The Bill Is Dead; Let It Rest In Peace

That, of course, would be the logical and most ideal scenario for the immigration bill. It is dead. I posted the results of that vote up last night and while I will admit it was a nail-biter, I had confidence the vote would go our way. Unfortunately, there is one person who disagrees with the nation still -- President George W. Bush:

President Bush considers it premature to declare the immigration reform bill dead in the Senate, White House adviser Dan Bartlett said Friday.

A motion to cut off debate on the measure failed Thursday night, stopping the proposal from coming up for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had said earlier that if the motion was not approved, it would be “over with … gone.”

But Bartlett told CNN that Bush wants Reid to consider putting the bill back on the table.

Bartlett was asked about the bill — one of the president’s top legislative priorities — as Bush prepared to leave the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, for Poland.

The procedural motion to cut off debate and move toward a vote on the bill drew only 45 votes in favor, well short of the 60 required for passage under Senate rules. Fifty senators voted against the motion.

Allah @ Hot Air notes that this may be a bit delusional on the president's part. He is sitting at 29% approval, which is almost as bad as the Congress, and he is facing a base that just slugged it out with him, na dhe lost. But he is getting right back up again, and he wants to go for round 2. All right, Mr. President, that is fine with us. You will lose again because this nation does not want THAT amnesty bill. And please, quit lying to the nation because it IS an amnesty.

We have supported this man. We have backed him up, defended him to critics, contributed to his reelection campaign, and supported nely every facet of his presidency. Yes, we have had our differences, but not like the one we are seeing here and now. This is an example of the outrage across the nation over this bill. It is an e-mail that Hugh Hewitt received yesterday, and before he read it over the air, he told listeners that he knew the person well, and that their position in the party is an important one because the e-mailer is a grass-roots organizer, of sorts:

Hugh:

I've sent Senator Lott an e-mail suggesting that he take the rest ofthe year off.

His speech embodies all that I DETEST about Republicans in the Senate.

I don't care what McConnell or Kyl say, they are just as culpable as Lott in the meltdown of the party.

I am leaving the party, Hugh.

I will follow the "blow-back" on your blog.

Dave W.

Now we can look and see that Dave's frustration yesterday came from Trent Lott's idiotic statements on the floor of the Senate. But while his was focused on a minor player in the drama that unfolded yesterday, the real protagonist is the president. He wants this legislation passed. We listened to someone yesterday on Hugh's show that said President Bush may be trying the "Lincoln legacy;" that he wants to be looked at as the sacvior, of sorts, of the illegal aliens here int he nation the way Lincoln was perceived to be that to the slaves.

Forcing this back into the congress will not bring him any support from his base, or the nation. This issue clearly divided both the Right and the Left and it is because is was just a terrible bill. The fact that the Senate did attempt a "jam-down" did not help his cause, or the bill's. People went from being concerned about a bad piece of legislation, concocted in secret, to being angry very quickly. Instead of reading the nation's pulse on the issue, he handed us two aspirin, and basically told us to shut up.

No, Mr. President, that is something this nation will never do. We have the right to speak our minds, especially on political issues. When you step up to the plate again, we will be waiting. This bill will go nowhere. By continuing to push it, you are risking the destruction of the party, and it's condemnation to the poilitical wilderness for years to come.

Marcie