SENATE TO RETHINK IMMIGRATION BILL

That’s the message Bill Frist is sending to the American people in this AP article.

Republicans moved Wednesday to have the Senate spend most of the next two weeks reconsidering an immigration bill that faltered just before Easter over whether to let millions of illegal immigrants remain in the United States. “We’re ready to start the process,” Sen. John McCain, (R-AZ), said Wednesday after emerging from a meeting with a few other Republicans in Majority Leader Bill Frist’s office. Frist, (R-TN), said he would continue talks with Minority Leader Harry Reid, (D-NV). He added, however, that debate would begin early next week on amendments even though he and Reid have no agreement on how to proceed with the bill.

It sounds like Frist got the message that border enforcement is the top priority with the GOP base. Appearing on Bill O’Reilly tonight, Frist said that there would be a strong enforcement component to the bill. I’m still skeptical at this point but I hope he’s serious.

O’Reilly told him that this single issue could sink the GOP this year and Frist quickly agreed. O’Reilly also told him that McCain-Kennedy was dead in the water until border security was fixed. I totally agree with O’Reilly on McCain-Kennedy.

Reid has insisted that once the bill is passed, those who support protecting illegal immigrants from deportation must control the Senate team that will negotiate with the House in conference in developing a final bill. “Unless there is agreement on conference, the bill will go nowhere. Nowhere,” Reid said Wednesday.

Think of how breathtaking that statement is. Reid will filibuster everything until he’s guaranteed that legislation will legalize illegal ‘immigrants’. So much for their “Real Security” campaign.