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I'm not comfortable with a lot of the implications of this program but we have essentially come to one of two options, unless we plan to just ignore illegal immigration, which could be devastating. Option one is that we can completely militarize the border with Mexico. That is an incredibly expensive proposition that forces us to surrender one of the key tenets of the American way of life in which our military traditionally does not play a police role on American soil. Option two is to try to change the culture of immigration, which the President's plan addresses. The major downside of the proposal is that we all understand that many workers securing these permits will not return, but we will at least have a legal record of them and it might not be quite so easy for them to "stay underground" as it is for completely undocumented workers. And there will be some progress in that Mexican workers who begin contemplating moving to the U.S. may be able to forestall that decision by getting back on their feet with temporary work in the U.S., making it easier for them to remain in Mexico.

By no means is the President's plan perfect. But faced with the difficult alternatives as we now are it appears to me that it is the best we can do.

"That is an incredibly expensive proposition that forces us to surrender one of the key tenets of the American way of life...

I beg to differ with you here. The 'traditional' way of life for America was to have our immigrants process into our country legally, so we could know who they were and decide if we wanted them to live here. But that was back when politicians had some backbone and real common sense.

As for you comment about our country not having the military on its own soil I just don't understand how you can say that. Our entire country was militarized during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and I'll remind you that our nation has been attacked and we are at war with people who are trying to infiltrate and destroy us. I too voted for President Bush and wanted him to be our President, but when they screw up this big why make silly excuses for them just because we voted for them? It's our job as American citizens to hold our politicians' feet to the fire on sound policiy and make them do what's best for America as a whole.

The major downside of the proposal is that we all understand that many workers securing these permits will not return, but we will at least have a legal record of them and it might not be quite so easy for them to "stay underground" as it is for completely undocumented workers.

Hey, we've *been* looking for some 300K (*identified*) & already ordered deported since 9-11......we're soooo good at this that these (*identified*) 'absconders' now number over 400K.

If we cannot NOW locate 400K that refuse to leave, how will we locate millions in 3/4 years ???

What makes you think that millions of illegal employers are all *suddenly* going to become LEGAL employers ?? (after they have received the true amnesty in GB's *plan* ??)

So far as illegals paying a *mordida* to the US gov't to become legal, we've BEEN doing just this with the 245(i) amnesties......& they did not STOP the border invasion, & most believe many MORE illegals sneak in to await the NEXT reward.

By no means is the President's plan perfect. But faced with the difficult alternatives as we now are it appears to me that it is the best we can do.

Congressman Tancredo has a better guest worker proposal that would encourage illegal aliens to leave for positive oportunites and would provide negative consequences for staying. The Tancredo plan is also more politically viable than the President's in that it won't legalize any illegal aliens. If President Bush seriously desires immigration reform, he should drop the McCainian amnesty aspects of his guest worker proposal and incorporate Tancredo's plan.

By no means is the President's plan perfect. But faced with the difficult alternatives as we now are it appears to me that it is the best we can do.

No it isn't. It would be better to do nothing than do what Bush/Rove is proposing here. Legal status makes things much worse. Far better to leave them illegal --- then when they cause problems they can be deported.