Another Right-Wing '08 Candidate

From the Denver Post...

Colorado Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo declared his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election this morning on a radio talk show in Des Moines, Iowa.

Tancredo's candidacy will be focused almost entirely on immigration issues, which he hopes to bring to the forefront among the leading Republican candidates of Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain.

The Littleton Republican is one of the nation's most outspoken critics of allowing Mexicans and Central Americans to cross the border and obtain jobs in the United States. He is a staunch supporter of erecting an impenetrable fence along the 2,000-mile border. He also believes the government should sanction employers who hire undocumented workers, reasoning that the jobs would dry up and the workers would return home.

Tancredo also favors lowering the pace of legal immigration. He has said that slowing all immigration would give people who have come to this country a chance to better assimilate, to learn the language and to do what he considers other important cultural touchstones.

"The outpouring of support we have received over the past three months has been tremendous and, frankly, it has far exceeded what I anticipated," Tancredo said this morning.

"Republicans want a candidate who is a conservative with no ifs, ands, or buts. Clearly, the current top tier of Republican candidates is not filling the bill.

"Wherever I go, Americans of all backgrounds and political beliefs thank me for standing up for them against the establishment politicians who are selling out our nation. These good people feel abandoned by those in Washington and justifiably so. They have the right to be represented in this race and I am determined to be there for them," Tancredo said.

Tancredo is known for his inflammatory rhetoric, such as saying that the U.S. should consider bombing Mecca if there were another terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Last year, while at a conservative conference in South Florida, he said that parts of Miami resembled a third world country. That triggered outrage from residents and a response from then Gov. Jeb Bush.

Tancredo tried to visit Miami a short time later to talk about his comments but had to cancel when the restaurant hosting the event retracted permission, saying it feared a media onslaught and potential for violence. There had been scores of threatening phone calls, and workers at the restaurant also complained about Tancredo.

LINK: Tancredo chases White House

And another one to bite the dust...
-Mr. Joseph