The difference here is that President Bush signed a bill into law that calls for 857 miles of double fence along the border. This bill seeks to reduce it to 300. So far only 12 miles have been built. President Bush is showing that he doesn’t respect his own signature on a law. What kind of conservative is he?
It’s one thing to do something boneheaded once. See: 1986 amnesty.
It’s another thing to do the same thing AGAIN with that experience as your teacher.
And it’s a totally other thing to then imply that your base is stupid and/or bigoted.
If anyone broke the 11th Commandment it was this administration.
What political conservatives and on-the-ground Republicans must understand at this point is that they are not breaking with the White House on immigration. ... What conservatives and Republicans must recognize is that the White House has broken with them. What President Bush is doing, and has been doing for some time, is sundering a great political coalition. This is sad, and it holds implications not only for one political party but for the American future.
So, the question now is not the one the false pragmatists keep asking (Hey, Pelosi's worse, you don't want that, do you?). The question for conservatives and their right-libertarian allies is "What are we going to do about it?" I say it's time for a revolution in the Republican party, not time for "pragmatism" or looking back on the history of the past two decades to find times that the true heros of the conservative movment stumbled.
But that's just me.
I think one of the main groups responsible for this entirely lousy bill is the “conservative” bloc that wanted it their way and made 100% non-negotiable demands for unrealizable objectives. Bush’s first suggestions a year ago needed tweaking, but they weren’t that bad; “conservatives” could have done something then to have some input. But impelled by a combination of Dem sleeper trolls and raving nativist loonies, they instead refused to talk and essentially ended up putting themselves outside the game.
And this bill, passed under Dems that the “conservative base” helped elect, is the result. The bill is rotten, but it’s almost a certainty that it will be passed. Thanks, guys.
No, but he can veto it on his own. Too bad he won't, though.
In Reagan’s diaries, published last week, Reagan says he is signing the bill because it is time to get control of our borders.
He thought that bill would solve the problem. It didn’t. Now Bush is trying to do the same thing, problem is we know better now.
Ummm, perhaps because Newt had left office in 2002?
Maybe you should apply for a job with the RNC. The Republican elites lie to our faces and then tell us we must have heard wrong. I am sick of this monkey act.
While I generally agree with the concept you push, more and more, GWB is revealed as “not a conservative”.
We have those laws already. They aren’t being enforced. Why the hell should anybody believe new, redundant laws will be enforced?
Peggy isn’t speaking ill of another conservative. She’s speaking ill of Bush.
Even if true, it doesn't mean this column is wrong. With elections so close, how many votes can the GOP afford to lose?
Newt Gingrich hasn't been in office since 1999, genius. Think Clinton would've signed immigration reform?
You can drink that koolaid all by yourself.
Regardless of Peggy’s motives, she is telling the truth....so don’t shoot the messenger.
I voted for Bush as Governer and President each election.
Now he calls me unpatriotic because I don't want to live in Mexico and don't want Mexico to replace the USA.
He makes me question the wisdom of my votes for him.
finally, a rant of substance, style , and accuracy.
Peggy Noonan is not speaking ill of another conservativve;George Bush is not a conservative and never ran as one.He just appeared to be the lesser of two evils in the last two presidential elections.
Likewise a bill for a major fence segment was passed. Little has been built. Again, due to being left out of the budgets.
Those previous bills were to quiet down the restless members of the House, but, the funding isn't being made to significantly implement them.
So basically, the problem has been allowed to further fester in the hopes of making the heat greater to push through an all encompassing Reform Bill that contains all the crud this one does.
I helped mobilize three urban protests of over a hundred during the recount, so none can say that I haven't previously supported this President.
This Reform Bill is trash and bridges are being burnt.
We don't need ANY reform bill. The Dems would come begging with a variety of them, hat-in-hand, if we simply started enforcement of what was there. We should have, and still can, use simple enforcement to get the process started.
The Senate gave final approval last night to legislation authorizing the construction of 700 miles of double-layered fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border, shelving President Bush’s vision of a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws in favor of a vast barrier.
The measure was pushed hard by House Republican leaders, who badly wanted to pass a piece of legislation that would make good on their promises to get tough on illegal immigrants, despite warnings from critics that a multibillion-dollar fence would do little to address the underlying economic, social and law enforcement problems, or to prevent others from slipping across the border. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) surprised many advocates of a more comprehensive approach to immigration problems when he took up the House bill last week.”
So the Republican did take a stand. Know how much of this 700 mile fence has been built???? 2 miles!
Congress, not matter who is in power, will never do what is right when it comes to more votes to remain in control. The Dem’s want the illegals to become legal so they’ll get the votes and the Republicans are too scared of the reaction if they stand against this bill.
What is needed in this country is term limits... and NOW.