Arizona's Gov. Jan Brewer fires back at Obama's Napolitano and Mexico's Calderon

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer launched a double-barrage back Thursday at President Obama's Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who took the occasion of his state visit to Washington to twice criticize the law of an American state.

“I think that’s really unfortunate," Brewer told Greta Van Susteren on the Fox News Channel. "I don’t believe he understands what the law actually says and I don’t mean that derogatory. The fact of the matter is that it prohibits racial profiling; its illegal in the state of Arizona. And racial profiling is illegal in the United States.”

Brewer added: “I’ve also heard (Calderon) say he wants a safer border. And I don’t know what the code word is in there, but for me it seems that he wants something maybe that we in America might not want.”

Brewer also addressed the admission by her gubernatorial predecessor, Napolitano, that the cabinet secretary, like Obama Atty. Gen. Eric Holder, has not actually read the....

...state legislation they have been so heartily deriding. (See Related Items below for numerous links on this topic.)

“For her to say she hadn’t even read the bill that I signed," Brewer said, "is just unconscionable.”

Polls have shown broad support for Arizona's legislative frustration over federal inaction in securing the border with Mexico. Now comes a new Arizona poll showing how badly the controversy has hurt Brewer's standing among Arizonans:

Not!

In the last month of sustained Democratic criticism from outside the state, the Republican governor's approval inside her state has jumped 19 points to 45%, far ahead of her Aug. 24 primary competitors with the closest now at 18%, according to Rasmussen Reports

  A week after signing the legislation, Brewer lead her most likely Democratic opponent 48-40. New November match-up numbers are due out Friday from Rasmussen.

Brewer said: “I keep questioning the fact of this continuation of misleading, I believe, the American public on the facts.”

The governor claimed she has written Obama administration officials frequently seeking help securing the border with Mexico. She called it "really frustrating" that there has been "absolutely no response."

“They stepped up," she noted, "They helped Texas. They helped California. And here we sit, the drug corner of the world. They need to step up and secure our borders.”

About the announced boycott of Arizona by the Los Angeles City Council and the responding threat of one Arizona power regulator to sever the large volume of electrical power sent there, as The Ticket described right here, Brewer said:

We do have a contract with Los Angeles and they could void that I suppose, or if they didn’t pay the electric bill maybe we could turn the lights off, but we’re not gonna just flip the switch.

Brewer added: "We have the right in Arizona, as does everyone else in the country, to feel safe.” 

Related items:

Joe Biden update: Mexican Pres. Calderon's speech prompts deep thoughtzzz

Obama folks having real t-r-o-u-b-l-e reading Arizona's new i-l-l-e-g-a-l immigrant l-a-w

Los presidentes Calderon y Obama talk about the sensitive border issue

A California mayor wants to hang out the illegal immigrants Unwelcome sign

Support broadens among Americans for Arizona's illegal immigrant law

See for yourself: Complete text of the Arizona law and Executive Order

Arizona Gov. Brewer explains signing nation's toughest immigration bill

So what does the new Arizona law actually do?

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Associated Press; Gregory Bull / Associated Press (Illegal immigrants deported to Mexico from Arizona).

Comments

[Jake Fuerer]

Govenor Jan Brewer is hERO! Save the Republic!

[rkp]

look, i love mexican people. many of them are friendly, cook great, and work hard. what i don't love is having people of any race come into the country illegally. i don't enjoy being forced to see a menu in spanish and in english. reading the board at mcdonalds tonight was a nightmare. they had a big advertisement all mixed up.

the mexican president should do better for his people. they want to come here and revolt, why don't they revolt down there? take back their country they're so proud of and make it livable. if it is viva mexico then live it and fight for your own country people. stop trying to take over mine and change our way of living. i wasn't born here to pay your welfare.

[The race card]

Look out for that cartel. You can't hide all your life

[Arizona Hispanic]

I watched FoxNews today and was so proud of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer standing up to Liar-In-Chief Obama and the President south of the Arizona border. Want to know what an illegal alien looks like? Come to my neighborhood. They turned our once-nice neighborhood into what looks like a poor Mexican village in Mexico.
Arizona Hispanics (Proud Americans with Mexican heritage) supports Governor Jan Brewer and SB1070.

[tuna74]

I have voted Democrat all my life.After seeing what Obama Did to you.
That has come to an end.It's time to vote them all out.
I pledge my support at the poll's in November.
Democrat where i live in NJ Feel the same.

[D Lusardi]

I hope Gov. Brewer keeps the pressure on Washington. It is also vital for people to continue to express their opinion by email, faxing their representatives, etc. I fear the administration will try to ram some half-baked compromise "reform" plan through if we do not continue to protest.

[Geena Rodriguez]

I love this woman. How rare: a politician with integrity.

Recall Villaraigosa.

Impeach Obama.

[YA]

I believe Hussein Obama hates America. When he finish destroying it, he will take our money ( if there's any left ), and his family, to a muslim country that he loves, and live. Whatever brain he has is locked-in with radicals and America's enemies around the world.

