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For Bush, fight over immigration bill is personal {gag alert)
The Houston Chronicle ^ | May 31, 2007 | JULIE MASON

Posted on 05/31/2007 11:46:52 PM PDT by Baladas

President Bush sounded like he hoped to sever ties with the remaining 30 percent who like him when he went after critics in his party this week over opposition to his latest immigration plan.

"If you want to scare the American people, what you say is the bill's an amnesty bill," Bush said during a stop in Glynco, Ga. "That's empty political rhetoric, trying to frighten our citizens."

It was his harshest public backhand yet to the conservative bloggers, commentators, politicians and CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, all gassing about how the bill amounts to amnesty.

"People shouldn't fear our capacity to uphold our motto, E Pluribus Unum," Bush told McClatchy Newspapers.

The compromise Senate bill is drawing fire from Republicans and Democrats. Critics on the left don't like the high fees and penalties for illegal immigrations, or the shift away from reuniting families and toward valuing education and skills in deciding who gets in. Conservative critics are calling it amnesty because it includes provisions for those in the U.S. illegally to eventually become citizens.

Points to Texas' diversity For Bush, the fight over immigration reform is a personal one — unlike Social Security or education reform, which were mostly political.

"I feel passionate about the issue. It's something I have felt strongly about ever since I was the governor of Texas," he said.

"Texas is a very diverse state, Houston is a very diverse city, and through that diversity, if you're open-minded, you get a great sense of how it invigorates the society," said Bush, a Houston resident in the 1960s and '70s.

Growing up in Texas, Bush said, "you recognize the decency and hard work and humanity of Hispanics. And the truth of the matter is a lot of this immigration debate is driven as a result of Latinos being in our country."

Or to be more specific, an unhappiness about Latinos being in the country. Bush, for the first time, is putting opponents on notice that he's going to call them out on their xenophobia if he needs to. In last year's failed effort at passing immigration reform, he never went that far.

"A lot of us in Texas were very aware of the immigration issue way before the rest of the country," Bush told McClatchy. Bush is working to keep the bill intact and moving forward.

His brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, joined former Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman in co-authoring an op-ed in Thursday's Wall Street Journal, calling on Republicans to support the bill.

In addition to arguing the merits, the two noted the political damage to the Republican Party after California in 1994 passed Proposition 187, a measure denying many public services to illegal immigrants.

"The GOP won the governor's mansion in the short term, but alienated the fastest-growing constituency in the state," they said.

With Congress out of town on recess, Bush had the microphone largely to himself on immigration. But he may not be getting traction because of the war in Iraq. The unpopular, long-running conflict has eroded public trust in the president and makes it harder for him to pass a domestic agenda. It also makes it easier for members of Congress to oppose him.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: aliens; amnmesty; bush; diversityuberalles; illegalimmigration; immigrantlist
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To: Baladas
Everybody likes hard working *legal* immigrants, Mr. President, but that doesn't make the illegal ones model citizens.

He is apparently delusional enough he thinks there are people who will like him for attacking the right. Um, dude, those all left your reservation way back around Katarina...

21 posted on 06/01/2007 12:32:06 AM PDT by JasonC
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To: Baladas
“People shouldn’t fear our capacity to uphold our motto, E Pluribus Unum,” Bush told McClatchy Newspapers.

The reporter seems almost in awe that the President is
B!t(h slapping the last 30% who have marched lock step with him.

News Papers have to face facts.

Liberal reporters coming out of college have preconceived notions and have no qualms distorting the facts to suit their personal agendas.

22 posted on 06/01/2007 12:34:04 AM PDT by OKIEDOC (Kalifornia, DUNCAN or THOMPSON 08, ELECTION 2008, MOST IMPORTANT OF MY LIFE TIME)
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To: Baladas

Well, it ain’t like he wasn’t warned...


23 posted on 06/01/2007 12:36:41 AM PDT by EternalVigilance (The Reds went Green, but the goal remains the same: Total domination...)
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To: Baladas

“In addition to arguing the merits, the two noted the political damage to the Republican Party after California in 1994 passed Proposition 187, a measure denying many public services to illegal immigrants.

“The GOP won the governor’s mansion in the short term, but alienated the fastest-growing constituency in the state,” they said.”

Uh... illegal immigrants are NOT a constituency. The fact that they even think so completely negates any other point they might have been trying to make.


24 posted on 06/01/2007 12:39:18 AM PDT by COgamer
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To: neverhillorat

“(please don`t say just follow existing law, that`s a dead pony)”

How about we just follow existing law?


25 posted on 06/01/2007 12:40:19 AM PDT by COgamer
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To: California Patriot
Our president is a genuinely stupid man.

LOL

Yeah, stupid enough to be President, worth millions, millions more when he retires and stupid enough to laugh all the way to the bank.

Kind of sickening, isn't it?

26 posted on 06/01/2007 12:46:18 AM PDT by Michael.SF. ("The military Mission has long since been accomplished" -- Harry Reid, April 23, 2007)
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To: Baladas

“If you want to scare the American people, what you say is the bill’s an amnesty bill,”

I guess the “Bush lied” crowd finally has it right now.

Amnesty = pathway to citizenship.


27 posted on 06/01/2007 12:46:29 AM PDT by taxed2death (A few billion here, a few trillion there...we're all friends right?)
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To: Baladas

Bush said, “..the truth of the matter is a lot of this immigration debate is driven as a result of Latinos being in our country.”

NO! LIAR! The ‘TRUTH of the matter’ is the result of MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL INVADERS in our country.. of all sorts.. and while we are at war with terrorism.


