Obama Defends Illegals' Driver's Licenses

Tells ABC News he and McCain share substantial overlap on immigration.

ByABC News
February 2, 2008, 6:05 PM

Feb. 2, 2008— -- Sen. Barack Obama took time out from the campaign trail to talk to ABC News correspondent David Muir about a broad range of issues, from what to do about illegal immigration to all the talk about a Democratic presidential "dream team" ticket of him and his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Here is a transcript of the interview:

David Muir: I wanted to talk about the endorsement from La Opinion, the largest Spanish language newspaper in the U.S., the second most read newspaper in L.A., today the endorsement cited your support and Hillary Clinton's opposition to driver license, driver's licenses for illegal immigrants... And offering the endorsement. Do you think that this can be a lightning rod if you go up against the Republicans in a national election?

Barack Obama: "Well, I'm sure that the republicans will try to make immigration an issue... because they've been talking about it in political terms instead of trying to solve the problem. But I've been very clear working with John McCain and Ted Kennedy and others that we have to have a comprehensive reform package and if we are doing what we need to do to control the borders, if we are doing what we need to do in cracking down on employers who are hiring undocumented workers and undermining U.S. workers then we shouldn't have a problem with driver's licenses because we will have legal workers here in this country as opposed to illegal ones. So, I'm interested in solving the problem, not perpetuating the sort of political football that we've been seeing out here."

DM: Do you not believe that the Republicans will pounce on this issue, the fact that you support licenses for illegal immigrants?

BO: I think they will pounce on any issue that has to do with immigration... but, as I said, my position has been very similar to John McCain's, who's maybe the likely Republican nominee, and if he wants to try to parse out this one issue of driver's licenses, an issue of public safety... my response is that we have to solve the overall problem and this driver's license issue is a distraction.

DM: You mentioned Sen. Ted Kennedy out on the trail with you... He's known as the liberal legend, moveon.org has now endorsed you and today the New York Times called your economic policies more left than the Clinton administration's policies... Does that offer red meat for the Republicans that you could possibly be more left than Hillary Clinton?