Mitt Romney’s stint with Russert on MTP today was nothing less than trying to walk both sides of the fence on illegal immigration as well as guns and his understanding of the 2nd Amendment. Along with that he also lied about receiving an NRA endorsement for his 2002 Governor campaign.

I didn’t watch the interview with Russert but I did read the transcript for those segments at Michelle Malkin. What I took away from Romney’s triangulating statements on illegal immigration; he’s essentially in favor of amnesty for those illegals already in the country. It’s the Pence plan couched in a whole lot of ifs and whens and maybes and whatever other confusing rhetoric he could throw into the mix. Just what I’ve always been leery about when you look at a candidate who’s a former governor from an extremely left-wing state.

Tell me if you can make any clarity out of this statement:

GOV. ROMNEY: Well, whether they go home–they should go home eventually. There’s a set per–in my view they should be–they should have a set period during which period they, they sign up for application for permanent residency or, or for citizenship. But there’s a set period where upon they should return home. And if they’ve been approved for citizenship or for a permanent residency, well, thy would be a different matter. But for the great majority, they’ll be going home.

There’s more of this gobbleygook type of talk on illegals.

His gun control stance is just as disturbing. He talks about guns of “extraordinary lethality”!

GOV. ROMNEY: Let’s describe what it is. I signed–I would have supported the original assault weapon ban. I signed an assault weapon ban in Massachusetts governor because it provided for a relaxation of licensing requirements for gun owners in Massachusetts, which was a big plus. And so both the pro-gun and the anti-gun lobby came together with a bill, and I signed that. And if there is determined to be, from time to time, a weapon of such lethality that it poses a grave risk to our law enforcement personnel, that’s something I would consider signing. There’s nothing of that nature that’s being proposed today in Washington. But, but I would, I would look at weapons that pose extraordinary lethality…

Now for the NRA claim:

GOV. ROMNEY: Just as the president said, he would have, he would have signed that bill if it came to his desk, and so would have I. And, and, and yet I also was pleased to have the support of the NRA when I ran for governor. I sought it, I seek it now. I’d love to have their support. I believe in the right of Americans to bear arms…

Support to my way of hearing or reading means endorsement.  But I suppose it all depends on what the true definition of “is” is.

There’s a great discussion going on in the comments at Michelle Malkin and at Polipundit regarding both of these issues.

Technorati Tags: 2008 Election, GOP, Mitt Romney, MTP, Russert, Illegal immigration, gun control