28 posted on 06/01/2007 12:47:57 AM PDT by SeaBiscuit (God Bless America.)
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To: neverhillorat

>>Can you share with us your plan to get this Congress to approve the laws and funding to do what we all want? (please don`t say just follow existing law, that`s a dead pony)<<

A new bad law is worse than the status quo. I can’t believe you are defending this bill. Suppose you went to a doctor with stomach pains, and he said that to cure you he would have to implant hemorrhoids inside you. And he said that “doing nothing is not an option.”

If the bill is passed, we get amnesty and even more illegal immigration in the future, not to mention more socialists eventually. For a promise of doing something that they have never, never, never kept. And the Great Wizard of Failed Immigration Laws, Teddy, put this all together.


29 posted on 06/01/2007 1:04:36 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Illegals: representation without taxation--Citizens: taxation without representation)
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To: neverhillorat
Let's support this bill and see what happens....


30 posted on 06/01/2007 1:09:53 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas (Illegals: representation without taxation--Citizens: taxation without representation)
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To: Baladas
"People shouldn't fear our capacity to uphold our motto, E Pluribus Unum," Bush told McClatchy Newspapers.
I've thought about this since my reply on a similar thread.
That article even has this there...The Latin phrase means "Out of many, one."
Perhaps Bush doesn't understand what the FF were getting at. The FF meant that out of the many States one nation would be formed. They didn't mean that the many nations/countries of the world would form into one global union/government.
If he does believe that then the "one world government" antagonists are right after all.
31 posted on 06/01/2007 1:25:06 AM PDT by philman_36
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To: Baladas; All

Can I have my two votes for this fool back now?


32 posted on 06/01/2007 1:42:10 AM PDT by backhoe (Fred Thompson- because No Other will Do...)
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To: NoControllingLegalAuthority
Bush is building his legacy alright. BUSH WACKED...voted for him twice and now regret that I didn’t go with someone else in the first primary. I’m not happy at all with this amnesty bill. Since they already admitted not being able to get a hold of and exporting these illegals, I wonder how the government would round up all those refusing to pay the tax man?
33 posted on 06/01/2007 2:20:27 AM PDT by ONEBYEONE
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To: Baladas
I'm sorry people, but I can't reconcile the sacrifice of our soldiers when our government is going to simply dissolve our borders overnight and disintegrate the country. Why are our soldiers dying in Iraq to protect us when our leaders have no intention of protecting our borders? This doesn't make sense unless it's part of something more sinister of a conspiratorial nature. It doesn't make sense...

There is no way around this. This bill... from a historial perspective of border enforcement of this administration and the absolute lack of intent for sanctuary cities/states to enforce the laws that already exist, this bill is amnesty. The problem won't change, it will become worse and worse because they won't or don't have the courage or will to address a real solution. It's surrender.

And surrendering our borders is the ultimate insult to our brave and courageous heros in our armed forces who are dying to protect this nation. How can we allow the government to betray all of us like this?

With a nod to "Country Joe and the Fish". Hopefully they've explored the dark mysteries of personal hygiene since this tune was last popular.

***

1..2..3...What are they dying for?

What's this crap with AMNESTY?

GOP's gonna screw you and me...

and it's 5..6..7..

Twenty Million illegals...

Well they're on their way, WELCOME, JOSE!

Yippee!

GOP's gonna die...

***

And with 20 million new socialist voters, the GOP is going to die, nailing their casket closed in the next election. My mind is spinning. What are they thinking?!?

34 posted on 06/01/2007 2:23:38 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: LadyNavyVet; doug from upland
Ping! Forgive me if this is crossing the line (#34)...
35 posted on 06/01/2007 2:25:12 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Michael.SF.
Yeah, stupid enough to be President, worth millions, millions more when he retires and stupid enough to laugh all the way to the bank.

Unlike the Clintons, GWB isn't going to demand heavy fees as a speaker, and if he writes a book, I seriously doubt it will be a bestseller unless it is a massive mea culpa.

W is old money, and doesn't have extravagant tastes, as anyone who has been to Crawford knows. He'll never be hurting for cash, but he'll never hit it big like Slick did.

36 posted on 06/01/2007 2:46:30 AM PDT by L.N. Smithee (Has George W. Bush been taking Carter's Little Pills?)
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To: Baladas

Points to Texas’ diversity For Bush, the fight over immigration reform is a personal one — unlike Social Security or education reform, which were mostly political.

So gb is willing to die on the hill of fighting for amnesty, but Soical Security reform was

“Mostly political”?

U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E

I think gb and rove and the bushian elements of the Republican Party have drank the kool aid laced with stupid pills...


37 posted on 06/01/2007 3:50:52 AM PDT by padre35 (GWB choose Amnesty as his hill to die on, not Social Security reform.....that speaks much)
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To: Cringing Negativism Network
America has been sold out by the President with his proposed “North American Alliance” (Union). Americans will be the big losers.

But by then we won't even be Americans. We'll be CanArMexicans or some such. Bush has a big part in this happening but it's been in the works for years. At least 90 years and before. It's the brain child of the CFR and the Trilateral Commission in current history. It looks forward to the One World Government - The New World Order.

It's coming. It will ultimately be headed by the Antichrist. The Bible explains those final stages. Don't believe it? Google the Council of Foreign Relations and the Trilateral commission and dig a little for the truth. It's history that has yet to be rewritten. Then check out end times prophecy in the Bible. That is Googlable too.

38 posted on 06/01/2007 4:08:12 AM PDT by Frwy (We need to get those crats to stop the Demo.)
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To: Lijahsbubbe
It's THEIR responsibility to assimilate, not that of Americans.
39 posted on 06/01/2007 4:16:06 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: COgamer

How about we just ENFORCE the existing laws?


40 posted on 06/01/2007 4:16:20 AM PDT by joe fonebone (Nothin' from Nothin' leaves Nothin')
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