John McCain is wrong for the United States

Until today, I thought I might be able to hold my nose and vote for McCain in the general election if he were to win the Republican primary. After what I learned today, I don't know that I can even do that, and I never thought I would say that when that means Hillary Clinton might end up as President of these Unites States. As I said here, I could not trust McCain on illegal immigration. What I learned today only reinforces that distrust. John McCain DOES NOT PUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FIRST IN REGARD TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.

John McCain has "think Mexico first", US-Mexico dual-citizenship-holding, former Mexican government official, open-borders zealot Dr. Juan Hernandez on his campaign staff. If you don't have the time to read all the comments (please at least read Michelle Malkin's post), here is a highlight:

Juan Hernandez, in his capacity as McCain's "Hispanic Outreach Director", calls for supporters to host a "McCain Fiesta", and based on their donation amounts, they can gain recognition at levels such as:

$2,300 Los Presidentes [ed. - "President"] (receive campaign sweatshirt and signed book)

$1,000 Los Jefes [ed. - "Boss/Chief"] (receive campaign sweatshirt and signed book)

$500 Los Hermanos [ed. - "Brother"] (receive campaign sweatshirt)

$250 Los Primos [ed. - "Cousin"] (receive campaign sweatshirt)

$100 Los Compadres [ed. - "Godfather"] — $25 Los Amigos [ed. - "Friend"]

I have a really hard time getting behind any American politician allowing such a man, with loyalty obviously NOT with the United States Constitution (but instead loyal to a foreign government) to be in any way, shape or form, associated so closely with their election campaign, especially one running for the highest office in the land: whose highest priority SHOULD BE the welfare of United States citizens, not citizens of other countries who have in essence broken into our house and expect us to take care of them.

Also disturbing in regard to McCain and his supporters:

Hernandez is also a fellow at McCain's "Reform Institute".

“Dr. Juan Hernandez serves as a Senior Fellow of the Institute’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform Initiative.”

That is: Shamnesty.

Among the immigration projects at McCain’s Reform Institute: An art contest in which students depicted their protests against a southern border fence.

Who helps fund the Reform Institute? Ed Morrissey did the research:

* The Tides Foundation, which heavily promotes “reproductive justice”, giving over $500,000 to pro-abortion efforts. They also actively oppose the death penalty (so do I, FYI). John McCain opposes abortion and supports the death penalty, so why is his chief political advisor getting so much support from those who ostensibly oppose him?

* Educational Foundation Of America, which also supports abortion. EFA also opposes drilling in ANWR, an issue on which McCain has an ambivalent record. It also supports euthanasia and assisted suicide through the Death With Dignity National Center, a group which it gave $45,000. It gave $100,000 to the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, which opposed the Yucca Mountain nuclear depository (McCain supported it), and opposes development of low-yield nuclear “bunker buster” bombs, which McCain supports.

In fact, EFA appears to contribute to just about every left-wing cause imaginable, as well as a number of noncontriversial charities and outreach efforts.

* The Proteus Fund, which also opposed the Yucca Mountain repository, spending $75K to stop it. That pales in comparison to the $935K they spent on supporting gay marriage initiatives, which McCain strongly opposes. They have also spent over $800,000 funding nuclear-disarmament and antiwar causes in each of the last two years. Their Security Policy Working Group contains nothing but left-of-center groups like Project on Defense Alternatives, which calls the Iraqi elections “faulty” and predicted disaster for the Bush administration’s “program of coercive transformation throughout the region.”

* OSI (Open Society Institute), founded and funded by George Soros. Among a litany of left-wing causes supported by OSI are People For The American Way, to support their Supreme Court Project. (Hint: It isn’t intended on assisting Bush get his nominees confirmed.) They also gave $150,000 to the Campaign Legal Center, which will be important shortly.

* David Geffen Foundation also shows up on the list, although not in the top tier. David Geffen is an entertainment-industry mogul who supports Democrats and left-wing causes. They do not have a website I could find, but Activistcash.com notes that in 2002, most of the grants Geffen gave went to environmental activists and the Tides Foundation and Tides Center.

Why are all these left-wing groups supporting a "Republican"-founded "charity"? Something truly smells about all this. I cannot vote McCain. Since Fred Thompson is no longer in the race, I have moved my support to Mitt Romney. I can still hope that I might be able to vote for a Romney/Thompson ticket come November.

Updated: An American hero and his wife don't have a very high opinion of John McCain:

A few weeks before Chuck was wounded I watched a TV movie that protrayed Jerk's time as a POW during Vietnam. I was intrigued by the story and developed a lot of respect for what he endured, and the fact that his wife waited all those years for him to return home. I knew bits and pieces of the story before watching the movie, and I knew his arms were badly damaged due to the torture he received. I had a lot of respect for the man... then I met him.