If these people have lived among us for years and their only crime was to sneak into the country, then I am able to give them the benefit of the doubt and give them a path to citizenship.
We already grant good behavior time-off for criminals, we grant homestead privileges to homeowners, we grant right of redemption to homeowners, we grant amnesty to citizens through the Statutue of Limitations, etc.
I'm sure you broke the law while driving at one time or another. Should you ever be allowed to drive once you have been given a speeding ticket? That's about the equivalent punishment for crossing the border illegally. A free meal and a bus ride home.
Now if you want to make the case that crossing that border is on the same par as murder, rape, and armed robbery then perhaps you are right and all illegals should be rounded up like Elian Gonzales at gunpoint. But don't forget that under our Constitution, each and every one of the 12 million will need a court date to plead their case. So if we can dispense justice at one minute per case it will only take about 96 years to clear the backlog. Good luck with that.
This thread isn't about whether illegals deserve amnesty or not (they don't).
It is about whether George Bush is consistent about his plans for amnesty.
I say that Bush mislead the voters in the 2004 debates because he stated he was in favor of a temporary guest worker card. Now he favors "a path to citizenship", and is using the words of KERRY in the debate.
Please review the transcript I just posted. Where does he say he is going to legalize 12 million illegals?