BURN: ICE Chief Outlawry Approved By Vanity Fair

The "public servant" who heads Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Nappy Jan declared himself an outlaw the other day.  See, according to the Obami, enforcing the law is optional.

Echoing comments by President Barack Obama and others in the administration, Morton said that Arizona’s new law targeting illegal immigration is not “good government.” The law makes it a crime to be in the state illegally and requires police to check suspects for immigration paperwork.

    Morton said his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona officials. The best way to reduce illegal immigration is through a comprehensive federal approach, not a patchwork of state laws, he said.

“I don’t think the Arizona law, or laws like it, are the solution,” Morton said.

But, as Bruce McQuain points out, thinking about the Arizona law isn't really part of Morton's job description; enforcing IMMIGRATION law is his job.

Deciding what is or is not "good government" at the state level is not Mr. Morton's job, either.  That job belongs to the people of Arizona.  Who are, BTW, supported overwhelmingly by the American people.

But, one has to ask, HOW the HELL would it be a bad thing for the discharge of his DUTY if Arizona hands his personnel bunches of illegal aliens, ripe for deportation?  Is he doing an adequate job at present?  Not if dozens or hundreds of terrorists are entering through Mexico, as seems evident.  (h/t Doug Ross)

The terribly sophisticated types at Vanity Fair find all this too, too droll.

Morton’s disapproval differs from the stance of, say, Apollonic Arizona bureaucrat Gary Pierce. Morton’s agency “handles detentions and deportations,” according to Politico’s Ben Smith, which means that his opinion—again, unlike that of Pierce—actually matters. Smith also adds, “Morton's position also appears aimed at undercutting the argument from the state law's advocates that it is harmonious with existing federal law.”

Apparently, the Eastern elitist writers and readers of that pap have no issue with Morton's official declaration of outlawry.  His opinion...and his actions...certainly DO matter.

Morton's signal that he intends to selectively defy his duty, out of a callously political motive, WILL matter to the American people, and to the courts.  It tells us, again, about the Obamic orientation to democracy and the rule of law.