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.
But he still has that special pen reserved for occasions like this. Would he use it? Hey, what's one more executive order added to the stack? Merely a formality for someone clearly determined to set up a chain of tamale stands across the nation. And, of course, everyone knows that you will need a lot more intersections to set up a successful fast-food franchise. That means a lot more roads will have to be built. Big ones. Wide ones. Very long, coast to coast, border to border ones.
No problem. Stroke of the pen, law of the land. ;<
Purist ideologues are a danger to our political system.
President Bush made a “guest worker” program one of his major campaign issues in 1999. He’s doing exactly what he’s promised to do in this area, and fulfilling a campaign promise to us.
Did he?
sw
President Bush made a “guest worker” program a prominent part of his campaign for nomination and election in 1999 and 2000. Perhaps you missed that. He’s not pathological at all, simply carrying out a campaign promise here, as he carried out many others since he’s been in office.
Did he promise a path to citizenship or amnesty back then??? Did he?
sw
Did you miss all the discussions in 1999 and 2000?
Apparently you did, or totally missed the implications. I believed those implications DID include amnesty, or what was tantamount to that.
Many here at FR, including me, were extremely reluctant to support Bush for President on the basis of this single issue. When I made that decision to support him, it was with clear recognition that if we were going to a avoid a “comprehensive immigration bill” such as this one, it would be ONLY due to being able to stop it in Congress DESPITE pressure by President Bush. That political power was clearly available in 2000... and for the last six years we DID so... but the constant sniping by the “purist conservatives” against anybody they consider “RINOs” has resulted in losses of those RINOs who once gave us some comfort in this.
Here’s congratulations to all those who did their part to “punish the GOP” during the last two elections! You are about to reap what you sowed then.
Yes, he DID promise that path.
You’ve forgotten the rancor here at FR. It was loud and strong.
It’s time to impeach and remove from office.
Buckle up.
sw
It's easy to claim we should have known, after the fact. But as President, he works for the American people, and the people have spoken. Our voice of the majority was a failsafe system that we thought was in place.
He's acting like a Dictator by going against the will of his own people and party.
I pray for him, that the Spirit of Stubbornness will leave his body and God grants him the spirit of discernment. Those prayers of mine are heard by our Lord just as much as yours..maybe more.
sw
I realized that. I also thought that Bush might have some ideas of his own on the subject, and provide some leadership but he did not. He simply let Teddy Kennedy define amnesty. Bush is now not arguing for his vision of fair immigration policy because he did not really have one. Instead, he is attempting to do the heavy lifting of those like Kennedy who wish him nothing but the worst. I also thought Bush might do a good job nominating Supreme Court Justices. The first one was a good one, but his second one was a doozy, Harriet Mears. I take no pleasure in the failures of Bush and the Republicans, but they had the WH and congressional majorities for six years and have very little to show for it. Now at this low point is no time to reach out to the likes of Teddy Kennedy on any issue.
Wrong wrong wrong.
You remember how staunchly opposed to Gov.Bush the Buchanan supporters here were? That was due almost totally to the single issue of illegal immigration, and their fear that a president Bush’s “guest worker” program would come to include amnesty! They predicted it. I agreed with them. We all knew the “base” was against this. We also knew that the Gov.Bush had a very soft spot in his heart for Hispanics and particular, Mexicans... I recall Jeb’s wife mentioned myriad times as an example, as well as the reliable insertion of some Spanish phrases into speeches, and his strong friendship with the Mexican president. Anybody who didn’t realize that Bush would continue to press for this didn’t study his very, very reliable and consistent record. He doesn’t govern by polls: of the general electorate OR “the base” - he never has. We were counting on the Congress - I mentioned that SPECIFICALLY when I wrote that I had decided to support him DESPITE his stance about his desired immigration reforms. I think that was my ONLY reservation.
He has very reliably carried out nearly all his other campaign promises. Why would anybody continue to think that he would abandon this one? I only hope we can defeat this program that I consider too incomprehensible both in terms of the specific bill, and its effects, despite the way we weakened our chances when people decided to “punish the GOP”. However, our meager hope must lie with the Congress, not by petitioning the President on this issue. And, FRiend, I do join, without real hope, your prayer that Pres.Bush change his mind. I also hope that after this bill, President Bush renews his hope for the only other campaign promise and problem I recall that he pushed for and failed the first time: Social Security reform.
Time to get mad at Congress and the lock step Demodogs, not the Republicans and President here.
That's an asinine statment especially used in context to your post!
The last I checked a select group of Republicans and our President are in lock step with those Demodogs & Congress!
As do I, AFPhys. And it's congress' job to pass or reject legislation, so that should be a fail-safe measure in this topsy-turvy adventure.
But I am curious. Let's assume for a moment that you knew for sure Bush was going to make the amnesty bill a do or die effort and would keep it on the front burner until it was passed. In retrospect, would you have voted for him?
Do you think there is a possibility or likelihood he will push it through with an E.O. if Congress trash-canned it?
Meant to ping you here.
Thanks!
Yup: 20% of the supporters of this stupid bill are Republicans.
Why is it people aren’t upset that 80% of the supporters are Demodogs, and instead rail about the 10 or so Republicans? It is not true that the whole GOP is behind this bill, from the looks of the discussions on “conservative” web sites, you would believe that the GOP is DRIVING the whole process, and that Reid and Kennedy aren’t pursuing a divide&conquer strategy against us all.
This being said, I DO support the concept of screaming at the GOP fundraisers, carrying out all promises to work to defeat RINOs in the primaries, and sending contributions to individual reasonably reliable conservative candidates rather than responding to blanket fundraising for “the GOP candidates”. It is simply critical to realize that it is not the whole of the GOP that is the problem with this illegal immigration issue, and that in fact 80% of the political muscle we who are on the anti-illegals side of this debate have COMES from the GOP, not the Dems.
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