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Presidential Wrongs - How about cracking down on illegals, not conservatives?
National Review ^ | June 4, 2007 | Brian Darling

Posted on 06/04/2007 8:11:22 AM PDT by Zakeet

If President Bush were as intent on cracking down on illegal immigration as he is on insulting conservatives, we’d have a secure border by now.

He attacked conservatives in a speech to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga., for not rubber-stamping his secretly negotiated agreement on legislation that would make the most dramatic change to immigration law in the last 40 years. The president’s tone was aggressive, disrespectful, and dismissive of conservative assertions that his deal amounts to amnesty for illegal aliens. True conservatives, who believe in the rule of law, must tell our nation’s chief law-enforcement officer, “Mr. President, with all due respect, you are wrong. This bill is amnesty.”

The administration’s high-volume rhetoric reveals a desperate attempt to build a presidential legacy. Why else would the administration participate in closed-door drafting sessions lead by liberal icon Sen. Ted Kennedy, then attempt to railroad the bill through the Senate in one week? Conservative senators balked at the prospect of passing a massive bill with no hearings, no expert testimony and no opportunity for citizens to read the bill. The Heritage Foundation posted a searchable copy of the bill on our website so that conservatives could rebut the president’s absurd accusation that critics “haven’t read the bill.”

We have, and it’s clear that the Kennedy-Bush partnership has yielded a markedly liberal approach to the immigration problem: amnesty for the estimated 12 million people currently working and residing illegally within the non-secure borders of the United States of America. But why be surprised? The last two times that Kennedy and Bush collaborated, we wound up federalizing education under No Child Left Behind and creating a multibillion-dollar entitlement known as the Medicare prescription-drug benefit.

According to the president those who dare say the bill is amnesty are trying to “scare the American people” with “empty political rhetoric.” The fact is, these people are working and living in the United States illegally, some as recently as five months ago. If they had been apprehended at the border, they would have been in deportation proceedings. Yet under the president’s bill, they would be rewarded for evading our border control or overstaying their old visa with a newly created amnesty visa. It’s hardly “empty rhetoric” to call the bill amnesty — it’s old-fashioned honesty. And the American people should be scared of a plan that rewards people who have flouted a myriad of immigration laws.

The president claims his plan isn’t amnesty because sanctions apply before one qualifies for a permanent “Z Visa.” The administration calls it a “plea bargain,” yet it seems more like a slap on the wrist when you study the president’s assertions of what constitutes punishment. To qualify, illegal aliens must “admit they violated the law.” Yawn. Then they must “pay a meaningful penalty.” The bill calls for a series of fees that add up to a few thousand dollars to get a Z Visa.

These aliens must then “pass a strict background check,” “hold a job,” “maintain a clean record,” and “eventually learn English.” This sounds like the lawbreaker was given a pardon, not a plea bargain, with minimal penalties. If a man broke into your house, how would you feel if the judge punishes the guy by allowing him to stay at your house, but he has to pay rent, sign an admission of guilt and stay away from your children?

This amnesty deal also is unfair to the people who made the mistake of respecting the rule of law. Any foreign national waiting in line legally to come to the U.S. would have been better off sneaking in illegally and finding an under-the-table job. They would be eligible for this program. The good conservative-minded foreigners who followed the letter of the law are being punished, because they were dumb enough to actually believe the rule of law would be respected.

President Bush accused conservatives of not wanting to do “what’s right for America.” With all due respect, he and Sen. Kennedy are wrong about consequences and effects of comprehensive immigration-reform legislation on America. This bill will forever change America’s immigration laws to the detriment of every law-abiding citizen and foreign national who wants to legally immigrate to the United States.

This bipolar and bipartisan immigration deal has many conflicting and confusing provisions, yet it’s clear that this approach is bad for America. Mr. President, one thing is obvious to those of us who have read the bill. It’s amnesty.

— Brian Darling is director of U.S. Senate Relations at the Heritage Foundation.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; bush; deafrino; georgewbush; illegalaliens; illegals; immigrantlist; immigration; noamnestyforillegals
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To: af_vet_rr

I agreed with him that the WOT has to be fought. He just doesn’t see the Mexican border as part of it and we do.


21 posted on 06/04/2007 8:47:02 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: AngelesCrestHighway

I AGREE!

This makes me sick.


22 posted on 06/04/2007 8:47:13 AM PDT by cvq3842
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To: Zakeet
Like Peggy Noonan, he nails it.

Listen up, GOP'ers: Destructive leadership under GWB I and GWB II are what we get for voting for moderates.

23 posted on 06/04/2007 8:47:56 AM PDT by mikeus_maximus (Why are we importing Mexican socialists?)
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To: AIM-54
the Pro-illegal side wants us to to mindlessly accept a bunch of new and clearly unenforceable laws (there is no gov’t competence, capacity, or will) after 21 years of willful dereliction of duty.

Yep. Last time they promised us border security. Were still waiting. Once we get the border security they promised us, THEN we can talk regularization of illegals.

24 posted on 06/04/2007 8:58:24 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Peace Begins in the Womb)
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To: af_vet_rr

That’s more than enough to rank Bush at the top of the most destructive president in history and he will be justly reviled for it by anyone who loves this dying nation.


