President Bush looked at the polls that he doesn’t read and thought he found the escape hatch. The idea was simple enough: Find an issue, any issue, that will distract the American public from the carnage in Iraq, the scandals in Washington and the erosion of civil liberties all over the American landscape. After the cavalcade of bad news last week and over the weekend, the Administration needed a good prime time Oval Office speech to take control of the news cycle. To that end, Mr. Bush delivered a moribund speech on immigration and border security.
Mr. Bush read off the teleprompter the issue that was billed as the highlight of the speech. He will put 6000 National Guard troops on the border. But then he threw us a curveball by telling us that they won’t actually be doing the guarding. The Guard will support the Border Patrol instead in administrative functions. Apparently, someone must have explained to the President that M-16 slugs embedded in the body of a mother and child crossing the border would make for really bad press.
The other highlight of the speech was Mr. Bush’s call for a tamper proof national ID card for illegal aliens to cut down on the use of forged documents. I am not clear as to what prevents the illegal aliens from now forging driver’s licenses and social security cards and claiming that they are citizens. I suppose in their haste to change the subject the big thinkers in the White House didn’t have time to think this one through.
Mr. Bush is caught between the two wings of his own party. He tried to thread the needle tonight but the only people pleased with his speech are likely to be Democrats on the Hill. Mr. Bush, as he famously stated once, does not do nuance well. There was too much nuance in this speech for his hard-core base of 29%. He had something for everyone. He wanted a comprehensive solution to immigration reform – he offered guns (not quite) and butter. He was not being the decider that the 29% wanted and expected him to be. So, I think the likely outcome of this speech will be that some of the remaining 29% will leave him now.
The early indications from the rabid and the xenophobic appear to suggest that Mr. Bush would have been better served spending the 8 o’ clock hour baking cookies or blowing something up. Michelle Malkin’s post on the speech is entitled "Same old, Same old" and she complains:
The only good thing about watching the speech was getting to watch it in the Fox News green room with Colorado GOP Rep. Tom Tancredo, a stalwart immigration enforcement advocate. It was nice to have someone to shake heads along with as empty platitude and platitude was laid on thick.
The ever-charming Debbie Schlussel has not blogged since the speech as she is tied up with Joe Scarborough at the moment. But she did have a preview blog entitled "Immigration BS Eve: A Few Questions for the Prez" where she did not sound all too pleased with this evening’s festivities:
On Immigration Pretense Eve (that means the calm before the giant Presidential immigration BS), we have a few questions for President Bush–in light of his decision to use the National Guard on the border–that we doubt he’ll answer tonight:
[I’ll skip the questions; you can read them on her blog. They are really not all that important.]
…
The best thing that could happen: Bush does not get the amnesty a/k/a guest worker program that he wants and the bill does not pass. If he thinks getting "tough" (for now) on the border will make those of us in his conservative base ease up on our opposition to more amnesty, he’s delusional.
And maybe he is.
Mr. President, I think that your base is leaving you. It is time to turn your weary eyes toward Iran.
Mash,
Totally dig your site and your style. You’re spot on with your assesment of the speech. It’s the big distraction, alright. So what happens when the people trying to come into the country are accompanied by armed Mexican troops? What happens if there are riots and chaos and the NG is holding pens in their hands? There are so many things that can and probably will go wrong with this plan, nevermind the impending hurricane season.
I have my own little blog, a few C&L regulars hang there. I’d love to link to your site from mine if you are okay with that. I think the folks would enjoy having a regular look at your blog. Again, great site, great style..
Eric
http://tinyurl.com/a6erq
^^^ HELP IMPEACH TODAY
Keep the pressure on Congress… Talking about impeachment wakes people up… They question, it’s a strong motivator to get people thinking. It also lets Congress know how intense the dissapproval is for this President… They seem to be a little slow on the uptake. So please:
1) Sign petitions if you have not done so
2) Send a letter to Congress (both Senators & House rep)
3) Send a copy to the media
4) Enlist friends and family to help, ask them to chip in time
5) Spread the link around, email it (with a request to forward) post it on a blog, or in the comments of a news story.
Help out!!!
Thanks 🙂
Eric, thanks. ditto on the link. Just visited your site and the pic of Rove is priceless.
You know Bush is in trouble when he’s getting trashed by both Malkin and Scarborough on the same night.
:((
Mash,
Visiting from Eric’s site. Thanks for the great setup here. My primary question is “Is there anything we can do to prevent war in Iran?” That is my primary concern about this immigrant issue – I don’t think it’s Iraq. Thoughts? Direction?
