(WASHINGTON) June 28 — President Bush’s effort to overhaul the nation’s immigration policy, a cornerstone of his domestic agenda, collapsed Thursday in the Senate, with little prospect that it can be revived before Mr. Bush leaves office in 19 months. The bill called for the biggest changes to immigration law in more than 20 years, offering legal status to millions of illegal immigrants while trying to secure borders. But the Senate, forming blocs that defied party affiliation, could never unite on the main provisions.
Rejecting the president’s last-minute pleas, it voted, 53 to 46, to turn back a motion to end debate and move toward final passage. Supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to close the debate.
Mr. Bush placed telephone calls to lawmakers throughout the morning. But members of his party abandoned him in droves, with just 12 of the 49 Senate Republicans sticking by him on the important procedural vote that determined the fate of the bill.
Nearly one-third of Senate Democrats voted, in effect, to block action on the bill.
The vote followed an outpouring of criticism from conservatives and others who called it a form of amnesty for lawbreakers.
The outcome was a bitter disappointment for Mr. Bush and other supporters of a comprehensive approach, including Hispanic and church groups and employers who had been seeking greater access to foreign workers.
Supporters and opponents said the measure was dead for the remainder of the Bush administration, though conceivably individual pieces might be revived.
The vote reflected the degree to which Congress and the nation are polarized over immigration. The emotional end to what had been an emotional debate was evident, with a few senior staff members who had invested months in writing the bill near tears.
“The bill now dies,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who helped write the measure.
The outcome also underscored the challenge that Mr. Bush faces in exerting authority and enacting an agenda as members of his party increasingly break with him and Democrats no longer fear him. Having already given up on other ambitious second-term plans like overhauling Social Security, the administration has little prospect of winning any big new legislative achievements in its final months.
The collapse also highlighted the difficulties that the new Democratic leadership in Congress has had in showing that it can address the big problems facing the nation. In this case, Democratic leaders asserted that the failure of the immigration bill reflected on Mr. Bush, and not on their party.
Senator David Vitter, the Louisiana Republican who helped lead opposition to the bill, said: “The proponents did not get even a simple majority. The message is crystal clear. The American people want us to start with enforcement at the border and at the workplace and don’t want promises. They want action. They want results. They want proof, because they’ve heard all the promises before.”
In voting to end the debate, the 12 Republicans were joined by 33 Democrats and one independent. Voting against the motion to end the debate were 15 Democrats, one independent and 37 Republicans, including the minority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
“I had hoped for a bipartisan accomplishment,” Mr. McConnell said. “What we got was a bipartisan defeat.”
Among the Democrats voting no were several up for re-election next year, including Senators Max Baucus of Montana, Tom Harkin of Iowa and John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia.
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said he spoke to Mr. Bush after the vote and thanked him for his work in support of the bill.
More... dare I say .... The NY Times
Sanity has prevailed!! Most Americans believe we should begin by enforcing the laws on the books and prosecuting companies that break the law by hiring illegal aliens. Only Congress's popularity ratings are lower than the President's and now we all understand why. This bill would have sent the wrong message to employers that indentured servitude will be rewarded if you just wait long enough and there are enough potential votes at risk to pander to. We are glad that Democrats and Republicans alike have listened to the American people who are legally here and shot down this faulty plan of the President's that would have caused a mass invasion into the U.S. of immigrants to jump on the fast track to a welfare system sucking dry our economy and infrastructure. Immigrants that followed the law and emigrated here LEGALLY we are sure are the winners and should be most satisfied with this outcome. There are plenty of corner cases, but one cannot just dismiss that the approach of breaking the law to enter the U.S., and the corporate hiring of such "employees" should be rewarded rather than punished. That's our editorial opinion for the evening.
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