25 posted on 06/04/2007 8:59:59 AM PDT by isrul
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To: mikeus_maximus

It’s what we get for voting for someone who’s only qualifying point was that he wasn’t a Democrap.


26 posted on 06/04/2007 9:00:47 AM PDT by gogogodzilla (Republicans only win if they are conservative.)
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To: cvq3842

W calls it a fine, I call it selling citizenship.


27 posted on 06/04/2007 9:05:42 AM PDT by Loyolas Mattman
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To: Zakeet

Bush’s hubris (Iraq, Medicare, Education, etc.), nepotism (Harriet Myers is the epitome), his ensuing love affair with Democrats (Teddy Kennedy, his dad with Clinton), and his love affair with spending other people’s money (he makes previous Democrats look tight-fisted) clearly shows that he should be asked to step down from his presidency before his stubborn lack of foresight sends the U.S. and Western Civilization reeling into the dustbin.

His hoped-for mass amnesty of approximately 20 million low-skilled, left-leaning illegals will be his capstone deathblow, his coup d’grace into the heart of what made America great.


28 posted on 06/04/2007 9:22:34 AM PDT by Hop A Long Cassidy
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To: Zakeet

When Brit Hume says on FNC Sundy ‘This was simply stupid politics attacking your own base of support’ the President needs to listen.

If only President Bush would attack Harry Reid in the manner he attacked those of us that elected, then reelected him.....


29 posted on 06/04/2007 9:24:14 AM PDT by Badeye (You know its a kook site when they ban the word 'kook')
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To: Hop A Long Cassidy

It will be the end of this country as we know it. The seriousness of this one issue can not be overstated.


30 posted on 06/04/2007 9:25:46 AM PDT by riri
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To: DJ MacWoW
Not quite true. He ignored terrorist attacks and they escalated. Plus his friendship with the Chinese hasn't all come to fruition yet. Crap/poison in our products from China is just the beginning.

Clinton's policies did indeed have negative impact, but the jury's still out on how hurtful they blowback will be re Loral/China/Balkans/BATF/Osama.

While I don't like to downplay the deleterious effects of his admin, Bush has damaged the GOP beyond Clinton's wildest dreams, and isn't done yet.

31 posted on 06/04/2007 9:27:52 AM PDT by Spirochete
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To: Loyolas Mattman

US citizenship is worth roughly . . . a hundred grand, so if you could get it then sell it, paying $5,000 for it would be a `no-brainer’.
However, one form of the proposed `Z’ visa is a permanent, temporary visa. Even the people drafting the bill recognize that “undocumented immigrants” don’t want US citizenship: they just want to live and work here.
Solution—how about making US citizenship a marketable commodity, capable of being sold? Then we could get new immigrants from, say, Australia who want to be citizens, are presumably prosperous/educated and share our values (coming from a country that has supported us faithfully, almost blindly) but they made the mistake of attempting to comply with our immigration laws, so are now in line behind an illegal Mexican occupation approaching the total population of Australia.
This is the type of Alice in Wonderland thinking our government has led us to . . . thanks Teddy, George!


32 posted on 06/04/2007 9:29:06 AM PDT by tumblindice (Country club Republicans and limo-liberals can go to . . . .)
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To: af_vet_rr
The miserable SOB is giving away our country...........I can’t think of anything much worse.
33 posted on 06/04/2007 9:59:26 AM PDT by newcthem (George Bush.......Making America Safer............FOR MEXICAN CRIMINALS!)
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To: 1_Inch_Group; 2sheep; 2Trievers; 3AngelaD; 3pools; 3rdcanyon; 4Freedom; 4ourprogeny; 7.62 x 51mm; ..

ping


34 posted on 06/04/2007 11:14:33 AM PDT by gubamyster
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To: Smittie
Give him time, he's working on it. I've read some who believe there are those working to unite the U.S., Mexico & Canada into a North American Union. I try not to believe it but this administration sure acts like that's the case.

He is: www.spp.gov

35 posted on 06/04/2007 1:09:43 PM PDT by SealSeven (Moving at the speed of dark.... Even "nothing" takes up space.)
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To: Zakeet; gubamyster

What I don’t get is why we would want to give anybody a permanent visa....oh, I forgot, Kennedy wrote this bill!


36 posted on 06/04/2007 2:02:07 PM PDT by TheLion (How about "Comprehensive Immigration Enforcement," for a change)
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To: DuncanWaring

Considering that he gave the Chinese the ability to build MIRV-ed ICBMs, I’m not too sure about that.
****************************
I might as well pile on and note that the Chinese have 55 modern subs at this time and unlike the Russians Navy where we could intercept and follow their movements as they left narrow straights out of port we have no real way to do that with the Chinese as they have much better ports..


37 posted on 06/04/2007 2:02:24 PM PDT by Neidermeyer
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To: Zakeet
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
38 posted on 06/04/2007 2:51:18 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: grey_whiskers

U.S. Constitution, Article 4 Section 4:

"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government,

and shall protect each of them against Invasion;"


Invasion: \In*va"sion\, n. [L. invasio: cf. F. invasion. See Invade.] [1913 Webster]

1. The act of invading; the act of encroaching upon the rights or possessions of another; encroachment; trespass.

39 posted on 06/04/2007 7:14:14 PM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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