Posted on 06/08/2007 12:38:05 PM PDT by justanotherfreeper
President Bush, trying to recover from a stinging setback on immigration, will personally try in a visit to the Capitol next week to revive the embattled plan for legalizing millions of unlawful immigrants.
Bush's scheduled lunch on Tuesday with GOP senators is part of a campaign by the White House and allies in both parties to placate or outmaneuver conservative Republicans who blocked the broad immigration measure this week. They said Friday they would try again to reach accord on the number of amendments the dissidents could offer.
Opponents of the bill promised to continue fighting all such efforts.
Democratic leaders accused Bush of being too tepid in pushing the legislation, which would tighten borders and offer employers more temporary workers from abroad in addition to providing lawful status to an estimated 12 million illegal aliens and putting many of them on a path toward citizenship
Many Republicans defended the president's role. But the bill's backers nonetheless welcomed his plan to attend the GOP senators' weekly luncheon in the Capitol for the first time in five years.
The visit was scheduled before this week's immigration votes, and Bush will discuss numerous subjects with Republican senators, said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel. "But certainly immigration is a topic" high on the list, he said.
Senate backers of the immigration bill fell 15 votes short of the 60 needed Thursday to limit debate and allow a vote on the measure itself. Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., then set the measure aside, calling it "the president's bill" and saying Bush's direct intervention was crucial to reviving it.
On Friday, some key Republicans agreed. "Whose bill is it?" Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., said in a news briefing held by bill supporters. "Harry Reid says this is the Bush proposal. Harry Reid is right."
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, talking with reporters traveling with Bush in Europe, said the president "continues to be regularly briefed" on the legislation. The administration, she said, is encouraging Reid "to keep the debate open. It's a very important issue; people want to have conversations about it."
Several Senate conservatives continue to say they have not been allowed to offer enough changes to the bill. Some of their proposals would make it easier to detect and deport immigrants who have overstayed their visas or committed other violations.
Sen. Jim DeMint (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., a key opponent, said the bill as written "still unfairly burdens taxpayers, doesn't ensure secure borders and guarantees amnesty" for illegal immigrants.
The bill's supporters say DeMint and other critics will oppose the measure no matter how many amendments are accepted. Nonetheless, they agreed Friday that some type of peace accord with the conservatives is essential if the measure is to return to life.
"If we're able to come up with a list of amendments that could take two or even three days to complete, 10 years from now or 100 years from now who will care that it was an extra three days if we can achieve the result that we're talking about?" said Sen. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., told reporters he was hopeful because the Senate "is a chemical place. There's a flow to activity here. The tide comes in and goes out. And once in a while, the stars get lined up correctly, and we move ahead."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., complained that critics continue to use the word "amnesty" to refer to proposals to legalize immigrants who agreed to pay fines, learn English and, at some point, briefly return to their home countries before obtaining lawful status in the U.S.
"I've listened to talk show hosts drumming up the opposition by using this word 'amnesty' over and over and over again," she said. In her 15 years in the Senate, Feinstein said, "I've never received more hate or more racist phone calls and threats."
Groups opposing the bill don't plan to let up. A group called NumbersUSA said in a statement that while the "amnesty bill ... may be dead for the year, NumbersUSA members are taking no chances." They will continue a campaign that has included 750,000 faxes sent in May, and "thousands of phone calls to Congress," the statement said.
Hey, Norton. Thanks for that bit of uplifting news. Maybe Bushido can barff on old Ptuie Putin.
I would assume most of them just want to be legal. They know our traitorous government will bestow the rest on them afterwards.
I have been in and out a lot today. I heard somewhere that a record number are crossing the border at this time.
Just waiting.....LOL
I would say they lost their juevos and their ethics, but apparently they never had any.
I agree with you 100%. They are traitors and need to be tried for treason!
And, though it makes me ill to say it, according to some objective measurements, Bush is actually weaker than Clinton, relative to enforcement of immigration laws.
I’m so steamed about this Bush trying to resurrect the immigration bill that I would propose FR issue a resolution telling Bush he longer enjoys the support of conservatives from our web site. Kristinn can write it, as he did such a great job in the letter to the RNC the other day.
I thought that's who you were talking about. I sure hope you're right, but I don't trust them. I won't be at ease until the fence is built and we get rid of those traitors who are siding with Mexicans instead of Americans!
When I say agenda, I mean a purpose for his Presidency, which was to get rid of USA borders. Thats my opinion, and I have been flamed aplenty for it.
I must admit, I saw his tendencies toward globalism, but ignored them in order to support the WOT. I honestly thought he'd "get the picture" from the uproar during the first go-around, just prior to the election.
Now it seems he is hell-bent, especially so in the face of this recent popular uprising.
This globalist agenda must be stopped at all costs! There is nothing more dire.
I haven't yet abandoned my Republican credentials, as I am waiting to see who rises to the top of our electoral candidates, but if it isn't a Hunter or Tancredo... If there isn't a decided effort to oust these globalist bastards from the congress as well, then I will be damned if I help them succeed. I will make every effort to move a conservative party forward in their place.
Oops! I am ranting again..
-Bruce
Watch them try to ram this thing thru on a busy Friday afternoon — like on June 29th, right before the 4th of July recess when people will be heading out on vacation.
That's like Patton with the Russian General. I'll drink to that. One SOB to another.
Seriously, though, this is better done up the FR food chain. But I would guess a lot of us would like to put our numbers behind some strong words.
I am moving your way ...
Cedric:
I got caught up in the moment with Bush, comparing him to Clinton. To be more precise, I think there are some BIG things they both agree on that would scare most of us. One of them is immigration.
One thing you CAN trust is that elected officials want to stay in Washington more than anything {as opposed to trying to justify a paycheck in the real world}.
And many of them had a real “come to Jesus” moment when they realized that the “great unwashed” was mad enough about this bill to turn lots of people out of office over it! Hence, the mad dash for the tall grass last night!
He has not wasted an oppotunity to advance the powers of the government.
Before he was even in office he sought to use the power of the federal government to limit the freedom of speech of another American citizen.
After he was in office, he signed McInsane's campaign finance 'reform' bill.
He promised to sign whatever AWB bill put before him.
He directed the FDIC, through the New Alliance Task Force, to relax banking rules that would allow anyone with a Matricular Consular card to obtain a bank account and home loan.
He's virtually shutdown interior enforcement of immigration laws (please don't hold up as examples the recent show raids unless you can also show penalties as defined in law being levied upon the illegals' employers --$10,000 per infraction)
He directed his appointed SSA commissioner to sign the Social Security Totalization Agreement with Mexico that would allow Mexican illegal aliens (and their families back home) to apply for and receive US SSA benefits while working illegally in the US
And now, he wants to give amnesty to millions of Mexican illegal aliens in spite of the fact that the American people are adamently against it.
You and me too. I'm livid. Not just at him, but at those RINOS! They have got to go.
I like your idea! Did you talk to Kristnn?
W has always been an open borders guy. Back in 2000, many on the Right were willing to overlook it, so desperate were they to rid the nation of the Clinton stench.
I still have a bit of trust left for some...Sessions, Hunter, etc.
..and I will work towards Hunter's win.
My question dealt with the freedom of speech issue you alluded to. W did sign the CFR which truly limits speech. All your other examples are tangential.
I expected to get some air before having to go back into battle mode on immigration.
Gee, I sure have to agree on that after that ridiculous, hysterical, flaming we took a couple days ago from Bush bots.
The same people who accuse us of expecting the President to be 100% perfect.
On issues like amnesty, we do expect him to put America and it borders first. If we are having doubts, he has only himself to blame.
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