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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Whitebeard who wrote (762752)	6/11/2007 10:37:41 PM
From: sandintoes	Respond to of 769670

You're right about that!!!!

To: Whitebeard who wrote (762752)	6/12/2007 7:38:56 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 769670

"They gotta figure out a way to disguise it. One or more of the amendments, I'd think, promising greater enforcement." That's always been the goal all along, I think....

To: Whitebeard who wrote (762752)	6/12/2007 5:01:34 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Bush Asks U.S. Senators to Break Immigration Impasse (Update1) By James Rowley and Nicholas Johnston bloomberg.com June 12 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush pressed Senate Republicans to support immigration overhaul as negotiators sought to end the stalemate over legislation to offer legal status to 12 million undocumented aliens. At a weekly luncheon of the senators in the U.S. Capitol, Bush sought to persuade opponents of the legislation to let the Senate vote on the measure that is the centerpiece of his domestic policy agenda. ``Now is the time to get it done,'' Bush told reporters after the meeting. ``We've got to convince the American people that this bill is the best way to enforce our border. The White House will stay engaged.'' Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid withdrew the legislation last week after it failed a key procedural vote. Only seven Republicans joined 38 Democrats to limit debate, while 38 Republicans and 11 Democrats opposed the effort to move the legislation to final passage. Today, Reid said he would bring the measure up again if he gets a commitment from another 25 Republicans to end debate. ``The question is, do the Republicans support their president's immigration bill? At this stage, it's a resounding `no','' the Democratic leader told reporters. ``We'll move on immigration when they get their own act together.'' In today's Republican meeting ``we didn't expect anyone to stand up and say they've had an epiphany,'' Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters. But, he said, ``I think this bill is 80 to 85 percent through to the finish line.'' Cheney, Bolten, Rove Vice President Dick Cheney accompanied the president to the Capitol, along with White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, political adviser Karl Rove, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, counselor Dan Bartlett and Deputy Chief of Staff Joel Kaplan. Bush last attended a Republican policy lunch on July 31, 2001, the White House said. After the meeting, one Republican supporter of the legislation, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, said, ``Eyeball to eyeball, there is a sense the president understands the key concerns.'' He said he believed Republicans could deliver another 25 votes to curtail debate. Bush took about 20 questions, about three-fourths of them about immigration, lawmakers said. ``This was not a harsh exchange,'' said John Thune of South Dakota, who has opposed many provisions of the legislation. A Republican opponent of the legislation, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, said the exchange with the president was cordial and at times jovial. Still, he said, ``nothing was said to change my fundamental concerns about the bill.'' Negotiations Continuing Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of senators who crafted the compromise proposal with Bush administration officials continued efforts to revive it. They sought agreement on amendments that Republicans and Democrats could offer before debate is concluded, lawmakers and aides said. ``Our best hope is there won't be political games played with these amendments,'' Colorado Democrat Ken Salazar told reporters on a conference call. ``Our hope is we are able to get it in the next several days.'' Before last week's vote on curtailing debate, Republicans complained they needed more time to try to amend the legislation. Democrats argued that the amendments were largely ``poison pills'' designed to kill the measure. `Very Close' Republicans are ``very close'' to formulating their list of amendments, said Florida Senator Mel Martinez, one of his party's negotiators. ``We should have that tonight.'' This list would be taken to Reid to try to craft an agreement for reviving the legislation, said a Republican Senate aide who briefed reporters. If such an agreement were reached, McConnell could deliver as many as 20 Republican votes to conclude debate, the aide said. That would give Reid more than the 60 votes needed to move the measure toward final passage. The amendments probably will include increasing the number of guest workers allowed into the U.S. each year based on labor needs, the aide said. The measure now permits entry to as many as 200,000 workers each year for two-year stays. New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez said he would press to make the new immigration rules more favorable to family reunification. As proposed, the measure would eliminate preferences for extended families and grant them to people with specific job skills and educational credentials. Specter and other lawmakers discussed a possible supplemental appropriation to pay for tighter border security and computer databases to help employers verify that prospective hires are not undocumented aliens. Such funds might help assuage lawmakers' concerns that the measure won't stem illegal immigration. ``There is a lack of trust that we're going to do it right this time, when we've never done it right before,'' said South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, another supporter of immigration overhaul. ``That was the No. 1 comment.'' To contact the reporters on this story: James Rowley in Washington at jarowley@bloomberg.net ; Nicholas Johnston in Washington njohnston3@bloomberg.net . Last Updated: June 12, 2007 15:43 EDT