Critics press Romney on immigration view (Boston Globe)

[Eugene]

Source: Boston Globe

Critics press Romney on immigration view
Behind his barbs, few specifics seen

By Scott Helman, Globe Staff | June 1, 2007

A blunt cliché best captures John McCain's rebuttal to persistent
attacks from Mitt Romney over his immigration plan: Put up or
shut up.

In his appeals to conservative voters, Romney has made the
Arizona senator's work on immigration one of his favorite
targets. When McCain and other senators unveiled the latest
reform bill two weeks ago, Romney called it the "wrong approach"
and immediately launched a television ad slamming "amnesty" for
illegal immigrants.

But while Romney has been aggressive with his barbs, he has
offered no specific solutions of his own to the immigration
crisis. With McCain and his surrogates pushing the issue hard,
Romney is facing increasing questions about what he would do
about the problem.

-snip-

Romney's critics and presidential rivals have seized on such
comments, accusing him of throwing bombs but being unwilling
to do the hard work of crafting a viable alternative.

"Somebody needs to tell Romney that if he's president he'll
have to propose legislation to deal with these issues, work
with Congress on getting it passed, or (veto) whatever comes
out of Congress," one blogger wrote on the site Ankle Biting
Pundits. "As president you don't get to pass the buck or leave
the specifics to others."

-snip-

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/01/critics_press_romney_on_immigration_view