Whipping Immigration

Mark Krikorian

http://corner.nationalreview.com/

In response to my Friday posting listing the Senate votes against tomorrow's cloture motion (which requires 60 votes to allow debate to resume on the immigration P.o.S.), several readers had asked why Coleman of Minnesota and Bennett of Utah weren't on the list of members that might be swayed to vote against cloture; a lobbyist e-mailed me about these two:

they pretty hopeless but that we should continue to pound them as if they are a possibility. If they feel cloture is close to failing they may decide they are politically better off to switch.

Today's Wall Street Journal has this to say about Sen. Gregg:

even White House allies such as New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg say the administration has "zero credibility" on the border-security issue. "I will vote to proceed, but I think it is very undecided now if the bill will pass," Mr. Gregg said.

Of course, since a vote for cloture ("I will vote to proceed") amounts to a vote for the bill, his swipe at the administration sounds a wee bit disingenuous.

And Mickey Kaus reads between the lines of the Marshalltown, Iowa, Times-Republican and finds hope that Sam Brownback will absent himself during the cloture vote, which is as good as a No.

06/25 06:57 AM