Though the specter of racism will continue to underscore the current controversy, many Democratic politicians will avoid making such strong accusations at such an early stage. The mid-term elections are approaching and the Democrats want to preserve or increase their thin majority in Congress. The Democrats are poised to achieve important objectives such as financial regulation and energy policy in the coming year. An eruption of racial tensions at this point would derail the national debate and relegate long overdue reforms to the backburner for an indefinite period.

A responsible public policy maker would try to avoid the racial war trap while still expressing strong disapproval of the new Arizona law. After all, the racial issue is not the only offensive aspect of this new law. What is probably more disturbing, and more applicable to all Americans, is the violation of basic civil liberties. The degree of authority granted to...
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