McDonnell: Elements of Ariz. immigration law not 'necessarily helpful to democracy'

In a Tuesday appearance on WTOP, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.) engaged in some off-message musing on Arizona's immigration law. After some prodding from a caller and his interviewer, McDonnell admitted that parts of the bill were worrying to him.

I'm concerned about the whole idea of carrying papers and always having to be able to prove your citizenship. That brings up some shades of some other regimes that weren't necessarily helpful to democracy.

There's a divide, I'm finding, between Republicans who are ready to accept Rasmussen poll results as validation that the bill is a winner for them, and Republicans who see long-term damage in Arizona.