[ICE is] a vast bureau with more than 20,000 employees and a budget of $4 billion. As head of ICE, Myers would be in charge of detaining and removing illegal aliens; investigating alien smuggling, illegal arms exports, and money laundering; fining the employers of illegal aliens (well, actually they don’t bother with that any more); plus many, many other responsibilities. She would be the officer chiefly responsible for protecting the nation against terrorist threats once they have succeeded in infiltrating our borders, which are guarded by a different bureaucracy. Her most relevant previous experience was managing only 170 employees and a $25 million budget while at the Commerce department...I seriously doubt that immigration enforcement or competence are anywhere near the top of the administration's priorities. If they withdraw her nomination, the only reason will be because of the heat they've received.
...The response of House Republicans to any talk of new immigration programs has been "Enforcement First." Replacing Myers with a more suitable candidate would signal that the White House takes these concerns seriously. Obstinately sticking to the nomination would send the opposite message.
Politics · Fri, 09/23/2005 - 06:26 · Importance: 1
Maybe Bush's judgement would actually improve if he started drinking again. Let's see: millions of illegal aliens (along with who knows how many terrorists and assorted criminals) piling over our borders = no problem. People looking at dirty movies in the privacy of their own homes = a threat to the survival of our republic. What's wrong with this picture?