A tenuous compromise to overhaul the nation's immigration laws collapsed
last night when senators from both parties refused to cut off debate and move to
a final vote, handing the unlikely alliance of Democratic leaders and President Bush a setback on a major domestic priority.
The defeat came after months of painstaking negotiations and weeks
of debate as a 45 to 50 procedural vote fell well short of the 60 votes needed
to break the filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) then
pulled the bill from the floor, while holding out hope that the Senate could
resurrect the measure within weeks.
I am excited to here it. But, it is not the last we'll hear of it:
Legislative advocates also declared the battle not over. "Hope is a
powerful thing, and it will not be deterred," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.), the deal's chief Democratic negotiator. "The issue will not go away, and we will not give up the fight."
Like it or not, this will be around for a long time to come. Something truly needs to be done. Since enforcing the laws we have now is not an option (why I have no idea), we must pass some other laws. Which most of them are not planning on enforcing either.
Rest assured, if we do not keep the pressure on them, it will (or something like it) return.
Secure the border.
Update: I told you so:
President Bush considers it premature to declare the immigration reform bill dead in the Senate, White House adviser Dan Bartlett said Friday.
A motion to cut off debate on the measure failed Thursday night, stopping the proposal from coming up for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had said earlier that if the motion was not approved, it would be “over with … gone.”
But Bartlett told CNN that Bush wants Reid to consider putting the bill back on the table.
He's not finished alienating the base yet.
Keep fighting this thing.
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