Americans: Bush is going to try to sell you on amnesty, but call it something else

Will president Bush be able to sell Americans on his or someone else's "guest" worker scheme? That appears to be the one-two punch they plan: the Senate will come up with something, then Bush will try to sell it to the American public.

Of course, there are a few minor details still to be worked out. For instance, even diehard BushBots are starting to abandon ship. And, almost everyone else doesn't find Bush too very credible. And, there's the little matter that most Americans don't want massive immigration.

And, there's also the matter that anytime someone refers to something as a "guest" worker program they're lying: under any of the current "guest" worker programs our "guests" will end up staying here. They'll buy property, start businesses, and have U.S. citizen children, and they'll never go home.

Likewise with the non-amnesty amnesties: they're all amnesties, even if through semantic gymnastics some claim they won't do what they will do.

Yesterday, Bush held a meeting featuring 15 "business, religious and community leaders who advocate a guest worker program", including our old friend Tamar Jacoby:

...The Senate, which launches a two-week immigration debate on Tuesday, appears far friendlier to the idea of a temporary worker program for foreigners hoping to come here in the future. While the Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a separate plan that would put illegal immigrants already here on a path to citizenship, it's far from certain whether the Senate will endorse it.

An initial burst of GOP support in committee last week for an "earned" legalization plan championed by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., may be dwindling as congressional aides race this week to hammer out details, some say.

"It turns out some of those devilish details are giving people trouble now. And what looked like such a promising thing last week ... is turning out to be tough work," said Tamar Jacoby, an immigration expert at the conservative Manhattan Institute who has closely watched the talks...

...The 15 officials invited to the White House to meet with Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and others said they were told the strategy is a deliberate one.

"They are watching very carefully what's going on in Congress and I think they are prepared to encourage the right kind of program ... as it comes out of Congress," Jacoby said as she left the meeting. "He understands he's going to have a big role to play in persuading the public that whatever the answer is, it isn't an amnesty."

Since all the "guest" worker schemes are basically amnesties, won't he just be lying?

Immigration · Thu, 03/23/2006 - 23:01 · Importance: 1