Idiot or Liar?

White House spokesman Tony Snow said just moments ago on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews that we need the Bush-Kennedy-McCain amnesty bill because it will give employers a way to verify the legal status of potential employees.

Matthews, a former government employee himself, asked Snow how an employer currently can verify employment eligibility status.

Snow said it was "virtually impossible" for employers to verify legal status due to a growing flood of false documents entering the black market.

But Snow missed a crucial fact that makes him either an Idiot or a Liar:

The DHS Basic Pilot Program, which provides verification of worker eligibility, has been in existence for over over 10 years! Employers simply enter the potential employee's name and social security number into a database. Within a short amount of time, the program lets the employer know whether the name and number match up. If not, then there's a strong likelihood that the id is fake.

There's only one problem: the program is not mandatory.

With one swift stroke of the pen, President Bush could require all businesses to sign up for the program through an executive order. Illegal hirings and false document rings would come to an end. For national security reasons alone this would be a good idea.

So is Snow an idiot, simply not knowing of the program's existence? Or is he a liar, pushing the amnesty bill on behalf of Big Business with the false claim that it is the only way to make sure illegal aliens are not being hired?

For more information on the program, see:

Preventing Illegal Employment:
Federal "Basic Pilot" Program is an
Effective and Business-Friendly Tool
http://www.cis.org/articles/2007/jmvtestimony013107.html

"Look into my lies... I mean, eyes!"