Mark Finkelstein, my favorite poster on the awesome anti-media-bias Newsbusters.org site, writes a great synopsis of a spirited immigration debate between Ellen Ratner and Jim Pinkerton on "Fox & Friends Weekend" this morning especially for all you maniacs who were busy sleeping it off when it aired. (And of course, last but certainly not least, I have to add: Welcome back, Kiran!)
The opening topic on today's 'Long & the Short of It' segment on Fox & Friends Weekend dealt with Howard Dean's recent claim that job # 1 in his view is tougher border security.
Pinkerton smelled politics, describing Dean as "somebody who is reading the polls. . . I know for a fact Americans by a majority of three or four to one are in favor of tighter border security. So I think Dean is, as it were, getting on the right train going the right direction about tougher border security. I hope he can now bring along Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi."
Ratner seemed to share Pinkerton's take: "Look, everybody will talk about tougher border security. That's what people want to talk about now. Whether it can be accomplished is a whole other issue but it will be a campaign issue in 2006."
That's when Pinkerton baited his hook. Addressing host Kiran Chetry [whose beautiful back-from-maternity-leave photo I am legally obliged to display], he slyly said:
"Kiran, in the last month or so Ellen has done a terrible job representing the far left on this immigration issue which proves to me how powerful it is. The old issue was unlimited border let everyone in. The new issue is 'get tough, build a wall'. We are getting there. I sense enormous progress. Politics do work."
Ratner went for the bait like a ravenous bluefish hitting a, well, whatever it is they hit when they're running in Long Island Sound.
"I'm in favor of open immigration, Jim!" she exclaimed. OK, then, Ellen, your far-left credentials have been renewed - at least for the time being.
