Obama makes a forceful, briefly interrupted case for Dream Act-like deportation changes

obama-makes-forceful-briefly-interrupted-case-dream-act-deportation

Obama in the Rose Garden.

By Reid Pillifant

2:59 pm Jun. 15, 2012

President Obama made a forceful case for his decision to relax deportation requirements in an afternoon address in the Rose Garden, during which he was interrupted by a reporter from the conservative website The Daily Caller.

"It is the right thing to do," Obama said with a raised hand, over questions from The Daily Caller's Neil Munro. "Excuse me sir, it is not time for questions, sir. Not while I'm speaking." 

Obama referenced the interruption again later in the speech.

"And in answer to your question, sir, and the next time I prefer you let me finish my statements before you ask that question, is this is the right thing to do for the American people," Obama said, which only led Munro to pipe up again.

"I didn't ask for an argument," Obama said with obvious annoyance. "I'm answering your question. It is the right to do for the American people." 

The interruption will at least temporarily take attention from the substance of Obama's proposal, which would allow work permits and ease the threat of deportation for certain undocumented young people—more or less the ones who would be covered by the Dream Act legislation that's currently stalled in Congress.

"This is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship," Obama said before he was interrupted.

He said that the decision would allow the government to focus its resources on safety threats and economically beneficial activities like "giving certainty to our farmers and our ranchers."

"These are all the right things to do," he said.

(Video via Talking Points Memo.)

Related Tags:
Comments (0)
Post your comment