Tancredo fires back at Fla. guv

Colo. congressman accuses Jeb Bush of 'happy talk'

Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 30, 2006 at midnight

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U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo on Wednesday accused Florida Gov. Jeb Bush of spouting "politically correct happy talk" in a war of words touched off by the congressman's swipe at the city of Miami as resembling a "Third World country."

In a letter responding to a blast from Bush, Tancredo said the governor did not recognize illegal immigration as a problem in Miami.

"I certainly understand and appreciate your need and desire to create the illusion of Miami as a multiethnic 'All American' city," Tancredo said. "I can also appreciate that Miami's schools graduate many outstanding students and that the cultural and ethnic diversity of the city offers many advantages to its residents.

"However, it is neither naive nor insulting to call attention to a real problem that cannot be easily dismissed through politically correct happy talk."

The letter was in response to one sent by Bush on Tuesday, after the governor learned of Tancredo's comments during a weekend summit of conservative activists in Palm Beach.

Tancredo reportedly said that unchecked immigration, both legal and illegal, was behind many of Miami's problems, including its high crime rate and poverty.

Bush described Tancredo's comments as "disappointing" and "naive" and defended Miami's diversity, citing the contributions made by people of all ethnicities. He also noted declining crime rates and improving test scores posted by minority students.

But Tancredo said it was Bush who is being naive.

"The tolerance of cultural diversity in a city or a nation is admirable up to a point, but when diversity is worshipped to the detriment of assimilation, it becomes a serious problem that undermines the civic culture that forms the basis for our democratic institutions and the rule of law," he wrote.

Besides the president's brother, civic boosters also have come to Miami's defense.

Frank Nero, president and CEO of The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County's economic development partnership, called Tancredo's statements "insulting, divisive and intellectually reprehensible."

"Perhaps (Tancredo's) next junket should be to read the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, along with a stop at Ellis Island," he said.

Headline maker

He's best known for campaigning against illegal immigration. But Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Littleton, makes headlines in all sorts of ways:

• September 2006: Tancredo speaks at a South Carolina gathering that critics called "a hate-group event." Tancredo and others dispute the description. But he still draws flak for appearing on a podium with a Confederate flag and joining audience members in singing Dixie.

• September 2005: Tancredo criticizes the crescent-shaped design of a 9/11 memorial to victims of United Airlines Flight 93. He said it resembles the lunar crescent symbol of Islam and could be seen as a "tribute to the hijackers."

• July 2005: A Florida talk show hosts asks Tancredo how the United States could respond to a nuclear attack by terrorists. His answer: "Well, what if you said something like, if this happens in the United States and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites."

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