Privately, Bush Says He Favors Citizenship (for Illegals)

AP ^ | April 26, 2006 | DAVID ESPO

[West Coast Conservative]

President Bush generally favors plans to give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at U.S. citizenship without leaving the country, but does not want to be more publicly supportive because of opposition among conservative House Republicans, according to senators who attended a recent White House meeting.

Several officials familiar with the meeting also said Democrats protested radio commercials that blamed them for Republican-written legislation that passed the House and would make illegal immigrants vulnerable to felony charges.

Bush said he was unfamiliar with the ads, which were financed by the Republican National Committee, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

At another point, Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and other members of his party pressed the president about their concern that any Senate-passed bill would be made unpalatable in final talks with the House.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat, said the lawmaker who would lead House negotiators, House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, had been "intractable" in negotiations on other high-profile bills in the past. Bush did not directly respond to the remark, officials said.

The Republican and Democratic officials who described the conversation did so Wednesday on condition of anonymity, saying they had not been authorized to disclose details.

Bush convened the session to give momentum to the drive for election-year immigration legislation, a contentious issue that has triggered large street demonstrations and produced divisions in both political parties. Senators of both parties emerged from the session praising the president's involvement and said the timetable was achievable.

"Yes, he thinks people should be given a path to citizenship," said Sen. Mel Martinez., R-Fla., a leading supporter of immigration legislation in the Senate.

[raybbr]

Some days I think they just want the issue.

That's absurd. This issue has been around for years yet the talking heads on the radio have just now picked it up. If they wanted this as an issue they could have done it anytime.

[Cacique]

ping

[woofie]

I wonder if the crowd that is so sure Bush has sold us down the river on immigration has ever eaten a taco

[raybbr]

Bush ran on "normalization" with illegal mexicans in 2000.

Wrong! He ran on the idea that these "new Americans" are the future of the United States. He wants them here because he is enamored of the hispanic culture. If our culture were replaced by mexico's Bush would have no problem with that.

THE "NEW AMERICAN"

We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.

Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.

For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.

As I speak, we are celebrating the success of democracy in Mexico.

George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.

You can read the speech here.

Here is an excerpt of a good critique of that speech:

In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster

[raybbr]

I wonder if the crowd that is so sure Bush has sold us down the river on immigration has ever eaten a taco

I wonder if Bush has ever eaten anything else?

[woofie]

LOL

[narby]

He ran on the idea that these "new Americans" are the future of the United States. He wants them here because he is enamored of the hispanic culture. If our culture were replaced by mexico's Bush would have no problem with that.

Wrong! Bush is a politician, in case you haven't noticed. For any party to be elected in the future, they must have some plurality of the Hispanic vote. Whether you or I like it or not, that's a fact.

If Republicans ignore that fact, and don't overwhelm the Democrat demagoguery on this subject, then a President Chelsea is in our future, succeeding her mom after a couple of terms.

The only intelligent thing to do is agree to a compromise that will allow these folks to join the mainstream and become assimilated. But if things go as they now appear, the Republicans will reconfirm their title as the "Stupid Party", and the Dems will regain power.

And we almost had a majority on the Supreme Court too.

Long live Liberalism! Guaranteed by people chanting the mantra *NO AMNESTY*.

[proudofthesouth]

George and Vincente sitting in a tree, k i s s i n g .....

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

I'll give you two names of senators that weren't there.

John Cornyn-the head of the immigration subcommittee in the Senate-and Jon Kyl, someone who opposes this amnesty monstrosity Bush, Specter, among others, are trying to railroad through Congress.

[raybbr]

For any party to be elected in the future, they must have some plurality of the Hispanic vote. Whether you or I like it or not, that's a fact.

Simply not at all true. Bush, who is supposed to be the hispanics hero, only got about 40% of the hispanic vote nationally. While that may constitute a plurality for Bush no other republican has ever, nor will they ever get that much in a national election unless he is hispanic. Or, goes on a major pandering campaign like McCain is doing.

