[RJL]

Had President Bush worked with... Republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, there might well have been a successful immigration reform bill in 2006.

What is Newt thinking when he suggests working with Kay Bailey Hutchison on immigration?

Kay Bailey Hutchison just gutted the border fence and Newt thinks working with her is key to a successful immigration plan?

If we want a truly successful immigration plan we need to send Kay Bailey Hutchison back home to bake cookies.

[1rudeboy]

That was a head-scratcher to me as well. He must be referring to something she proposed during that period.

[Ben Ficklin]

By editing Congressman Pence out of the passage you pasted onto the thread, you lost the whole meaning of the passage. Pence was the one who proposed the Pence Plan.

Newt is mixed up on this.

Bush did invite Pence in to talk about it. Pence had presented his plan as an alternative to the House's walking away from reform/CIRA/S 2611. But by that time, the elections were around the corner and Congress(especially GOP Congressmen) were preparing to campaign on the issue. The Hastert Pledge was still in effect, and, consequently, Tancredo's House Immigration Caucus was in control.

The Pence plan would never have succeeded because the immigration hardliners hated it. The Pence Plan was not much different from Kyl-Cornyn(Hutchison also supported) which was introduced in 05 and the hardliners hated it to.

On a different note, did you notice that Newt used the word "elitist" 12 times in the article. I guess that means that he is backing Huck.