The Power of Asking Pointed Questions

Here's an interesting article suggesting that Phyllis Schafley's dissemination of pointed questions for Presidential candidates has had the effect of causing John McCain to rethink his position on immigration.   I call attention to this article because of it's focus on the power of questions.  Here, in fact, is where the MSM (main stream media) has failed so miserably to serve the country well. 

"The town meetings that presidential candidates visit this year give grassroots Americans the opportunity to ask follow-up questions so the candidates can't evade and obfuscate their views on vital issues," Schlafly said. "We want to know what presidential candidates plan to do about the problems we care about."

Schlafly has published a detailed list of questions she is encouraging Eagle Forum leaders to ask presidential candidates as they tour primary states seeking votes. 

Schlafly's list includes 22 hard-hitting immigration questions designed to deny presidential candidates the luxury of hiding under answers crafted by political wordsmiths.

Among the questions are the following:

• Do you consider it a presidential duty to prevent illegal entry into our country?
• Will you use whatever means necessary to close our borders to illegal aliens and illegal drugs, including electronic fences and National Guard troops?
• Since most illegal drugs come across our southern border, will you require

• visual inspection of the contents of at least 50 percent of trucks coming across our border (instead of just 1 percent to 2 percent)?
• What is your plan to stop the entry of 85 percent of illegal drugs that come over our southern border?
• Will you pardon the two Border Patrol agents who stopped an illegal alien from bringing in a million dollars worth of illegal drugs, and now face 11- and 12-year sentences while the drug smuggler was given immunity from prosecution?
• Last year, the Senate passed the Secure Fence Act 80-19, the House passed it 283-138, and we saw President Bush on television signing it into law. Now we are told the fence will never be built. Do you intend to obey the Secure Fence Act and order a fence built on our southern border?
• Will you veto any plan to put illegal aliens on a path to citizenship without going home and getting in line for lawful immigration?
• Will you veto any plan to put illegal aliens into our Social Security system under the State Department plan called "totalization"?  That would bankrupt the system just when baby boomers are retiring.
  

For the full list of questions covering many subjects, click here.