Bush Immigration Agenda Likely Not to Fly

With an energy bill in place - however flawed - and hearings to come fairly soon for his second Supreme Court nominee, President Bush may be about ready to turn to his next top priority: reforming immigration law.

By Tom Elias
Freelancenews.com

Of course, the president’s idea of reform may not mesh with those of many other interest groups, even though he’s trying to please almost all of them at once.

The Bush immigration proposal calls for combining toughened border enforcement with a program of legal “guest workers” who would go home after a set period of years. One idea his aides have floated would legalize undocumented immigrants already here at least for some period of time.

It’s a package that pleases almost no one, from the Minutemen volunteers who patrolled parts of the Arizona and California borders with Mexico this spring and summer to immigration advocates who want amnesty and full citizenship made available to illegal immigrants already in this country. More.