NOW, Napolitano Admits NOT Reading AZ Law Before Criticizing It

First we had Attorney General Eric Holder lambasting the Arizona law requiring police officers to check immigration status of those whom they detain for offenses.  But  now, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of (the misnamed) Department of Homeland (in)Security has admitted that she's not read the law either.

Just what is it with this ruling Democratic Party.  First they couldn't be bothered to read TARP (which was deeply laden with pork and 2000 pages long), the Cap & Trade Bill (3000 pages long) or the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 (government seizure of health care system 2300 pages long) bill.  Now they can't be bother to read a bill passed overwhealmingly by the Arizona Legislature...and is a mere 10 pages long.  Here is video of Ms. Napolitano admitting as much in a Senate Hearing.  Her comments were,

under questioning by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the BP oil spill response.


"I have not reviewed it in detail. I certainly know of it," the former Arizona governor said when asked by McCain whether she had a chance to give the language a close look.

Nevertheless, Napolitano said, "That's not the kind of law I would have signed." Napolitano explained that she dealt with "laws of that ilk" in Arizona before and that most law enforcement groups were opposed to them.

"It's a bad law enforcement law," she said. "I believe it mandates and requires local law enforcement or puts them into a position many do not want to be placed in."


But McCain pressed Napolitano to provide more information later on about "what specific aspect of the law" would hurt law enforcement, "since the majority of law enforcement in Arizona strongly supports this legislation."

While I don't expect everyone to have read the Arizona law (I have), I would at least expect those who are going to spout against it to at least have an understanding what provisions it contains and what exactly is spelled out in it. 

The Arizona policy requires local law enforcement to verify the residency status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant and empowers them to turn anyone who doesn't check out over to federal custody.   The law prohibits officers from solely considering race or nationality in implementing the law, though critics say the law will lead to racial profiling.

   Both Ms. Napolitano and Mr. Holder have shown gross ignorance in their charecterizations of this law...which by the way is supported by nearly 75% of Americans...you'd think they'd have read the damn thing.  But then ignorance is often found in those who are supposed to lead us...