Clinton praises Bush on immigration reform

Yahoo News ^ | 07/08/06 | By ROBERT JABLON, Associated Press Writer

[garbageseeker]

LOS ANGELES - Former President Bill Clinton praised President Bush on Saturday for supporting reforms that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to seek citizenship but said the debate in Congress is being fomented by Republicans who want to divide America.

"I'm proud of him for doing it and I thanked him for doing it," he said of Bush during a "Cafe con Clinton" breakfast speech to the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights advocacy group.

Clinton said Bush's roots in Texas — which has one of the nation's largest Hispanic populations — have helped him view immigrants as people rather than statistics.

"It's hard to demonize people if you know them," he said.

But Clinton also argued that the nation's government is controlled by Republican ideological hard-liners who want to use immigration to divide Americans and distract them from issues such as the war in Iraq and the health care crisis.

Instead of equal opportunity, they support a "financial elite" because they favor "concentrated wealth and power," Clinton said.

"They believe in a government that is secret, unaccountable and that maximizes its own power," he said. "They really believe the world works better if they run it and we keep our mouths shut."

Clinton supported an immigration reform measure passed by the Senate that would provide a way for many of the estimated 12 million foreigners living in the country illegally to become citizens. A House-approved bill would make illegal immigrants felons and build 700 miles of border walls. House and Senate negotiators so far have not been able to work out a compromise.

Bush has said he wants to enforce the borders so fewer people sneak across but also provide a way for those already in the United States to become legal. He has praised Hispanic immigrants as hardworking and family oriented. Clinton used similar language in his own speech.

The message played well with La Raza, which opposes the House bill and whose current president, Janet Murguia, was an assistant in the Clinton White House.

Before Clinton's speech, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa noted a string of rallies over the immigration issue, including one in March that sent 500,000 people into the streets of Los Angeles and garnered international attention.

"You literally reshaped the political landscape of our nation ... we can still see a movement blooming before our very eyes," he said.

Both Democrats and Republicans have been looking for ways to court Hispanics, whose fast-growing population gives them the potential to become an enormous voting force. Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, was scheduled to address the convention on Tuesday

[garbageseeker]

He will continue to kill her with a thousand cuts and for that we should be thankful.

I agree. I think it was a very bad move that he gave a speech to La Raza. Because his words can be used to hurt her, if she decides to run for President of the United States.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Karl Rove was right there with him.

[garbageseeker]

That speaks volumes. And he advises the President.

[leadpenny]

"if she decides to run for President of the United States."

Oh, I think she's already done that. The question is, can she stay a step ahead of the bent one?

[garbageseeker]

LOL.
She should have advised him not to go to this meeting.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Makes me ill that Rove was a speaker for a LaRaza/Mencha/Reconquista dinner.

[Reagan Man]

The two Bush brothers --- Dubya and Slick --- who became POTUS, agree on immigration reform, aka. AMNESTY. Why am I not surprised. LOL

[garbageseeker]

I am very saddened that he decided to go to the dinner. It shows that he puts votes and politics ahead of the welfare of the American people.

[garbageseeker]

I agree with you.

[AmeriBrit]

It's just Slick's way of trying to confuse people with his double talk, and putting the blame for the country being divided on the Republicans instead of where it really belongs, on the shoulders of the far left leaning commies...aka democRATs.

President Bush I think realizes that with the biased congress he's been handed to work with, without profiling and asking for proof of citizenship, there's no way the 12 million ILLEGAL ALIENS can be rounded up and deported so he's had to try and come up with another solution.

[garbageseeker]

Bump

[Arizona Carolyn]

That doesn't explain Karl Rove voluntarily going into the Lions' Den (aka La Raza/Mencha).. I'm assuming you are aware of their published, very non-secret agenda?

[leadpenny]

"It's just Slick's way of trying to confuse people with his double talk"

He is a master at using double, triple and double back reverse psychology.

[torchthemummy]

That right there should be enough evidence that Bush's Amnesty plan is a really bad idea. Any time Bubba likes something - it can't be good.

BS. Clinton is only praising Bush to rile up the likes of you. George Bush campaigned, specifically in 2004, on a guest worker program. While I vehemently disagree with a variety of aspects of his proposal I, like many here, voted for him anyways for a multitude of other issues.

This is posturing by the Slick One to divide and conquer. Clinton and the Dems don't give a rats ass about immigrants except for one reason - future votes.

[sgtbono2002]

If Clintons for it you know its F'ed up.

[garbageseeker]

LOL
If a Democrat have an idea it is doomed to fail.

[funkywbr]

Hell I knew Bush's amnesty plan sucked.

This just confirms what I knew to begin with.

[garbageseeker]

Bump

[garbageseeker]

Hell I knew Bush's amnesty plan sucked

And Karl Rove being there at the meeting confirms that also.

[Cobra64]

"Former President Bill Clinton praised President Bush on Saturday for supporting reforms that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to seek citizenship..."

Has Slick lined up some interns for W too?