Moving beyond Semantics

Sometimes, arguments about whether someone supported illegal alien "amnesty" miss the point. A scene from last night's Republican debate gives a good illustration of this.



I generally agree with what Fred Thompson said, although I think using the term amnesty allows for the possibility of semantic confusion. Because then proponents of comprehensive immigration reform (such as McCain, Giuliani, etc.) can then argue that their proposal is not amnesty, and they're technically right. The definition of amnesty is complete forgiveness for a crime, pure and simple. So therefore, comprehensive immigration reform is technically not amnesty, even though it rewards illegal behavior.

I agree with Andrew McCarthy who argues that fights over the semantics of amnesty create more distractions than substance. It too easily devolves into an argument of "it's amnesty/no it's not". The essential argument should be over whether a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens rewards illegal behavior, and I think it does.

(Hat tip: Hot Air)