<div class="mini gray">Illustration by: Matt Mahurin</div>

<p><img width="165" height="165" alt="Immigration.jpg" src="/files/washingtonindependent/testing-icon-with/Immigration.jpg" class="left" /></p>

<p>The Palm Beach Post is partly correct in its editorial of Jan. 31, <a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/01/31/a22a_mccain_edit_0131.html">&quot;McCain Beats Extremism,&quot; </a>focusing on the failure of former Republican governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney to gain votes from his anti-immigrant positions. <br /><br />

Defending Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the Post noted,&nbsp; &quot;MCain’s shrillest critics, who include talk radio’s most potent gasbags, accuse him of being insufficiently conservative,&quot; adding that &quot;the issue that had the anti-McCain pack in full cry, however, was immigration.&quot;<br /><br />

In reference to McCain’s legalization proposals, the Post said: &quot;As Mitt Romney barked over and over before Tuesday’s vote, that amounted to &quot;amnesty,&quot; defined as anything that does not call for immediate roundup and deportation of every illegal immigrant.&quot;<br /><br />

The Post concludes: &quot;Mr. Romney stressed the economy, but he couldn’t promise Florida billions for the real-estate market, as he promised Michigan billions for the auto industry. Florida was the truest primary test yet for Republicans, and GOP extremism failed.&quot;<br /><br />

Clearly, the immigration issue failed to carry the day for Romney.&nbsp; But McCain also counted on the support of the extremist Cuban-born representatives from the Miami area, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MunPrYJWy0">Ileana Ros-Lehtinen</a> and the Diaz-Balart brothers, <a href="http://www.cubaupdate.org/cu0404_09.htm">Lincoln</a> and Mario.&nbsp; The first two, for example, while serving in the U.S. Congress,&nbsp;have called publicly for the assassination of Fidel Castro.&nbsp; McCain was also supported by Mel Martinez, the Cuban-born GOP senator from Florida.&nbsp; <br /><br />

Cuban-American voters in southern Florida–and there are many–are not as concerned with immigration as other Latinos. They don’t have to be: Cubans get a visa basically by asking.&nbsp; And, mostly, they also agree wholeheartedly with McCain’s support for the continuing Long War. <br /><br />

Perhaps GOP extremism failed in Florida as to the immigration issue, but that does not necessarily mean the failure of other extremist policies.