That's a fair question, but I'm not sure it really matters. The issue is here now, and it should be addressed. And if the answer is "maintain the status quo", there's nothing improper about discussing whether that course of action is appropriate.
I am also in the rational, get to the root of the problem (Corrupt Mexican Government), crowd.
The problem with that approach is that the lag time is huge. Even if you could reform completely the Mexican government, how many decades would it take before the economic opportunity in Mexico and the U.S. was equivalent?
I agree that some of the wild-eyed xenophobia is out of place. I prefer some form of reliable securing of the border, but I don't demand kicking them all out of this country either. A better I.D. system, integrated with the IRS and immigration control would be fine. As long as they work and obey the laws, I think they should be able to stay, for the most part. That makes me a RINO to some, but oh well.
But as moderate as I think I am on this, I'm still a bit flabbergasted by Dubya's position on this. Making these people into full citizens when they entered the country illegally, and when we don't even have an accurate count, is ridiculous. Give them a guest worker status, with some limited rights to leave and later return, is fine. But don't make them all citizens, particularly when the net effect is to bump them ahead of the folks who have been trying to immigrate legally.
If Dubya is way out on one side on this issue, well, maybe he should have a political price to pay.
My point is...Bush is not maintaining the status qou, that's a myth currently being perpetuated by his political enemies.