Is Edwards's support of drivers licenses for illegal immigrants different from Clinton's?

[Adelante]

Or is it the same?

Mr. Edwards wasn’t asked by the moderators in Tuesday’s debate for a yes-or-no answer to the question that has proved most contentious — about whether illegal immigrants should get driver’s licenses, as New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and other states have proposed. Mrs. Clinton said it made sense, given the need to encourage all drivers to have insurance and be counted, but she refused to endorse the Spitzer proposal outright and called for comprehensive immigration law overhaul.

Edwards spokesman Eric Schultz on Friday said Mr. Edwards opposes the Spitzer proposal, due to several provisions, but “Edwards does support drivers licenses for illegal immigrants…as part of immigration reform if they are on path to citizenship, pay a fine and learn English.”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119405134968581185.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Edit: added bold

[Cameron27]

1. Thanks to Timmy,

we don't know. Since the massive negative fallout Clinton got for her support of Spitzer, I imagine he'll try to soften whatever his position is/was.

[Adelante]

2. We do know now post-debate

It looks the same to me from the two paragraphs.

[Cameron27]

4. It does look the same,

and yet Shultz is saying it's not support of Spitzer's plan. Got me WD.

[Sparkly]

10. Looks like there are several other provisions in Spitzer's plan that he's against

Things besides driver's licenses, I guess.

(All this goes to show how the issue is hard to discuss in black/white up/down terms, doesn't it?)

[itsrobert]

3. I don't know. Edwards campaign seem pretty clear on it.

However, I'm still confused on Clinton's position.

[Sparkly]

5. I think, just from their brief statements...

... That Edwards is saying yes to driver's licenses after there's immigration reform, and Clinton is saying yes to driver's licenses until there is immigration reform. :shrug:

[Adelante]

6. Ah, I didn't get that shade

Thanks, Sparkly :hi:

I tend to think if we wait for full immigration reform to be accomplished, it doesn't address the issue of road safety then.

[Cameron27]

7. I thought the reason Spitzer proposed

giving undocumented workers drivers licenses was precisely because there hasn't been any immigration reform. This is what the debate would have revealed if Russert had bothered to take his eyes off Clinton and had asked everyone the question.

[CTyankee]

8. I'm getting more and more steamed about that segment.

Everyone was quite content to just take a shot at HRC and not even deal with the issue of immigration reform. I am angriest at my senator, Dodd, because he jumped so quick. CT shares many of the same regional problems as NY, so Dodd should at least say what HE thinks should have been done.

At least Hillary sees the problem and has talked about the problem.

Chris Dodd, shame on you! Come back when you've got something more to offer fer chrissakes! Cheap shots don't count.

[Sparkly]

9. Dodd was the only one who raised his hand to say they should NOT get licenses....

I think that point is often missed, as well. All the others, by not raising their hands, expressed support for drivers licenses. But given the opportunity to explain, they'd probably qualify that as well ("just until" or "only after" or "in some cases" or whatever). So Dodd could just as well have argued with them, if the debate had gone that way.

[CTyankee]

11. I don't consider the "it's a privilege" to be a very illuminating remark

on the problem. As if saying that magically makes the problem under discussion disappear. Of course, Russert didn't exactly offer anything more than just a "do you agree" so I fault him as well. But what else do you expect from that guy...