texas version of the bill in 2001. It's THE issue that's causing him problems with teabaggers now.

[trumad]

1. It's called Tea Party purity

if you don't have it, forget it...

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. It's interesting that it is Perry not Romney

who is turning out not to be quite "pure" enough for the teabaggers.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. Credit where credit is due

On the issue of illegal immigration, Perry has a significantly more humane position. His condemnation of his fellow GOPer's position as "heartless" was priceless IMHO. His advocacy of vaccination for HPV (though smacking of cronyism) is laudable as well.