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Posted on 02/25/2006 2:30:07 PM PST by RWR8189
Like few presidents before him, President Bush was poised for a consequential and potentially quite successful second term. It hasn't worked out that way (so far). Bush made one strategic error in 2005, guessing wrongly that the country was adult and serious enough to reform Social Security. Now he faces at least two immediate challenges: immigration and the Dubai ports flap.
Let's start with immigration, which the Senate is slated to take up in late March. On immigration, Bush is not a conventional conservative or any other kind of conservative. His instinct is to sympathize with immigrants. Bush believes that whether they come to the United States legally or illegally, they come for the right reasons, chiefly for economic opportunity and the chance to shape their own destiny in life.
This has put the president deeply at odds with most Republicans in Congress and the army of conservative talk radio hosts and their listeners around the country. They regard Bush as a slacker on immigration. Their primary aim is to tighten security along the border with Mexico. And the legislation that passed the House last December would do exactly that, partly by erecting a 700-mile wall.
Bush had little influence in the House debate, though he wound up endorsing the measure. His mistake was having proposed in 2004, as his first major immigration initiative, a program to allow illegal immigrants to work legally in this country. Most Republicans and conservatives want stepped-up border security to come first. They're skeptical, at best, about a "guest worker" program.
Bush invited members of Congress and his cabinet, plus leaders of Hispanic groups, to his speech at the White House in January 2004 calling for more immigration into the United States. "The citizenship line . . . is too long and our current limits on legal immigration are too low," he said. But he devoted most of his address to illegal immigrants.
"Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs that Americans are not filling," he declared. "We must make our immigration laws more rational and more humane. And I believe we can do so without jeopardizing the livelihoods of American citizens." His plan would "offer legal status, as temporary workers, to the millions of undocumented men and women now employed in the United States and to those in foreign countries who seek to participate in the program and have been offered employment here."
Note the size of the program Bush envisions: millions. It could conceivably cover all the illegal immigrants now living in America. This, of course, enrages Bush's Republican and conservative critics on immigration and makes them all the more dubious of his plans and of him.
How could this adversarial relationship on immigration have been avoided? "If we had to do it again, we probably would lead with enforcement," a White House official said. In other words, soften up the immigrant-bashers with dramatically increased border security and then, and only then, seek a temporary worker program in a year or two. That might have succeeded.
As things now stand, the president's hopes rest with the Senate. His strategy is to get senators to include a modest guest worker program in their bill--a program that could be expanded later. To get the House to accept it, the legislation would be larded with strong enforcement provisions. Who knows? This might work.
On the Dubai ports deal, the failure at the White House was in not seeing political trouble on the horizon. Foreign business deals involving American national security that are approved by the Committee on Foreign Investments normally draw little media or political attention.
But the purchase by a Dubai firm of the British company that manages terminals in six U.S. ports did. In fact, attacks on the deal for supposedly putting America's national security in jeopardy continued for more than a week before the White House responded. It had not consulted members of Congress about the deal beforehand.
The White House was firm and conciliatory in defending the deal but also tardy. The demagoguery on Capitol Hill had gotten out of hand by the time Bush intervened. Most of the criticism focused on the notion that an Arab country with past al Qaeda ties would be in charge of security at the six ports.
This isn't true. Security would remain in the hands of the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs Service. And the personnel operating the ports would be the same. Only the company owning the terminals would change.
But the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is part, was the home of two 9/11 terrorists and banks there had transferred money to al Qaeda. This alone was sufficient to bar the deal for what seemed like most of Congress. Bush countered that the UAE had become a full-blown ally in the war on terrorism since 9/11.
The surprise in all this and the most worrisome aspect for the White House was the eagerness with which congressional Republicans broke into revolt against Bush. Without checking with Bush or his aides, congressional Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, denounced the deal publicly and insisted it be reconsidered or blocked.
The revolt showed that Bush's strength in Congress has significantly eroded as he begins his sixth year as president. In effect, his Republican base is no longer secure.
One thing could revive his standing among Republicans and salvage his clout on Capitol Hill: a Republican triumph led by Bush in the midterm election this fall. He did this before in 2002. But it was a long shot then, as it is now.
The revolt showed that Bush's strength in Congress has significantly eroded as he begins his sixth year as president. In effect, his Republican base is no longer secure.
