Posted on 06/11/2007 8:32:49 PM PDT by indcons
US President George W. Bush was confident Monday that the most sweeping overhaul of US immigration laws in two decades will ultimately clear Congress once he gets home from his European tour.
Speaking in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, Bush acknowledged disappointment that the legislation -- aimed at bringing 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows -- collapsed Thursday in the Democratic-controlled Congress.
"Listen, the immigration debate is a tough debate. I'm under no illusions about how hard it is," he told a news conference.
"There are people in my (Republican) party that don't want a comprehensive bill. There are people in the Democrat Party that don't seem to want a comprehensive bill."
But he said that he would, upon his return to Washington, get in touch with leading Democrats and Republicans who do support the legislation to get it firmly back on track.
"I'll be going to the Senate to talk about a way forward on the piece of legislation," he said.
"I'm going to work with those who are focused on getting an immigration bill done and start taking some steps forward again. I believe we can get it done. I'll see you at the bill signing."
Harry Reid, the Democratic leader of the Senate, withdrew the bill Thursday after senators, seeking to add amendments, voted twice within nine hours not to move it towards a final vote as he had demanded.
Billed as a "grand bargain," the proposed law would grant a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, establishing a merit-based points system for future immigrants, and create a low-wage temporary worker program.
It also envisions a border security crackdown, punishment for employers who hire illegal immigrants and an attempt to wipe out a backlog of visa applications from those who have gone through legal channels.
Bush, who has made immigration reform a top priority of his second presidential term, is due to attend a Senate Republican policy lunch on Tuesday following his trip to Europe.
Bush is a putz.
Please don’t let THIS bill come true! See my own reasons, please - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1848078/posts -
http://immigrationparentsreform.blogspot.com/
Not if they believed it would really get them kicked out of office. These traitors crave money, of course, but they crave the power and prestige of their office even more. They have lived with low ratings before yet keep on getting reelected. Until some Senators are given the boot because of their opposition to the will of their constituents, they have no reason to be concerned about voter approval.
Bush has nothing to lose. He either does not care what he does to the party to which he is the titular leader or he is just plain stupid. Maybe he is both. The country is left depending on some Democrats in the House who are smarter than Jorge and understand that if they want to continue a career in elected office they better stay away from amnesty. The backlash and there will be backlash will be on House seats. I voted for Jorge twice and I am left trusting some House Democrats to act out of self-interest in order to stop what will be an incredible expansion of the social welfare state and totally destroy a middle class which does the right thing and believes in the rule of law.
If he put 1/4 of that tenacity to enforcing the current laws and getting Hunter’s fence built, the problem would largely go away.
There. I fixed it for you.
I may be naive, but I still cling to the belief that the fear of being kicked out of office by angry constituants will trump whatever pressure GWB puts on the Congress.
The illegal immigration problems we have need to be fixed, but legalization will only through gas on the fire.
The illegal immigration problem is easily solved without new legislation. Just enforce the current immigration laws! The illegals already here will self deport once that happens.
Just say NO to Amnesty!! Keep calling!! Its NOT OVER!!
U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121
U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121
White House comments: (202) 456-1111
Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep
Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
LOL indeed but it got deleted.
Aw c’mon! Post #23 ROCKED!!
Can I get Post23 (that was that awesome picture with Bush and Kennedy) as private mail?????
Perhaps you’re right.
Well, if it is true I would like to see him stand up and let the truth be known rather than sell out our country.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.