Boston Globe: Bush, Kennedy, Specter uniting on a massive illegal alien amnesty

That's what the article "Bush seeks unity on immigration" by Rick Klein says, but it offers little that isn't already known:

The White House is reaching out to leading congressional Democrats on the issue of overhauling immigration, hoping to build a bipartisan coalition to support a "guest worker" program and provide a path to legalized status for many undocumented immigrants, lawmakers and administration officials said.

President Bush has expressed an eagerness to work with Democrats on the issue in private meetings with lawmakers and in public statements, as he seeks to strike a new tone with Democrats who will be in control of Congress for the final two years of his presidency.

The president's interest in the issue is getting a warm reception from members of both parties in Congress, particularly in the Senate...

...Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat who is set to take the chairmanship of the subcommittee that oversees immigration issues, has already met with leading Republicans -- including Senator John McCain of Arizona and Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the Judiciary Committee's top Republican -- to begin crafting a new bill early next year...

...Kennedy and the other lawmakers are planning a broader meeting this week of about 12 leading senators from both parties. They are hoping to have Congress vote on a final immigration bill by mid-2007, according to congressional aides.

Though no specific proposals have been floated, the bill passed this year by the Senate is a likely starting point, aides said...

After discussing the "12 million undocumented immigrants" here as well as "anti-immigration voices", Klein throws it over to Michele Waslin of the National Council of La Raza ("Latino civil-rights group") as well as Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition ("MIRA").

Then, it's off to canardville:

The election results also assuaged fears among both Democrats and Republicans that voters would punish lawmakers who support a bill giving undocumented immigrants a way to achieve legalized status... Exit polls indicated that the GOP appeared to pay a price in the elections for its emphasis on cracking down on illegal immigration.

And, one wonders if such support exists, then why do "[p]roponents of a comprehensive overhaul feel a sense of urgency"? Perhaps they know something Klein doesn't: no one except for hacks supports "reform". And, we're also informed that Harry Reid is holding Bush signing the border fence against him, something that he only did so in order to get the "reform" they both want.

Immigration · Mon, 11/27/2006 - 13:01 · · Importance: 1