Posted on 04/26/2006 5:20:12 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
President Bush generally favors plans to give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at U.S. citizenship without leaving the country, but does not want to be more publicly supportive because of opposition among conservative House Republicans, according to senators who attended a recent White House meeting.
Several officials familiar with the meeting also said Democrats protested radio commercials that blamed them for Republican-written legislation that passed the House and would make illegal immigrants vulnerable to felony charges.
Bush said he was unfamiliar with the ads, which were financed by the Republican National Committee, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
At another point, Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and other members of his party pressed the president about their concern that any Senate-passed bill would be made unpalatable in final talks with the House.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat, said the lawmaker who would lead House negotiators, House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, had been "intractable" in negotiations on other high-profile bills in the past. Bush did not directly respond to the remark, officials said.
The Republican and Democratic officials who described the conversation did so Wednesday on condition of anonymity, saying they had not been authorized to disclose details.
Bush convened the session to give momentum to the drive for election-year immigration legislation, a contentious issue that has triggered large street demonstrations and produced divisions in both political parties. Senators of both parties emerged from the session praising the president's involvement and said the timetable was achievable.
"Yes, he thinks people should be given a path to citizenship," said Sen. Mel Martinez., R-Fla., a leading supporter of immigration legislation in the Senate.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
arrggghhhhh!
They have a path to take to citizenship and the path leads south of the border, not here. It's called the legal immigration pathway and so says the law of our land. I can't understand why Bush is pushing citizenship for 20 million or more illegals. The nation cannot allow this to happen, yet it seems that Bush, some RINOs and the RATs are determined that it will. Call your reps and senators and tell them to oppose this ghastly idea or lose our votes. Agitate and get their attention just like the illegals did. I joined an anti-illegal council in town and we are working hard to get the message out. You all can do the same in your cities.
Sorry, but Bush is not beyond being inperfect. He is not a potentate whose word is infalable. Onn the issue of immigration he is wrong, wrong, wrong.
Wow...just a quick glance through the active threads and I forget just what this site claims to be about.
"I live in a sea of illegals."
Me too, I live in Las Vegas. It is well beyond an inconenience, it is a fullscale invasion.
You are right; I was thinking 2004. Still "normalization" with illegal mexicans is a far cry from calling for amnesty
Immigration R Us!
The papers may be forged, but the content is true?
And Bush wonders why his job approval ratings are headed toward the floor.
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Boy I think you are on to something here!!!!
The papers may be forged, but the content is true?
Idiot.
What are immigrants called before they become US citizens? "Legal immigrants" or do people call any and all immigrants "illegal immigrants"" anymore?
I thought this forum was about Conservatism.
The Minutemen are looking for a few good people to help the government seal the border, I'm sure you're packing right now?
LOL
The problem didn't start with him and he is the only president who's been willing to even address or deal with the problem
And he has
Do we need more to do .. you bet we do .. but it won't happen over night
As for the base??
I'm to the point I don't give an damn
Let them vote for the Democrats or stay home
They will be worse off then they are now
So obvious the mods felt compelled to remove it...
You're against granting citizenship to LEGAL immigrants?
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