Bush, Democrat in immigration skirmish (GO HARRY)

[cal04]

President George W. Bush and the leader of Senate Democrats squabbled on Thursday over who was to blame for stalling immigration reform, an issue that has deeply divided the United States in an election year. The White House said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada had "single-handedly" blocked efforts to move immigration legislation through the Senate. Reid slapped back that it was the president's own Republican Party which was to blame. The finger-pointing between Republicans and Democrats illustrated the divisiveness of an issue that has gained momentum in a midterm election year in which Republicans are struggling to retain control of Congress.

Hundreds of thousands of supporters of easing immigration restrictions have rallied around the country in recent weeks. Demonstrators voiced opposition to a bill passed in December by the Republican-led House of Representatives that would make it a crime instead of a civil offense to be in the country illegally and which calls for construction of a fence along parts of the U.S. border with Mexico. Bush, a former governor of Texas which borders Mexico, has pushed for immigration reform and a temporary worker program since early in his presidency, but those efforts have repeatedly stalled in Congress.

The issue has divided his own Republican Party between those who want to provide illegal immigrants a legal way to work and those who do not want to reward people who have illegally entered the country. "This is a highly emotional issue. It's a vitally important issue," Bush said during a speech to a small business conference. A bipartisan compromise in the Senate to overhaul immigration law stalled last week after failing to clear a procedural hurdle. The bill would have created a temporary worker program as proposed by Bush and paved the way for more than 7 million illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens. "Unfortunately, the compromise was blocked by the Senate Democratic minority leader," Bush said, accusing Reid of using a "procedural gimmick" to "single-handedly" block the bill.

Reid, in a statement, said Bush lacked credibility on the issue. He noted that majority Republicans voted against a move to limit debate and advance the bill closer to passage. "President Bush has as much credibility on immigration as he does on Iraq and national security. If he were actually committed to comprehensive immigration reform he would have stopped his own party from filibustering it twice last week," Reid said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060413/pl_nm/usa_immigration_bush_dc_1

Bush, Reid Trade Insults on Immigration
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/immigration

[saltpoint]

1. Go, Harry! Bush's mind -- such as it is -- is no match for Reid's.

The GOP is in disarray in the House and Senate. Reid knows it. and Reid's dead on right on this issue, too.

[Pirate Smile]

2. As Harry Reid said on Ed Schultz's show "whatever President Bush

says, believe the exact opposite".

[Triana]

3. Give 'Em Hell Harry! (n/t)

[pacalo]

4. Damn, that was a good response!

I wonder what Bush's handlers will tell him to say to that.

[DLnyc]

7. doesn't matter what they tell him to say

No one believes him anymore anyway.

[pacalo]

12. Even so, I'm fascinated by the garbage they come up with.

[OzarkDem]

5. News media will soon realize

that Dems will probably take control of Congress in 2007. If they want access to Dem leaders in 2007, they need to start covering them now.

Reid, Pelosi and others need to send the news media a message to start giving Dems equal time or forget having quality access when leadership changes.

[bryant69]

8. Yep

I think some republicans need to realize this too - Demonizing Democrats may have been a winning strategy in the past, but when the Democrats get back in power . . . well they aer still going to have to work with us.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Dr Fate]

6. He needs to say it on TV. n/t

n/t

[aden_nak]

9. When you control all three branches, you CAN'T be stopped.

At least, not as long as all of your own people are falling in line. So, what the Republicans are saying is that even though they hold all of the power in Washington, they STILL can't get anything done. Wow, that's an incredibly embarrassing platform to run on.

[young_at_heart]

10. I wonder if the Founding Fathers ever considered this?

Our system of government is flawed if all three branches are the same party. It only works if integrity is found in all three.

[aden_nak]

11. Actually, Washington thought of it.

And George Washington said (I believe in his farewell speech after his second term) that a two-party system would be the death of the Republic, because it would be all too easy for just one party to gain total control.

[helderheid]

13. chilling

and it's come true - that would be a great bumper sticker. I want it.

[aden_nak]

14. Unfortunately, I think its a rather long passage.

Not very slogan friendly.

[cal04]

15. Bush Attacks, Reid Counterpunches

Leftcoaster

Message to Democrats: Pay attention to what Harry Reid did today. After Bush blamed Reid today for the GOP self-destruction on immigration reform, Reid threw it right back at him with the kind of framing and counterpunching in the face that all Democrats need to display. (Memo to John Kerry....)

President Bush accused Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid on Thursday of "single-handedly thwarting" action on immigration legislation, and got a brisk retort in return.

"President Bush has as much credibility on immigration as he does on Iraq and national security," shot back the Nevada Democrat.

It’s that simple. That’s all Democrats have to do. Punch back and hit hard. Every time Bush mouths off, hit him in the face rhetorically on his credibility and competence.


http://www.theleftcoaster.com/