McCain cancels Bilbray event over immigration

Source: mercurynews

Reason # 2,426,098 that John McCain is absolutely unfit to be our president...

SAN DIEGO - Arizona Sen. John McCain on Tuesday canceled an appearance for a Republican congressional candidate who has attacked his opponent for supporting McCain's immigration bill.

McCain, R-Ariz., was scheduled to speak Wednesday at a breakfast fundraiser for Brian Bilbray, who is locked in a close runoff race with Democrat Francine Busby for the San Diego-area seat left vacant by disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. The event was expected to raise at least $65,000.

The winner of the June 6 special election will fill the remaining seven months left in Cunningham's term.

In an e-mail sent to the Bilbray campaign, McCain spokesman Craig Goldman acknowledged that McCain and Bilbray "disagree on some of the issues related to immigration reform." He said McCain did not want his appearance to distract from Bilbray's campaign.

The e-mail reiterated McCain's endorsement of Bilbray, and said the senator's Straight Talk America political action committee would make the maximum allowable contribution of $5,000 to Bilbray's campaign. Goldman did not return phone and e-mail messages left seeking comment.

Bilbray, a former San Diego-area congressman who worked as a lobbyist for an anti-illegal immigration group, has repeatedly attacked Busby for supporting the immigration bill passed last Thursday in the Senate.

McCain, who is considering a presidential run in 2008, was a principal architect of the bill and the final version incorporated his proposal for a guest worker program.

An immigration bill that passed the House in December would make all illegal immigrants subject to felony charges.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora, have agreed to speak in place of McCain.

Extraordinary, I've been browsing the reactions to this in the blogosphere, conservatives are not amused, liberals seem to think he's standing strong.

I think he's a loon and completely out of touch with conservatives. This man cannot be president.

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