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May 15, 2006
Live from the Oval Office: Elaborate Dog & Pony Show
Unless you were under a rock over the weekend, you've heard about President Bush's speech tonight, in which he plans to address illegal immigration in a prime-time address. Before anyone credits the President with displaying genuine leadership here, for starters let's not forget how we got here: the White House has coddled illegals, reduced enforcement to "catch & release" charades, castigated the Minutemen, etc., only to find itself outflanked on the alarming immigration problem by opportunistic (but relatively agile) Democrats. Now (and especially if we're to believe Time mag's recent account of Josh Bolten's cynical West Wing makeover), and with his approval ratings scraping the floor, Bush is scrambling to appease his red state base.
The White House's calculations are apparent -- and the substance of tonight's address will confirm that despite the pomp and heft of a prime-time address, the President's prepared to reaffirm that his policy is (ready? are the cameras rolling?) amnesty! for illegals -- a condescending "guest worker" policy that will continue to offer little more than symbolic enforcement. In fact, the Wash Post is already reporting Bush is "reassuring" Mexico's president that any military involvement is only "temporary" -- nice to hear Mexico is still pulling the strings on US security policy -- and what, exactly does "temporary" mean? Will the President tell us?
President Bush can still win some points tonight, but the address will have to propose specific measures that will measurably enhance border security. Conservatives are bright enough to know the distinguish between a president scrambling for support and a president who deserves it. I'll keep the porch light on and hope for a surprise, but based on what I've heard to this point conservatives will feel betrayed again, and fairly.
UPDATE: More on the dog & pony show here.
Posted by bill at May 15, 2006 08:59 AM
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