Posted on 07/04/2006 7:38:49 PM PDT by nj26
On the eve of nationwide hearings that could determine the fate of his immigration bill, President Bush is signaling a new willingness to negotiate with House Republicans in an effort to revise stalled legislation before Election Day.
Republicans both inside and outside the White House say Mr. Bush, who has long insisted on comprehensive reform, is now open to a so-called enforcement-first approach that would put new border security programs in place before creating a guest worker program or path to citizenship for people living in the United States illegally.
"He thinks that this notion that you can have triggers is something we should take a close look at, and we are," said Candi Wolff, the White House director of legislative affairs, referring to the idea that guest worker and citizenship programs would be triggered when specific border security goals had been met, a process that could take two years.
The shift is significant because Mr. Bush has repeatedly said he favors legislation like the Senate's immigration bill, which establishes border security, guest worker and citizenship programs all at once. The enforcement-first approach puts Mr. Bush one step closer to the House, where Republicans are demanding an enforcement-only measure.
"The willingness to consider a phased-in situation, that's a pretty big concession from where they were at," said Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma, whose closeness to Mr. Bush dates to his days as a top Republican National Committee official. "It's a suggestion they are willing to negotiate."
In a sign of that willingness, the White House last week invited a leading conservative proponent of an enforcement-first bill, Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana, to present his ideas to Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the Oval Office.
Ms. Wolff said the president found the Pence plan "pretty intriguing."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Wow! The only Times writer who admits being gay!
Perhaps. I have no doubt that Bush would give amnesty to all the illegals if it were just up to him.
But I think that Bush and the rest of the Washington elite are figuring out that the voters aren't going to put up with amnesty. Maybe all those bricks are sending a message.
I find this article to be very encouraging as it suggests to me that grass-roots democracy still works, as it did for the anti-tax movement in the early 1970s (culminating in the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.)
It also looks to me as if the pro-enforcement crowd has the momentum. The Bush Administration has already backtracked to the Pence bill (as evidenced by this obviously planted story in NYT). Next stop may be a true enforcement-only bill.
Well, which is it?
Having a long-time incumbent representative win a primary 56/44 is not exactly a convincing win, especially when the opponent is a single-issue candidate that seems a bit short of being mentally balanced.
I don't see any pro-enforcement Republican representatives facing serious primary challenges.
Just check the Team America site. The knives are slashing as we speak.
Agreed. He's still short of the meager forces he promised to send to the border.
Mr President, pull your head out. Submit to the House version or lose the base. We were already snookered last time the amnesty bs came up. We were promised enforcement then, and got nothing. That wasn't your fault, but we need to see real action now, before we entertain any concept of amnesty or guest worker again. Secure the borders & ports.
If Bush has changed his position he better let his AG know. His AG in a recent interview regurgitated the "path to citizenship" stuff.
Bush takes interest in Pence's immigration proposal
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060629/NEWS02/606290447/1008
You mean the Tancredo base. That base is now irrelevant.
I did...no mention whatsoever about their national referendum last week. That's curious.
"You mean the Tancredo base. That base is now irrelevant."
Looks as if the Tancredo base is driving policy if this story is true, and path-to-citizenship is dead.
SATAN must have hacked it.
Thank God!
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Slimes accuracy rate is still less than a stopped clock
TT
Tancredo has influence among conservatives, far more than you're willing to admit, and it frightens you.
Well, it ought to. Most conservatives don't support shamnesty, and you know it.
Might be more sensitive today. Sat on my front porch and had about 40,000 people stroll past on the beach walk so far and suspect that 10,000 illegal aliens were in the crowd.
Pssssssst, Tancredo calls the Pence Plan amnesty. He's opposed to it.
No, the Tancredo base is against the Pence plan. They were told by Dear Leader it is an amnesty plan too.
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