John Kerry bravely <A

HREF=”http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/07/01/kerry_position_on_licenses_irks_latino_activists/”>told

the Spanish-language network Telemundo that he opposes state

laws which give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens: “I think that driver’s

licenses are part of the legality of being here.”

Kerry’s stance is remarkable, given that President Bush’s own brother,

Florida Governor Jeb Bush <A

HREF=”http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37910″>strongly

favored giving illegal aliens driver’s licenses because “once they’re

here, what do you do? Do you say that they’re lepers to society? That they

don’t exist? It seems that a policy that ignores them is a policy of denial.”

The politics of this issue strongly favor Kerry’s view, not Jeb

Bush’s. Former California Governor Gray Davis lost his office in part

because of his endorsement of driver’s licenses for illegal aliens.

Is Kerry planning to run to the right of President Bush on issues like

language and illegal immigration? Perhaps, especially if Kerry chooses

Iowa’s Governor Tom Vilsack as his running mate.

Vilsack signed an official English bill two years ago after getting a <A

HREF=”http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4780934/17448608.html”>$1.4

million increase in spending for English as a Second Language

programs. Vilsack may have been a reluctant signer, but his signature is

on the legislation.