July 29, 2013 04:04 PM UTC

Tancredo Defends Rep. Steve King's DREAMer Insult

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• by: Colorado Pols

Huffington Post reports, you probably saw this coming:

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) came to the defense of Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) in a World Net Daily editorial published late last week, denouncing conservatives who have publicly voiced disapproval of King's remarks on undocumented students.

King came under fire earlier this month after telling Newsmax TV that for every undocumented immigrant "who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds — and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 points of marijuana across the desert."

King's comments have drawn bipartisan criticism, including from GOP leadership. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) urged fellow lawmakers to pursue "honest disagreements about policy without using hateful language" in a statement released last week, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) similarly characterized King's comments as "inexcusable."

​But says Tom Tancredo, GOP candidate for governor of Colorado:

"The exact words Rep. King used … are easy to criticize," he said. "But King’s substantive point is demonstrably true. There are in fact far more drug smugglers (and other criminals) than future valedictorians among the nearly 2 million youthful illegal aliens who would qualify for the 'Dream' amnesty."

"It is disgusting to see Republican leaders joining this lynch mob," he added.

This settles one question: Tancredo has retained the same political sense that made him persona non grata among mainstream Republicans during the administration of President George W. Bush. Bush, as you may recall, grew to despise Tancredo after he repeatedly, and in some cases almost single-handedly set the party back years in terms of Hispanic outreach–something that Bush genuinely viewed as important from his experience as governor of Texas. By jumping to the defense of the similarly uncouth Rep. Steve King of Iowa, at a time when most GOP leaders are distancing themselves from King's unseemly remarks about "DREAMer" students, Tancredo is providing a fresh reminder why he is shunned by Republicans with an instinct for political survival.

Which obviously doesn't include the Republicans who want him to be your governor.