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 ...
In substance, it is Bush's plan by another name.
But the human tendency is to view Bush's supposed "willingess to compromise" as indicating a substantive shift.
Bush is a fine poker player. Always has been. I like it better when he bluffs liberals out of their pants. It's shameful and embarrassing to see good conservatives fall for it.
Pretty much.
And, not unsurprisingly, most of the people that support it have been pushing amnesty. Some because they really are in love with the idea, some out of misplaced loyalty to Party/person. Then they believe they have credibility to designate this as "not amnesty" and lecture us for not supporting it.
Whatever.
Insults and attempts to belittle really haven't done them much good the past years have they? The issue only seems to grow continually beyond their ability to manage.
I'm starting to wonder just who is on their "team".
Gee, why am I not surprised.
forget the triggers.
this should be a border enforcement bill only.
Pence's plan had a lot of support before; it's rational and common sense. It seems that the momentum has finally shifted in his direction and perhaps we can get something meaningful done DESPITE the others.
No it wouldn't have. There are too many that are making their living from the issue to allow for any sensible solution. It is no coincidence that the House felt secure enough to send Pence to the WH with his plan the day after the Tancredo endorsed candidate lost in Utah. They are no longer afraid of Tancredo.
If your idea of an immigration policy is the same as Bush's then we will lose Texasforever.
Can't you see we are being overran? Large parts of Houston now look like a third world Hellhole with crime rates to match. Anglo's are a decreasing minority in Houston and now even Harris County. Within a few more election cycles, the Dims will have taken over Harris County.
What is now the most Republican large County in the U.S. will be just another Liberal Stronghold. The rest of the State will soon follow. The loss of Texas will doom the GOP nationally as well. Good thinking, Fellow!
Get your message straight.
My idea of immigration policy is the Pence plan.
Since his national referendum blew up in his face and sanity is being restored to the House with the Pence plan there's no need to worry about him on this issue. The FACT that his PAC has direct links to VDARE is something to worry about.
Ken Mehlman must have informed the Prez and Karl Rove that the spigot to the RNC has slowed down to a trickle.
I know I must have answered about a dozen solicitation letters and half a dozen phone calls in the past three months with "thanks but no thanks, NO AMNESTY, ESTUPIDOS!"
I do put my own stamps on the return envelopes, however.
Leni
Actually the GOP isn't having any problems in that department. Even in the Seattle area a visit by the President brings in big dollars.
So you admit they were afraid of him? Thank you for the candor, at long last.
Well, we knew that even as you and the other six shamnesty supporters at FR hysterically screamed for months that Tancredo was a powerless, uninfluential, racist dunce.
I suspect you're still scared of him. And so is the administration. That's because Tancredo understands where the typical conservative voter stands on the issue of shamnesty. And it isn't where you stand.
Hell I never said the House leadership were brave men.
Nah, follow the polls the W.H. claims to not watch.
Donations to the Dole's committee are suffering, but that's do to many factors. The Senate has ticked people off on one issue after another for awhile.
What the W.H. wants is open borders and amnesty. They fear losing elections by blatantly advertising the fact. They saw how their polls dived.
Solution? Co-opt someone with "conservative" credentials and have them propose an amnesty that's not amnesty plan. Effect? They believe sufficient scores of conservatives will buy it, vote GOP, and they get what they've wanted all along.
Will conservatives buy it because of pence's name I.D. or will they examine the details and reject it based on its substance? That's the real question.
What about the Senate? Will McCain and his huge ego go along with the Pence bill?
Here in Utah among Republican Party regulars Cannon's defeat at convention and his hard push during the primary were widely seen as a double humiliation for Cannon and a strict rejection of his pro-shamesty sentiments--the spin outside of the state by administration sources and the six shamnesty supporters at FR notwithstanding.
All we were asking is that he not reward people who broke the law and I'm sorry, but selling citizenship for $2,000.00 as per McCain/Kennedy just doesn't cut it. Right from the start there should be a difference between a guest worker and an applicant for citizenship. This has always been a country of immigrants but it is a country of LEGAL immigrants. Our door should be open to LEGAL immigrants who have had a health check and a background check and who want more than anything in the world to be an American citizen. Not just so they can get services, but because they believe in what this country stand for. There are thousands of LEGAL Mexican applicants waiting patiently to come into this country the right way. THEY are the ones who should be rewarded with citizenship.
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