Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) compares the hectic process of passing a controversial immigration law in her state to waterboarding in her new book, Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border.
The Tucson Citizen reports:
In the introduction, the governor likens the days preceding her signing of SB 1070 to a "waterboarding," noting that "advice, objections, encouragement, discouragement, fan letters and death threats were coming at me so fast I could barely breathe."
According to advance looks at the book, which is set to be released November 1, Brewer spends significant time in her memoir describing and defending her decision to push the strict immigration measure, which provoked nationwide backlash and served as pioneering legislation for other states around the country.
The Associated Press reports that Brewer also provides a heavy criticism of the Obama administration for its handling of immigration issues and its opposition to Arizona's law, which Brewer regards as a necessary response to an intensifying border security situation.
While Brewer spends a large portion of her book defending the piece of legislation that has largely come to define her tenure as governor, the AP also reports that she skips over other issues that have drawn the nation's attention since her rise in the political spotlight. Her successful 2010 reelection campaign goes largely uncovered in her book, along with a lengthy pause during a gubernatorial debate that was widely ridiculed last fall, which is not mentioned at all.
Brewer also gets an assist from former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who penned the book's foreword and commended the Arizona governor for her principled approach to politics.