Thursday, June 07, 2007

"R.I.P."   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

is the headline Drudge has up re the immigration bill.

That's probably wishful thinking, long-term. A Senate staffer cautions: "this is FAR from dead. It's wounded, but very much alive." Though Reid is unlikely to get cloture today, Senate staffers assure me the dealmakers aren't going to go down without a fight.

One aid points out that "Unfortunately, the folks who 'oppose' the bill generally do so with less passion than those who want to pass the President's 'most important domestic policy initiative'... in the end, for the 'dealmakers' it's their pre-conceived deal or NOTHING, and they are 110% committed to it's passage."

In an e-mail this frustrated staffer says: "the national security and future immigration policy of this country is being horse-traded right now... and the question is how strong will Senators stand and how much will the media report what's really going on here. This is NOT about 'pro-immigrants' vs. 'anti-immigrants.' All Senators are pro-immigration and want a good system. This is about 'back-room deal makers' vs. 'Senators who want an open and honest debate.' This is about a system that has a chance to work' vs. a 'system that is built up on false promises and clouded with smoke and mirrors.' We'll see who wins and we'll see how fair the media is at reporting it."

06/07 09:57 AMShare