[Tami Anon]

I stand behind Jan Brewer and the immigration law 100%. To have the head of Homeland Security specifically mention AZ, and conciders maybe not taking legal actions for the illegals felonous behavior? The President Of The United States took an oath to protect the U.S. citizens and it's borders. These officials and their actions are unexcusable and despicable. Why does the immigration law need reform? Why don't they just enforce the current laws? Why aren't any of our elected officials speaking out for the people of the United States? I don't know what Obama's agenda is, but one thing I know it's not going to be in our of the U.S. citizen. They are trying to ban the American Flag. For Gods sake people what is going on?

[Tami Anon]

"it's not going to be in our favor"...sorry for the typo.

[dprosenthal]

Is it too early to nominate this great woman for president?
Among his many other failings, Obama has no understanding of diplomacy or protocol, or even common courtesy. Just as he called the police who arrested the professor "stupid' before he knew the facts of the situation, he condemns a law enacted by one of our own states without the courtesy of a call to the governor. I seriously doubt that he has even read the whole 11 pages but being uninformed has never stopped him from attacking what he THINKS he knows.

[HappyCamper]

HOMELAND SECURITY...seems self explanatory to me. Someone needs to spell it out to Napolitano. You would think she would have a clue since she has been to AZ before. Obama is LOSING support from a lot of voters over this and it would take a real catastrophe like Sarah P. for the republicans to lose the next one.

[Cunning Lingus]

I am surprised this major newspaper or any LA based newspaper did not publish Sen. Tom Mclintock's response to the speech delivered by the Mexican President to the joint house address. I just heard it on KFI 640 and also read the full text of the his speech on the senator's website.

It is unfortunate for this country that many of our legistature, especially the President of the United States are wearing their blinders to ignore the laws written and passed by their predecessors to stand up for the citizens of this country. Seems like they are favoring the fastest growing voter based population. This is tantamount to buying their votes.

In Senator Mclintock's speech, he hit it right home and I hope it awakened the leftist Democrats who enthusiastically applauded the Mexican President when he criticized Arizona's immigration law. The common sense of the majority of the citizens and legal residents were suppressed by these lawmakers acting on their own volition. Just because they are in the position, they have the final say on this issue without considering their constituents of their districts how they feel about it.

[popseal]

'Bam is extreemly limited in his abilitites. As a George Soros sock puppet, he really hasn't much choice about things. Also, his multicultural, anti-American template would not let 'Bam do anything that might endanger the expansion of Mexico's invasion of America. That's the plan. America has no borders. The worst day in history was July 4, 1776. All the world's problems are America's fault. The United Nations is the world's best hope...yada yada yada!
Had the voters any idea of these things two years ago, 'Bam would never have gotten out of the senate. But it's too late now, so we wait for a November voter tsunami that will flush 'Bam's trashy support team out to sea. See who stood and applauded Calderon last week and you'll know who to defeat!

[American Partisan]

In our own native land, in defense of the freedom that is our birthright, and which we ever enjoyed till the late violation of it—for the protection of our property, acquired solely by the honest industry of our fore-fathers and ourselves, against violence actually offered, we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors, and all danger of their being renewed shall be removed, and not before.

[lance_sjogren]

People complain that Brewer didn't take a leadership role in creating 1070, but in my view she showed great political courage in signing it, and for that she deserves to be the front-runner for governor.

[lance_sjogren]

"I am surprised this major newspaper or any LA based newspaper did not publish Sen. Tom Mclintock's response to the speech delivered by the Mexican President to the joint house address. I just heard it on KFI 640 and also read the full text of the his speech on the senator's website."

I heard it too, but I felt it was somewhat muddled. He cites Teddy Roosevelt's comments about the need for assimilation, but it seemed to me he made the implication that anyone is welcome to come to the US provided they assimilate.

At the end of his talk he said the only reform we need is to enforce the law.

The last part he got right. But the part that implied we can welcome everyone if they come in and go through the legal process is naive. This is not the 19th century, it is the 21st. The US is a heavily populated nation, not a land of wide open spaces. The concept of migration is obsolete, but some people's political consciousness of immigration is still based on wild west mythology and the obsolete Emma Lazarus poem.

[Pitt]

I will never vote for Democrats. They support amnesty for illegal aliens. Americans do not support amnesty for illegals. Obama and the Democrats do not listen to Americans. WE have said many times that we want immigration laws enforeced. That we do not want amnesty. Still they continue with the same song. NO AMNESTY NOW. NO AMNESTY NEVER.

[Bobby]

How come thet times never investigates the poor of Mexico, and then goes to the Mexican Capitol and asked them why they won't take care of their people? Instead they like to post pictures of illegal aliens getting deported, thus trying to guilt trip Americans about it.

[Bobby]

If the Los Angeles Times was an honest newspaper that simply printed th facts, those facts would now show that 71% of the people in Arizona support the Governor, millions of Californians suppport the governor, and the Times woul print a detailed examination of Mexico's immigration laws. Never gonna happen. The reason is, illegal immigration is about OPEN BORDERS, AND ONLY ABOUT OPEN BORDERS. That's the simple choice Americans have. This issue isn't at all complicated when one realizes why this and other administrations are leaving the border wide open.

(AM responds: Glad you came here to find what you needed.)

[Bobby]

Thank you AM, for giving me a forum to express my opinion here, even though getting honestly informed by the Times, without the usual editorializing away from the facts, instead of just giving the public the facts is impossible--for the Times.

(AM responds: You're really welcome. Since this is a blog not a newspaper, most people would expect some attitude. And we try not to disappoint. Thanks for visiting.)