Thread: Bush tries to find ways to cram invaders down our throats

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/14/washi ... ref=slogin

White House Mulls How to Move Immigration Bill Through Congress

By JIM RUTENBERG
Published: April 14, 2006

WASHINGTON, April 13 — The White House is fast at work recalibrating how best to use the power of the presidency to save immigration legislation from languishing for the rest of the year, eager for a victory in what has been a difficult political season for President Bush.

Until late last week, Mr. Bush had, at least publicly, stayed to the side of the warring between factions of his party, and the Democrats, as the Senate hashed out a compromise between sealing the nation's borders and legalizing the illegal work force already here without granting what opponents could call "amnesty."

This week, Mr. Bush has placed himself at the vanguard of the issue, publicly lacerating the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, of Nevada, for blocking the legislation last week on procedural grounds.

On Thursday, Mr. Bush accused Mr. Reid of "single-handedly thwarting the will of the American people and impeding bipartisan efforts to secure this border, and make this immigration system of ours more humane and rational."

It was the second time in a week that Mr. Bush had directly attacked Mr. Reid, who blames Republicans for the stalemate. The president's words have been followed up with e-mail messages from the White House to the news media, and by comments from his press secretary in the White House briefing room.

Some Republicans worry that a tougher bill in the House, cracking down on illegal immigrants, has become closely associated with the party. They are hoping that the campaign will turn public sentiment against Democrats and pressure Mr. Reid to allow a bill to go forward.

Mr. Reid has said his next move will depend on what the Republicans do.

With the House and the Senate on break, White House officials are in regular contact with party allies trying to figure out how involved the president should get in the Senate fight.

Mr. Bush has steadfastly avoided wading too deeply into the details of the legislation, sticking to statements that he would like to see "comprehensive reform" that creates a program giving illegal immigrants the right to work here and provides for tighter border control and stricter enforcement against law breakers.

Senator Mel Martinez, Republican of Florida and an ally of Mr. Bush, helped broker the compromise last week. He said the plan had been to keep the president out of the fight in the Senate so that he could serve as a broker who could pull his party together during what would be difficult negotiations reconciling the Senate and House bills.

"Some people might wonder if he's been cautious," Mr. Martinez said. "He wants to be helpful and that also means not getting specifically wedded to one specific piece of legislation."

As a former governor of Texas, a border state that has seen the benefits and challenges of immigration, Mr. Bush has wanted to pursue an overhaul of immigration "since Day 1," said Charles Black, a Republican strategist and longtime associate of Mr. Bush and the Bush family.

Mr. Bush's top political strategist, Karl Rove, had identified the immigration issue as an opportunity for the party to win Hispanic voters — an effort that seems to have been complicated by the House bill.

"Texas is a state that has benefited economically and culturally because of the close relationship between Texas and Mexico," said Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee. "But he understands that border communities can be hurt if the law is not enforced."

White House officials have acknowledged that the administration erred in initially stressing guest worker provisions more than border enforcement, alarming conservative House members and stepping squarely into the abyss separating the moderates and conservatives of his party. That gave Mr. Bush all the more reason to stand back in recent weeks.

This week Mr. Reid accused the president of standing back too far, failing to corral conservative senators who wanted to attach amendments to the Senate bill that would have toughened the legislation.

Mr. Reid has said that the possibility of such amendments left him no choice but to block a vote.

"They thought once they got the bill into conference, they'd be fine," Jim Manley, Mr. Reid's spokesman, said. "They miscalculated."

When White House aides alerted Mr. Bush that last-minute parliamentary procedures had scuttled Senate approval of compromise legislation late Thursday, he met them with disbelief.

Impatient with explanations of the technicalities, he wondered aloud how an agreement announced just that morning was suddenly dead, according to a meeting participant who was granted anonymity to speak freely about the encounter.

That chagrin seems to have galvanized the president in his comments singling out Mr. Reid. But as the White House weighs its next move it is receiving conflicting advice.

In a statement Thursday night, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who helped to broker the Senate compromise, urged the president to take a more active role in the Senate debate when it resumes. But Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, who opposed the measure, said the president should weigh in later.

With more than a week to go before Congress reconvenes, however, the White House still has some time to plot it out.

Senate Republicans hoping to bring in all these illegals to get a few votes are in for a very rude surprise. Hispanics historically vote Democrapic. The reason for that is they are liberals and socialists. I mean, look how well their own country is doing!! So the Democraps offer these illegals the moon while pandering for votes. How idiotic this is I have not the vocabulary to describe. To hell with the country...gimme a vote!!

If the Republicans want to save their butts the ONLY thing they can do is come back with a border enforcement bill...leave the guestworker and amnesty lying in the dust.

That would please their constituents enough that they might be able to hold on to some of their majority.

If they allow amnesty guestworker to be voted in the entire party is doomed...Democrats will gain the majority and keep it for 1,000 years.

I, for one, shudder to think of Democraps in the majority. I want a THIRD party to come in and dilute any power either of the current parties may have.

They'd best repudiate Bush and his agenda...or forget ever having had a Republican party.

MJ

Those close presidential elections have left the Dems and Reps scrounging for any group to side with them. The also fear loosing any group to the opposition. They are trying to play both sides of the fence, instead of being loyal to America as a Whole.
Rove is one of the guys that caused this mess. Rove targeted Christians and Mexicans, to get Bush into office (TX and US). Now it has backfired. The Christians might hang in there, with the exception of the Mexican Catholics. That is why all these proposals like guest worker and reuniting families are popping up. The Party is trying to slip enough bait to keep the Mexican/Catholic(same to me) vote and to trick us and continue to sell us out. We need to be very alert and complain every time we hear some crap like GW and RF proposals. We need to make it very clear to the Republicans and Democrats we don't want any crap in this bill, which will further the encouragement of intrusion or hope for illegal immigrantion to America.

I think I’m turning red, white and blue.

In a statement Thursday night, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who helped to broker the Senate compromise, urged the president to take a more active role in the Senate debate when it resumes. But Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, who opposed the measure, said the president should weigh in later.

With more than a week to go before Congress reconvenes, however, the White House still has some time to plot it out.

I knew we would soon see RED FLAGS all over the place.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy is an IDIOT