Pirate's Cove

As usual, DH and the Democrats refuse to take ownership (from the Washington Times)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday set a firm deadline on President Bush’s efforts to work out an immigration agreement, announcing he will bypass the normal process and have the Senate debate an old immigration bill unless the White House can produce an acceptable alternative by May 14.

Glad DH and the Dems are working hard to craft legislation.

Democrats are worried Republicans are stalling the debate, and fear the White House is moving too far toward the Republican position in its behind-the-scenes negotiations.

DH doesn’t want President Bush to give up what is essentially a Democrat position on illegal immigration.

The move also means an impending showdown for all sides: Mr. Reid and Democrats, who want a bill the liberal interest groups and immigration advocates can live with; Mr. Bush, who desperately wants a legislative accomplishment; Mr. Kennedy, who is under immense pressure from fellow Democrats not to accept a watered-down bill; Republicans, whose conservative base is split on the issue; and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who supported last year’s bill but this year has no House Republicans to water down the final version.

Is there a split in the conservative base? When it comes to locking down the borders and getting tough with illegal aliens, no. What to do with the ones already here? A little. The difference is in how to treat them. Catch them, make them pay fines if they want to come back, send them back to their home countries, and let them apply is the sticking point. Many say they do not want them back at all.

That said, letting them come back is secondary. Enforcement and border control is primary. Letting them come back is secondary, as long as there is no straight amnesty.

We can see what the Democrats want: straight amnesty, as they see all those illegals as new Democrat voters.

"These guys want the issue, not an accomplishment. This divides his party as much as ours," a Republican aide said, adding that Mr. Reid’s move appears designed to force Republicans to filibuster the bill, thus allowing both sides to point fingers at each other.

That’s what Democrats are best at.

All in all, nothing will get done that satisfies anyone. Neither party seems to understand what the American people want. Most legal aliens are in favor of being tough on illegals, as are most Americans. Politicians from both parties are interested pandering to a potential voter block at the expense of other blocks, for the most part. There are only a few, such as Tom Tancredo, who are for tough illegal immigration policies.