Posted on 05/31/2007 11:46:52 PM PDT by Baladas
President Bush sounded like he hoped to sever ties with the remaining 30 percent who like him when he went after critics in his party this week over opposition to his latest immigration plan.
"If you want to scare the American people, what you say is the bill's an amnesty bill," Bush said during a stop in Glynco, Ga. "That's empty political rhetoric, trying to frighten our citizens."
It was his harshest public backhand yet to the conservative bloggers, commentators, politicians and CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, all gassing about how the bill amounts to amnesty.
"People shouldn't fear our capacity to uphold our motto, E Pluribus Unum," Bush told McClatchy Newspapers.
The compromise Senate bill is drawing fire from Republicans and Democrats. Critics on the left don't like the high fees and penalties for illegal immigrations, or the shift away from reuniting families and toward valuing education and skills in deciding who gets in. Conservative critics are calling it amnesty because it includes provisions for those in the U.S. illegally to eventually become citizens.
Points to Texas' diversity For Bush, the fight over immigration reform is a personal one unlike Social Security or education reform, which were mostly political.
"I feel passionate about the issue. It's something I have felt strongly about ever since I was the governor of Texas," he said.
"Texas is a very diverse state, Houston is a very diverse city, and through that diversity, if you're open-minded, you get a great sense of how it invigorates the society," said Bush, a Houston resident in the 1960s and '70s.
Growing up in Texas, Bush said, "you recognize the decency and hard work and humanity of Hispanics. And the truth of the matter is a lot of this immigration debate is driven as a result of Latinos being in our country."
Or to be more specific, an unhappiness about Latinos being in the country. Bush, for the first time, is putting opponents on notice that he's going to call them out on their xenophobia if he needs to. In last year's failed effort at passing immigration reform, he never went that far.
"A lot of us in Texas were very aware of the immigration issue way before the rest of the country," Bush told McClatchy. Bush is working to keep the bill intact and moving forward.
His brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, joined former Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman in co-authoring an op-ed in Thursday's Wall Street Journal, calling on Republicans to support the bill.
In addition to arguing the merits, the two noted the political damage to the Republican Party after California in 1994 passed Proposition 187, a measure denying many public services to illegal immigrants.
"The GOP won the governor's mansion in the short term, but alienated the fastest-growing constituency in the state," they said.
With Congress out of town on recess, Bush had the microphone largely to himself on immigration. But he may not be getting traction because of the war in Iraq. The unpopular, long-running conflict has eroded public trust in the president and makes it harder for him to pass a domestic agenda. It also makes it easier for members of Congress to oppose him.
If Bush takes this amnesty thing so personal, then his next step should be to put his hand on the Bible in front of the nation, and pronounce to God and the public that all that previous stuff he swore to God about at inauguration ( such as fullfilling his duty to protect and defend the Constitution) is no longer operable. The only way he can satisfy his religious principles is to renounce his oath of office and leave office.
Slaves were hard working, did the work that Americans wouldn’t do, and had strong family values.
Based on that, I guess the President would support slavery, no?
Where are chiefs Pontiac, Sitting Bull and Crazy horse when you need them?
Now I know some of the rage that drove Pontiac to war.
Sorry, NO, Mr. President. It is your rhetoric that is frightening our citizens because you are trying to give away the entire united States of America with YOUR amnesty.
"If you want to scare the American people, what you say is" the TRUTH about your amnesty bill.
Excellent post.
I would like to ask Bush at what point do we say, enough the country full and we can’t take in anymore? This legislation has the potential to flood the nation with millions upon millions of poor, uneducated, non-english speaking immigrants. How many can this country absorb?
The insecure borders have a direct relationship to his handling of the War on Terror. If he isn’t willing to secure the borders, then he’s not defending the USA from terrorism.
I no longer defend Bush on any issue, including the WOT.
Personal? No doubt. I’m sure there’s a big payday waiting for him once he leaves office.
