Bush Lobbies Senate On Immigration and Lott Mouths OFF

Bush lobbies Senate on immigration
Washington Times
President Bush visited with Senate Republicans behind closed doors yesterday, promising that he will follow through on border security, pleading with them to give his immigration plans a second look and trying to overcome hard feelings that arose from his recent charge that opponents are guilty of trying to “frighten people.”

“We’ve got to convince the American people that this bill is the best way to enforce our border,” Mr. Bush said after an hourlong lunch with the senators. “I believe without the bill that it’s going to be harder to enforce the border.”

The bill is stalled for now, the victim of a collapse last week, and Democrats say Mr. Bush must prove that he can deliver 20 votes in support of the bill before they will put it back on the schedule. Mr. Bush is struggling to win those votes and has come under fire from Republicans who say he must first do more to prove he is serious about enforcement.
One idea that seemed to gain immediate traction among the Republicans was for Mr. Bush to send up a new emergency-spending bill to fund border security.

“If we’re really going to get support for this bill from the American people there’s got to be some restoration of trust,” said Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Georgia Republican, who sent a letter with fellow Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson proposing the spending bill. “There’s got to be some effort shown on the part of the administration before I think there’s going to be a sufficient number of folks deciding to move this bill forward.”

One key question is how to go forward even though several amendments have already cut at the grand bargain — including limiting the guest-worker program and making it easier to deport those who don’t qualify for legalization — and several other difficult amendments could pass before the bill is final.

One top opponent, Sen. Jeff Sessions, said Mr. Bush’s appearance yesterday helped smooth things over. He said it made it “very much less likely we’d have hard feelings or personal animosity.”

Mr. Bush didn’t escape unscathed, though. Addressing reporters after the lunch, he called the issue “highly emotional” — irking Mr. Sessions, Alabama Republican, who said that assessment sounded “as if people who don’t agree with me are irrational or emotional.”

Although the mood on the Senate side was collegial, House Republicans are gearing up for a battle with their party leader, with one saying Mr. Bush should just accept that he lost.

“The task of this administration needs to be to accept defeat of the Senate amnesty bill and get on with the task of stopping the bleeding on our southern border and applying all our resources to workplace enforcement,” said Rep. Steve King of Iowa, the top Republican on the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee.

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, Mississippi Republican, said those amendments will simply disappear when the House and Senate go to conference.

“No big deal — you pitch those before you get to the Rotunda,” he said.

But that is just what those who oppose the bill fear.

“I’m really disturbed Trent Lott would say: accept an amendment, he’ll pitch it in conference,” Mr. Sessions said. “Whose side is he on?”

Wild Thing’s comment………..

Trent Lott is a perfidious, weasely, backstabbing hack! Now they are more bolden claiming that they never intend to enforce the laws that they make and swear to uphold anyway, all they wish to do is to declare millions of illegals, murders, felons, rapists, forgers, violent criminals, gang bangers, drug runners, etc. LEGAL AMERICANS so they can continue to “do the jobs that ordinary Americans refuse to do….and, oh, yes,…. support their families.”
Get that guy out of there!!!!
If this bill ever makes it to conference the open borders crowd will get everything they want while Americans get the shaft. “Willing worker, willing employer” means massive displacement in every sector of the economy.