"I think he wants to convert these criminals into 'honest taxpayers'".
Oozing with irony ;-)
That is the concept of LEGAL immigration. GW has ignored that. I am a big fan of GW, but he is just WRONG on this issue. As a nation, we will pay a BIG price for this down the line.
As an unpaid volunteer for his reelection, I am disappointed. We need to put our military on the borders and we need to exercise vigorously our right to deport those who abuse our largesse.
But as a realist, I know GW would never have won if he said these things. And I'm pretty sure Bush and his team know it too. This guest worker thing is a band aid, but at least it focuses public attention on the problem.