BookJGirl
Janelle,
wow, tough question! ~X(
If by “we” you mean the US government, I think the answer is quite straight forward. I do not believe the Iranians are looking for a fight with either the US or Israel. Doing so would be suicide. However, I do think Iran wants a nuclear deterrent, given their neighborhood. In that I doubt the US has enough leverage to stop them.
So, the real question for the US is not how to prevent Iran from getting nukes, but the real question is how does the US deal with a nuclear Iran. To answer that the US should recognize that there are natural balancing forces in Iran’s neighborhood. That includes most of the Middle East, and Pakistan to the East. These actors have a lot more at stake than the US does. They can do a lot of the heavy lifting in the area vis-a-vis Iran. (that’s my short answer! :d)
Now, if by “we”, you meant we the people, I am afraid short of impeachment we are out of options. If the Administration goes to Iran, it will likely be this Summer or late November (my pick). The only thing standing in the way is the Administration’s good sense (limited) and the top brass of the military. Perhaps the military can talk the White House out of this massive misadventure. [-o<
What nobody seems to comment on is this: GW in so many words said he will bring us a National ID card.
He said he wants a biometric, fake-proof card that every legal imigrant worker will have to show to prove he/she is here legally.
So… if any officer asks ANYONE for the ID and he/she does not have it, (even if you were born here/imigrated here legally): you can be arrested/deported. The snoop-in-chief specifically said that a Birth Certificate or Social Sec. card will not do, because they are being faked so much nowadays.
ERGO: NATIONAL ID CARD is the next thing on this snooping S.O.B.s list-to-do.
Mash, you were right on target. I’m in the middle of writing my own blog post at the moment (I have the late shift at work. That’s why I’m up late). 😮
I didn’t like Bush’s speech but it’s a wonderful day when his supporters turn on him in droves. It should make things easier for Democrats in November.
I’m concerned it will only be a matter of time before brown people like me will be subjected to more harassment (or worse) in the Southwest. The only thing this speech did was fuel the anger of the extremists of the GOP (Malkin, Tancredo, Jim Gilchrist, Joe Turner, etc.).
Robbie, Bush didn’t feed the beast properly last night. So, the beast is angry. When fanatics are your base, its hard to placate or control them when they are foaming at the mouth. =p~
By the way, loved your post. Scathing, to the point and definitely worth a read. :)>-
i dont think there is an ID system anywhere in the world that is criminal-proof. everything one reads about the criminal enterprises all say one thing, when it come to technology, they are ions ahead. so whether RFID tags in passports, we saw how well that went, or biometric data on nat’l ID cards, which they could basically simply include on current DL’s or SS cards, i think, would be pointless.
if a $ can be made illegally, it will, and so other than appeasing people who are ‘unawares’ such measures are pointless.ineffective.
and unless they are going to bomb the heck out of runners with the UAV’s, i.e. predators, i seriously doubt even those are going to do good. after working with law enfircement who for the last 5 years were promised increased resources, along with firefighters and first respnders, most of which never was seen, this 6,000 increase in border patrol is going to end up similarly.
(tongue firmly in cheek)i say outsource the function. hire mexicans to keep other mexicans out. or, reroute south asian workers from m.e. to u.s., nobody hates illegal immigrants as much as legal immigrants in my experience. (/tongue firmly in cheek).
if the israelis, who know a thing or two or three about security, cannot keep suicide bombers out despite their incredibe experience and technology and training, i doubt a bunch of part time nat’l guard or newby border patrols going to do it. have you seen the lot that does security in airports?!!?! seriously, no joke, these people, TSA, are going to keep who safe exactly? and that was after the HUGE hue and cry.
people need to wake up and smell the pollution that is this and every government.
on a different note, he didnt mess up on the teleprompter as much as he has in past… so thats a plus. those allucution lessions are paying off i guess…:d
dude, my wife was asking me why Bush’s eyes never moved as his head bobbed around. I explained to her that he was squinting to read the teleprompter. :-b
Hey All…
God, this man is evil… I appreciate your wife’s comment on his beady eyes. Ever since the first time I saw, and listened to the bum, I couldn’t stand his eyes. Something about them reminds me of evil. has since the first time I saw him lie, and now, whenever I watch him speachify… I have my barf bag very close by.
I also am concerned greatly about the Immigration, smoke screen. And more than fearful that if Bush falls much further in the polls he will put another stop loss order on one of my children, and send them back to the Middle East. Iran is not the threat that it is being vilified as by the Bush Cabal. They say and will do anything to obtain their goal…They are surely smoke screening on these other divide/conquer issues. If they can keep the American people divided, then they will conquer. Impeach the cabal NOW, for the sake of our FUBARed Nation.