In 2005, CFR task force co-chairman Pastor testified in Congress in front of the Foreign Relations Committee: "The best way to secure the United States today is not at our two borders with Mexico and Canada, but at the borders of North America as a whole."[43]
The CFR task force he headed called for one border around North America, freer travel within it, and cooperation among Canadian, Mexican and American military forces and law enforcement for greater security. It called for full mobility of labor among the three countries within five years, similar to the European Union.[5] He also appeared at a CFR forum called "The Future of North American Integration in the Wake of the Terrorist Attacks" on October 17, 2001, discussing the prospect of North American integration in the wake of the September 11 attacks.[44]
Conservative commentator Phyllis Schlafly wrote of the 2005 report, "This CFR document, called 'Building a North American Community,' asserts that George W. Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox, and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin 'committed their governments' to this goal when they met at Bush's ranch and at Waco, Texas on March 23, 2005.
The three adopted the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America and assigned 'working groups' to fill in the details."[45] The document advocated allowing companies to recruit workers from anywhere within North America and called for large loans and aid to Mexico from the US. It called for a court system for North American dispute resolution and said that illegal aliens should be allowed into the United States Social Security system through the Social Security Totalization Agreement. The report called for a fund to be created by the US to allow 60,000 Mexican students to attend US colleges. The report says the plan can be carried out within five years. Other members of the task force included former Massachusetts governor William Weld and immigration chief for President Clinton, Doris Meissner.
Pastor wrote in a piece for Foreign Affairs: "The U.S., Mexican, and Canadian governments remain zealous defenders of an outdated conception of sovereignty even though their citizens are ready for a new approach. Each nation's leadership has stressed differences rather than common interests. North America needs leaders who can articulate and pursue a broader vision...
Countries are benefited when they changed these [national sovereignty] policies, and evidence suggests that North Americans are ready for a new relationship that renders this old definition of sovereignty obsolete."[46] Pastor appeared at a CFR-sponsored symposium at Arizona State University on issues that would face the next president.[47]
Yep he’s a liberal
Spewing this diversity crap is a dead giveaway.
"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government,
1. The act of invading; the act of encroaching upon the rights or possessions of another; encroachment; trespass.
I differentiate the War on Terror from Homeland Security. Bush is dropping the ball on Homeland Security by failing to secure the border, no doubt. But he is being strong on prosecuting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is what I would consider the “War on Terror”, and I give him his props for that.
There is NO war on terror. Sooner than any of US want to see it, we will be fighting them here, because they ARE here. Blackbird.
“gassing about....”. No bias here! These mexicans are entering the US illegally and what they want is to take over. They are in-your-face people and they are only waiting for the bill to pass so they can turn on us. Thank you, Mr. President. One mexican can twist an entire family and there is visible proof of this right here, right now and very public. If there ever was any great sympathy for mexicans among the American people, it is surely dwindling fast.
A year ago that would have crossed a line with me, but not anymore. I’m beginning to think the WOT and amnesty are just two pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, and as the pieces fall into place the picture that is emerging is of one world government. There is a WHOLE LOT we are not being told about the real agenda here.
Bush is becoming shrill and desperate on this issue. In November, he seemed almost gleeful that a Democrat controlled Congress would pass amnesty. He has to know that this bill, if signed into law, will destroy the Republican Party. But he’s going to do it anyway. Why? Could it be that there’s some promised payback to the transnational elites that Bush has so far failed to deliver?
Off to dig out the tinfoil...
I didn’t say they were the same thing. I said they are related.
What’s the point of fighting them over there if you’re gonna let ‘em creep in here over the borders for another sneak attack?
They might make it in through other means, even if the borders were secure, but why make it easy for them if you’re really serious about defeating terrorists?
OK, just tell us how you are going to get this Congress to authorize it and provide funding? By the way, under existing law, there is no punishment for being here illegally. But, if you think that`s all we need, guess that will have to do.
Who`s defending the Bill? My point is don`t be stupid and “think” that by destroying the Republican Party, things will get better with immigration and border security. President Hillorat won`t care.
The picture of the dead elephant in the truck is so funny I plan on framing it and mounting on my wall so I`ll have something to laugh about while Hillorat is Pres.
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