The Alamo was stormed 168 years ago today.

That's a long long time, and George W Bush has obviously forgotten all about it:

A text of President Bush's joint news conference with Mexican President Vicente Fox on Saturday...

BUSH: Hola, que tal? Bienvenidos.

Mr. President, Laura and I are pleased to welcome you and Marta to Crawford...

I will work to ensure a system of safe and orderly migration. Earlier this year, I proposed a temporary worker program, not an amnesty program, that will offer legal status as temporary workers to undocumented men and women who were employed in the United States when I announced this proposal.

OK, it's not an amnesty. And, illegal aliens are "undocumented." No lie like a Big Lie.

Under this program, America will also welcome workers from foreign countries who have been offered jobs by American employers that no American has filled.

Here's what administration representative Margaret Spellings had to say:

"We do envision that [the Bush amnesty/guestworker plan] would be open to any type of employee and any type of employer, such as nurses, teachers, high-tech workers, low-skilled workers. This is a concept that can apply broadly"

Americans aren't going to be willing to be nurses for $10 an hour, but hundreds of thousands of nurses around the world would consider that a fortune. If an employer advertises a nursing job at $10 an hour, they won't get any Americans to fill that job, and Bush's statement above will be true.

I oppose amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship. This program will match willing workers with willing employers, without disadvantaging those who have followed the law and waited in line to achieve American citizenship.

This new temporary worker program will strengthen both the American and Mexican economies. The United States will benefit from the labor of hardworking immigrants.

The average Mexican immigrant costs $50,000 over his lifetime (taxes paid - services used). That's a transfer from other Americans to his employer. A better statement would be: "Some big corporations in the United States will benefit from the labor of hardworking immigrants."

Mexico will benefit as productive citizens are able to return home with money to invest and spend in their nation's economy.

They've got three years in which to have kids here. If they have kids here, they aren't going home and we aren't going to be able to force them to go home. Sell it to someone else, George.

This system will be more humane to workers who will be protected by labor laws and able to establish their identities. It will live up to the highest ideals of free nations.

Serf labor is not a very elevated ideal.

Mr. President, thank you for the excellent dialogue we had today. Thank you for the leadership you provide for our neighbor and friend. And thank you for being a friend to Laura and me. Bienvenidos...

If this were a movie, it would be a horror movie whose protagonist is a retarded kindergartner and millions of people would be yelling "Georgie, he's not your friend!" at the screen.

Q (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The question is on the immigration policy. The government of Mexico wanted to know what the date certain would be for this new program, or what proposals you have for temporary immigrants. How do you believe it will affect the upcoming election process?

BUSH: Yes. Well, we just -- the president just discussed the border crossing cards, the issue of the border crossing cards. And he discussed the professional visas. And so we're making progress.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, el Presidente Fox, sir?"

I put forth what I think is a very reasonable proposal and a humane proposal, one that is not amnesty, but, in fact, recognizes that there are good, honorable, hard-working people here doing jobs Americans won't do.

And I certainly hope that Congress takes this issue up, but there's no telling what's going to happen in an election year. So it's very difficult to give a date. The date that matters to me is the date in which I laid out what I think is a reasonable plan, which was in January.

At least if it was President Kerry saying these things he'd have a "D" next to his name.

UPDATE: Sometimes Reuters is useful. Their report is entitled "Bush Gives Mexico's Fox Concession on Borders." (link).