I worry about it, too.
You can blame Copngress, but only person has the bully pulpit and chooses not to use. I have never understood why this administration is so adamant that the media should be the ones to lead the countries thoughts on every issue. I never thouight the Iraq War was a failure, but the WH's PR about the War was a failure. He never wants to present the facts that would portray his decisions in a good light. It's almost masochistic. Karl Rove is probably the dumbest policitcal adviser in history.
I posted on another thread..that President Bush needs to take Karen Hughes from whatever she is doing now, bring her back and put her in charge of public relations..
And hire Torie Clark back...and use her for spokesperson for all of the military aspects of his agenda.
Those two women would definitely put Dan Bartlett and Scott McClellan to shame.
If that's true, Fred Barnes just dropped off my radar. He was a Jack Germond character to me prior to that--I might have disagreed politically with the guy, but I respected his insight. F him. I won't be called racist for wanting all immigration to the U.S. to be legal, not criminal border-hopping, and I'll be writing Fox about it.
Bush is (sorry) idiot.
They're running on fumes now, and their inability to press on with their agenda will hurt come November.
"Bush's attitude about pulling the world up with the "cash" of the United States and doing so with monstrous increases in the national debt ... is not a good road to be on now."
That's the road built with our sweaty tax dollars and he is pissing on us. I don't respect him anymore.
"Bush's attitude about pulling the world up with the "cash" of the United States and doing so with monstrous increases in the national debt ... is not a good road to be on now."
That's the road built with our sweaty tax dollars and he is pissing on us. I don't respect him anymore.
Full-blown ally - OK, prove it. How many ships, how many men, what are they doing to push democracy in Iraq? What is "full-blown" anyhow? My guess is not much past money, secrets and jailing. Not much else. Oh yeah, they host various eliets in our government and military. And Arabs know how to treat a guest. If I'm wrong here, will someone please set me straight... I have no clue about "full-blown"?
I was surprised
His voice was harsh and attitude elitist when he spoke of any opposing illegal aliens and "guest worker" programs - which is just another rerun of the 80s "amnesty"
That sure worked out great
If politicians and media justify and approve of illegal aliens then we should simply claim equal treatment and selectively start ignoring federal and state and city income taxes
Tell the hospital you are from Mexico City and refuse to provide any more information in a sad spanish accent
Ask your pols which laws you can flaunt, ignore, break
Better still get an ID and birth certificate from Mexico
That is your key to the future
Swim ashore and claim you are escaping from Castro......
Extra points!
Free legal help from idiotic liberals
Let the nutty lefties support another "exploited immigrant"! You!
Your old spanish class may come in handy
It's fairly easy to buy a big Caddy or Lincoln SUV if you declare minimum income for 2-5 IDs and collect an Earned Income Credit Refund from the IRS while your wife works off the books and collects welfare and food stamps using a SS ID purchased from those who sell hundreds of thousands of them
Don't let anyone tell you illegal aliens cannot get public housing subsidies and collect welfare - even SSI on 2-5 kids as "learning disabled"
Can you imagine if we printed and distributed manuals on how to invade and rip of Mexico and Canada?
The government and our judges are encouraging Americans to break the law by example - those who lose respect for the law will ignore and exploit the laws and "rights" of criminal invaders
Wow...is this ever a depressing thread.
There you have it- if you want the laws enforced, you're an 'immigrant-basher' in Barnes' view. It's no wonder the Beltway crowd has alienated the grassroots.
I missed Fred saying that. His views usually seem pretty reasonable to me.
ping
This is so sad. I usually like Fred but he is clueless. El Presidente hasn't misjudged a thing. He is a OBL and is doing the job of providing cheap, illegal labor to businesses. And damn anyone that thinks this is harming the American worker, or our sovereignty or providing a wide open shot for terrorist orgs. to bring a nuke over the border. You are just a bunch of xenophobic racist vigilantes who don't get the "big picture."
Thank you Oh wise Jorge Bush, someone pass the chapstick.
Fred Barnes, out of touch with the real world. What a surprise! /sarcasm
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Bush made one strategic error in 2005, guessing wrongly that the country was adult"
Yes ladies and gentlemen, Barnes is superior to all of us.
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