The Bush/Kennedy/Senate illegal immigration amnesty has gone down to ignominious defeat, a major victory for the - dare I say it - American side. Bush's brief remarks are here: whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070628-7.html

Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people and Congress's failure to act on it is a disappointment. The American people understand the status quo is unacceptable when it comes to our immigration laws. A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find a common ground -- it didn't work.

However, to get the full flavor of his disappointment, you need to see him say that. I'm sure he feels bad, but at least he can take solace in the fact that he did fulfill his pledge to the Mexican government to work as hard as he could.

The final roll call is here. I wouldn't necessarily take someone voting No to mean that they're on the right side: they might have just decided to be on the winning side.

What might happen now is that the same forces behind the Grand Compromise might decide to push the Flake-Gutierrez plan in the House; expect that to be even tougher for them.

Expect this to be spun as a defeat for a legacy-seeking Bush. If we work hard at it, it might be possible to present it more accurately as a victory of the American people against a corrupt elite composed of both the GOP and Democratic leadership as well as the media, racial power groups, religious leaders, and others.

And, as always, I urge everyone to go to campaign appearances and ask tough questions designed to reveal the facts about this matter.