Earlier today, president Bush spoke at the National Restaurant Association meeting in Chicago. In addition to discussing Iraq, he also apparently - yet again - promoted his "guest" worker scheme.

The restaurant industry makes heavy use of "immigrant" workers, the (other) NRA has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians, and most of our politicians refuse to make sure that our immigration laws are enforced. Could there be a connection?

Note also this quote from John Gay, the NRA's chief of government affairs and public policy:

"We value the work done by our employees, documented or not... It's not like they broke into the bank to rob it... They broke into the bank to sweep the floor."

The transcript is not yet available, but a preview is here and the AP's report on the speech is here. The latter only mentions the Iraq-related comments.

UPDATE: From this:

He praised the restaurant industry for providing many with their first job -- "a start" -- and showing people how to show up for work on time but said immigration must be safe, orderly and fair. "You can't secure our borders with thousands trying to sneak in," he said.

UPDATE 2: The transcript is at whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060522-1.html

You not only help people put food on the table, but you provide many Americans with their first job, with a start. You teach people the importance of showing up on time, and working hard and meeting the needs of our customers. You're also America's largest employer of immigrants. And you know how essential it is that we have an immigration system that is safe, orderly and fair. (Applause.) And I agree with you, and that's why I laid out a vision for comprehensive immigration reform that would accomplish five key goals.

[...his five selling points deleted...]

The reforms I proposed regarding guest workers are really important for your industry. Your association estimates that restaurants will add -- will need 1.9 million new workers over the next 10 years, which means if you need workers -- your need for workers will be growing faster than the American labor force. So you understand why effective immigration reform must include a practical and lawful way for businesses to hire foreign workers when they can't fill those jobs with Americans. The restaurant industry has firsthand experience with immigrants and immigration law. And I appreciate your strong stand on Capitol Hill for comprehensive reform. (Applause.)

And here's where we are. The House passed a bill last -- an immigration bill last December, and the Senate is working hard on its version of the bill. The Senate needs to complete its bill now, so that the House and Senate can work out their differences and pass a comprehensive reform bill that I can sign into law. (Applause.)

If that weren't bad enough, here's one of the difficult questions that the leader of the free world was asked:

Mr. President, my daughter's name is Jamie. She's a 16-year-old girl. What advice or recommendations would you give to her and to other youth of our country to help make our country a better place?

The other questions are only slightly more challenging. Isn't it extraordinarily dangerous to have a political leader who never has to directly face criticism of his policies?