The only intelligent thing to do is agree to a compromise that will allow these folks to join the mainstream and become assimilated.

Intelligent? No. Weak kneed? Yes. Besides they don't want to assimilate otherwise they would be trying to.

Long live Liberalism! Guaranteed by people chanting the mantra *NO AMNESTY*.

Or, long live pandering, destruction of our culture, third-world like lifestyles and the completion of multi-culturalism! Guaranteed by the people chanting "Open borders". Gee that all sounds so much like the communists that you probably claim to despise, doesn't it?

[cva66snipe]

Wrong! He ran on the idea that these "new Americans" are the future of the United States. He wants them here because he is enamored of the hispanic culture. If our culture were replaced by mexico's Bush would have no problem with that.

Thanks for the link. I read till I couldn't stand much more of the garbage. If a person listened to it they would likely think it was wonderful. Reading it the speech wreaks of socialism and globalism that any Constitutional Conservative would cringe at hearing and would never support.

He was not elected to be a Hemispheric Leader or Hemispheric Government Builder our Constitution forbids him from going there. This speech leaves no doubt he places hemispheric needs above and beyond that of the nation. This just goes back to what I said. People heard his speeches but didn't read the text. The only heard their own wishful thinking.

[Razz Barry]

Bill Clinton was a "will of the people" president. He did everything his polsters said the "people" wanted.

Thank G-d Clintoon heard the people on welfare reform and socialized medicine. Clintoon was a sneak. He executive ordered in a number of things most Americans, thanks to the lib media, never knew about. Things that had they been told the truth would have, IMO, stopped.

We could argue all day about how honest Bush is. I don't happen to think an honest person, sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution, would allow our country to be invaded by third world ingrates.

My family members did not fight the Germans, Japanese, Vietnamese... to have my grandchildren forced to speak Spanish. I find nothing about Mexicans, or their culture, fascinating. If I did I'd move there.

[NJ_gent]

"Bush didn't call the Minutemen vigilantes."

It must take gallons upon gallons of kool-aid to believe that.

If President Bush said 2+2=5, you'd spend day and night coming up with some convoluted 'proof' that he's right.

Dunno, common sense tells me it's just plain wrong.

[Herakles]

"I want ENFORCEMENT FIRST, before any talk of paths to citizenship."

Can't disagree with that!

[mthom]

Bush explicitly endorsed a path to citizenship for illegals in his speech in Irvine a few days ago. No need to trust rumors.

[FreeReign]

Bush didn't call the Minutemen vigilantes.

It must take gallons upon gallons of kool-aid to believe that. If President Bush said 2+2=5, you'd spend day and night coming up with some convoluted 'proof' that he's right. Dunno, common sense tells me it's just plain wrong.

The following question and answer took place in March of 2005. The Minutemen were not on the border in March, they went down to the border in April of 2005.

The reporter asked President Bush his opinion of people on the border at that time. Being that the Minutemen weren't on the border at the time and possibly not knowing if anybody else was on the border at that time, the president gave his general philosophy of what he wanted to see at the border.

REPORTER:President Bush, I wanted to ask you about your opinion about those people who are hunting migrant people along the border.

PRESIDENT BUSH: I'm against vigilantes in the United States of America. I'm for enforcing law in a rational way.

Your name-calling "kool-aid" remark is a stale cliche, your wisdom is conventional, your critical though is lacking and your belief is based on MSM boob-bait directed directly at the Bubbas.

As I said before: The logic of NJGent:If one is against vigilantes and if one is for enforcing the law in a rational way then one must be against the Minutemen.

You're right, you "dunno".

[NJ_gent]

Funny how everyone in the world (from Fox news to the BBC, to the vast majority of Freepers, to everyone else) took his comment as directed at the Minutemen. He's had ample time to clarify his remarks as not having been directed at the Minutemen, but he's never once even begun to do so.

The silence is deafening.

[eazdzit]

You stated: "Bush didn't call the Minutemen vigilantes.

