Posted on 04/07/2006 4:06:57 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Landmark legislation offering eventual citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants suffered a potentially fatal blow Friday in the Senate, the latest in a series of election-year setbacks for President Bush and the Republicans who control Congress.
"Politics got ahead of policy on this," lamented Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass. an evenhanded assessment that belied the partisan recriminations from all sides.
Hailed as a bipartisan breakthrough less than 24 hours earlier, the bill fell victim to internal disputes in both parties as well as to bewildering political maneuvering. On the key vote, only 38 senators, all Democrats, lined up in support. That was 22 short of the 60 needed, and left the legislation in limbo as lawmakers left the Capitol for a two-week break.
Supporters of the measure expressed hope for its resurrection. "We have an agreement. It's not going away," said Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., who earlier had estimated more than 60 senators favor the measure. Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pledged to have legislation ready for debate in the Senate within two weeks of the lawmakers' return.
Majority Leader Bill Frist, his party plagued by divisions, stopped short of a commitment to bring another immigration bill to the floor by year's end. "I intend to," the Tennessee Republican said, but added it would depend on the schedule, already crowded with other legislation.
The gridlock over immigration legislation capped an exceptionally trying week for Republicans, who face unexpectedly stiff challenges from Democrats for control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
House GOP leaders abruptly put off plans Thursday to vote on a budget for the coming year when leaders concluded they lacked a majority. The House-Senate leadership also gave up hopes of clearing a tax cut before the April 17 tax filing deadline.
An Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed Bush's public support at new lows for his handling of Iraq and the war on terror as well as overall job performance.
And former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, under indictment in Texas and linked to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, announced plans to resign and then blasted his own party's performance. "We don't have an agreed agenda — breaking up our leadership has taken its toll," he told one group of reporters.
The immigration bill would have provided for stronger border security, regulated the future entry of foreign workers and created a complex new set of regulations for the estimated 11 million immigrants in the country illegally. Officials said an estimated nine million of them, those who could show they had been in the United States for more than two years, would eventually become eligible for citizenship under the proposal.
Frist accused Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, of "putting a stranglehold" on the Senate by refusing to permit votes on more than three Republican amendments.
"It's not gone forward because there's a political advantage for Democrats not to have an immigration bill," asserted Specter.
Reid and others swiftly rebutted the claim. But Kennedy, who had seemed more eager than the Nevadan all week to find a compromise, declined several chances to offer a strong defense of his party's leader.
"I respect Bill Frist but his position on this matter simply defies logic. ... He needed the courage to move forward," said Reid.
And Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, second-ranking Democrat, said late Thursday night it would be "game, set, match over" if Republicans failed to put up enough votes to advance the bill their leader supported.
Republicans, including those who favored the immigration bill, decided in advance they would cast protest votes to emphasize their opposition to Reid's tactics. The Democratic leader has prevented votes on all but a few non-controversial amendments since debate began on the bill more than a week ago. Sen. John Cornyn (news, bio, voting record) of Texas and other opponents expressed frustration that they were unable to gain votes on proposals to toughen enforcement or to leave immigration policy unchanged until the border had been made secure.
All week, internal party divisions were on unusual public display.
Frist, a potential presidential contender for 2008, initially advanced a bill largely limited to border security. He then embraced Bush's concept of a broader measure including provisions relating to illegal immigrants. But in doing so, he left behind GOP conservatives. Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, both members of the leadership, openly opposed the bill. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, the second and third-ranking members of the leadership, played modest roles in the public debate.
Kyl as well as Cornyn, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and others criticized the bill as an amnesty measure for lawbreakers.
Democrats had their own divisions, principally between Kennedy and others who favored negotiating a compromise and those who were more reluctant.
Reid seemed to vacillate, signaling opposition to an emerging compromise Wednesday night, then joining Frist at a news conference on Thursday to say an agreement was within grasp. Then, within hours, he insisted that Frist tell conservatives their ability to seek changes would be severely limited.
In private as well as public, Reid and Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record) of New York, who heads the party's campaign effort, said they did not want to expose rank-and-file Democrats to votes that would force them to choose between border security and immigrant rights, only to wind up with legislation that would be eviscerated in future negotiations with the House.
Outside the Senate, several Democratic strategists concluded that the best politics was to allow the bill to die, leaving Republicans with a failed initiative in the Senate at a time when the GOP in the House had passed a measure making illegal immigrants subject to felony charges.
What a biased piece of crap report.
Kyl as well as Cornyn, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and others criticized the bill as an amnesty measure for lawbreakers.
Senate Majority Leader Bill First of Tenn., center, flanked by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb, left, and Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., takes part in a Capitol Hill news conference Friday, April 7, 2006 after the Senate failed to agree on an immigration bill. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
US Senators Edward Kennedy, D-MA, and Arlen Specter (L), R-PA, seen here addressing the media on Capitol Hill, 06 April 2006. The personal narratives of lawmakers whose parents and grandparents came to the United States from abroad were a key factor pushing US Senate leaders to reach their hard-fought compromise on immigration reform(AFP/File/Paul J. Richards)
Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., background, and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., take part in a news conference on Capitol Hill Thursday, April 6, 2006, as Senate Democrats and Republicans announced they are close a compromise on immigration legislation. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
Senate Democrats and Republicans announced during a Capitol Hill news conference,Thursday, April 6, 2006, they are close a compromise on immigration legislation. From left are, Sen . Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., Sen. Richard Dubrin, D-Ill., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
As heard on the Mark Levin show. Felons, no shows etc were included in this amnesty.
Hats off to those gents and all those in the Senate who stood tall for America FiRst and not illegals. (a rarely earned much less offered gesture and for good cause)
Sorry, but nobody was more forceful or informed than SENATOR SESSIONS!
SESSIONS FOR POTUS - '08!
Just another AP hit piece.
Thank God!
Why can't there be a separate "Close the southern border" bill passed until they decide to finally pass HR4437 (hey I can hope can't I?)
Meanwhile millions more illegals are probably sneaking in and with the millions we already have that are a major problem we certainly don't need anymore to enter.This is a crisis of epic proportion. Do something to secure the border!
I just like seeing Sessions take a prominent role and be named. Feels good seeing his name here. :-)
Um, I'd like to comment on the article. I'm not really sure how though. It's twilight themed. Beginning with the suggestion NOT passing an amnesty bill hurts Republicans. Sure....
Then we have this absurd notion Republicans showed solidarity so Kyl would receive respect, having his amendments voted on at least. LOL Since when has Linds EVER given a damn about Kyl and the conservatives? They can't even tell the truth about this!
Reality Zone- Republicans had enough votes to filibuster this bill and WERE going to filibuster it. Rather than being embarrasses, which they were anyway...they came up with this novelty of, "It's the amendments Stupid!". Again, sure....
No one is buying that anymore than they bought this wasn't amnesty.
It's too bad Sessions, Kyl, Coburn and so on aren't the faces of the Senate GOP. They'd easily get 60 seats this year if they were.
Oh, and hope National Review and the other conservative sell outs are thrilled. They were so damn sure selling out Delay was needed to "fix" the House. I'm counting ANWR out and budget out. Yeah, they did so swell in knifing him in the back.
The AP is increasingly a house organ for the Dems...
At least there's no bias in the article.
/SARC
I would vote for Sessions - I really think the GOP needs a candidate who is NOT a Senator though.
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