What's so complex about securing our nation's borders, post 911, in the middle of a war? That's all conservatives want right now. Secure the border first, then and only then will we entertain discussions on what to do with the millions who are already here. President Bush refusing to secure the nation's borders at the behest of a foreign country's citizens is what infuriates Americans. They see the president using national security as a bargaining chip to force Americans to accept amnesty.
I have found that most complex issues are best dealt with by breaking them down into their components, figuring out the criticality of the various components, and then addressing them in priority order.
I think a pretty clear consensus has emerged among conservatives and even a fair number of GOP moderates such as Peter King that the most critical component in the immigration debate is border security. If we fail to secure the borders first, none of the other possible solutions to the complex problems will have a chance of working.
It's that simple.