You are correct!

However, the Minutemen were preparing to begin their stint on the border. The reporter had the Minutemen in mind and used the definite article "the". This means the reporter was referring to a specific group of people, not a category of people.

If Bush did not know who the reporter was referring to, he should have asked.

The reporter and everyone listening could and did, legitimately, conclude that Bush was talking about the Minutemen.

Bush was either talking about the Minutemen or he dodged the question.

You seem to think he dodged .

This is one of his shortcomings. He says things that can be used against him. Leaving a lot of cleanup work for his supporters.

:)Easy Does It:)

[narby]

My family members did not fight the Germans, Japanese, Vietnamese... to have my grandchildren forced to speak Spanish. I find nothing about Mexicans, or their culture, fascinating. If I did I'd move there.

I agree completely. The problem is how to prevent it.

I view the situation similar to trying to eliminate drugs. By making these people "illegal", you can push them underground, but you can't eliminate them. Ever.

Further complicating the issue is that while these folks are "illegal", then they will stay mexican. The first step to assimilation, where they lose their mexican culture of no-education, no-ambition, and third world mentality is to make them legal (while, of course, closing the border as tight as practical).

It's a bit of social jujitsu. Where we direct their desire to be in america into a motivation for them to become "American". As long as the status quo is maintained, that won't happen. And because of political realities, sticking with the "no amnesty" position means the status quo will not change, and I think that's the worst option of all.

[nicmarlo]

the Minutemen weren't even on the border at the time. Most likely, the President not knowing who the reporter was talking about, gave his general philosophy of what he did not want to see at the border....(To hell with common knowledge and conventional wisdom)

It was common knowledge and conventional wisdom, as of March 23, 2005, that the President knew about the formation of Minutemen, their plan to launch operations on April 1, 2005, that Fox's government, as stated on March 1, 2005, was poised to take legal action against the Minutemen, and that after her March 10, 2005 visit to Mexico, Secretary of State Condi Rice would have reported back to President Bush the Mexican Government's legal position and anger regarding the Minutemen, who were also referred to by other names, such as anti-migrant patrols.

What you believe to be true contradicts the facts stated above and verified below:

Volunteers set to monitor Arizona border crossings
Washington Times
January 24, 2005

James Gilchrist, a combat-wounded U.S. Marine and Vietnam veteran, said the "Minuteman Project" will field volunteers from 37 states, many of them ex-military and law enforcement personnel, to man observation posts and a communications center, along with seven pilots from Arizona who will provide aerial surveillance.

Billed as "Americans doing the job Congress won't do," the project — which will begin April 1 — is intended to showcase inadequate border- and immigration-enforcement policies by the U.S. government, Mr. Gilchrist said.

"We hope to bring enough attention also that we can send a message to our leaders in Washington, D.C., that this is our country, too," he said. "This border issue is about all 50 states, not just Arizona or Texas. It's about our Constitution and how it applies to all of us.

Mexican migrant activists brace for Arizona anti-migrant patrols
as Mexican goverment plans legal action

By: Associated Press
March 1, 2005 5:05 PM PST

MONTERREY, Mexico -- While the Mexican government develops plans for legal action against civilian patrols expected to descend on the Arizona-Mexico border in April, activists said Tuesday they will show migrants how to avoid the volunteers.

The Minuteman Project, headed by Jim Gilchrist, a retired accountant and Vietnam War veteran, has recruited nearly 500 volunteers from across the United States to patrol the Arizona border for illegal migrants.

The volunteers plan to patrol an 83-mile stretch of the southeast Arizona border from the ground and air throughout April, when the tide of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border peaks....

Derbez said the Mexican government will use all the legal means at his disposal to protect the rights of Mexican migrants, adding that the Minuteman project will be one of the issues he'll discuss with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on her March 10 visit to Mexico.

Now, about my post #563, asking that you to corroborate your claim that employer fines/arrests have decreased BECAUSE funding for Border Enforcement has increased....

[crickets]