June 07, 2007
Examining the aftermath
Michelle Malkin -- who has been a great source for anyone interested in the progress of the Amnesty -- provides as good a summary of the aftermath of this mess as any I've seen, and she doesn't shy away from laying the blame where it belongs.
As annoying as Reid's refrain was, he is right: This was the president's bill. This was the monstrous sham that President Bush tried to ram through the Senate with his pal Teddy Kennedy--subverting the committee process, attempting to cram it in before the Memorial Day holiday, rushing to limit debate, and then complaining about delays. This was the bill President Bush sent conservative-bashing bureaucrats like DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff to peddle on CNN. This was the bill President Bush championed while deriding critics as fearful bigots and running away from building the fence he promised to build.
If the White House thinks conservatives are going to forget whose bill this was and the tactics the White House used in its failed attempt to ram it through Congress, they better think again.
If Lindsay Graham and John McCain think their abominable behavior is going to be forgotten, they better think again.
All is not lost within the Republican Party, though. Watching the floor debate closely the past week, I can tell you that we have three staunch, eloquent conservative defenders in Sens. Sessions, DeMint, and Coburn (though I'm not sure why Coburn didn't vote on cloture). Unlike President Bush and the pro-amnesty Republicans, these three Republican senators stand out in their understanding and appreciation of the rule of law, the past historical failures of shamnesty bargains, and the vital nexis between border security and homeland security.
I can't let the night end without also noting the Democrats who defied Reid. Without their votes, shamnesty would be alive and thriving. Whatever their reasons, they chose the right side.
The best reason to suppose those Democrats crossed the aisle? How 'bout the traditional Democratic Party concern for blue-collar Americans? Anything that encourages -- heck, rewards -- illegal immigration is bound to take jobs away from working-class citizens, and depress wages to the point that only an illegal alien would work for them.
Whatever the reason, it's nice to know that the good guys won for a change. But vigilance is needed; the Amnesty Gang will be back.
Posted by Mike Lief at June 7, 2007 09:28 PM
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