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Thursday, November 12, 2009
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As details of the Senate immigration deal reached last week began to circulate, media reports quickly noted that the delicate compromise left few interested parties happy. The Washington Post says there is "little doubt about how grass-roots organizations feel about a bipartisan immigration compromise reached in the Senate: They don't like it." The "condemnations from supporters and opponents of illegal immigration were a sign that the bipartisan compromise, like the illegal immigrants it addresses, faces a rocky future."
Roll Call reports the "proposed immigration overhaul unveiled by an eclectic group of Senators last week left not one of the myriad stakeholders completely satisfied. But none is unhappy enough to walk away from the deal - yet, according to lobbyists and activists working the issue." Among the "most disappointed are firms in the high-tech sector." The deal has little open support in the Senate -- the Washington Times reports that its own survey of Senate offices "found 17 senators supporting the current bill and another two who lean toward supporting it; 17 who oppose it; 22 who have concerns; and 32 senators who are still reviewing it." The New York Times reports employers, "who helped shape a major immigration bill over the last three months, said on Sunday that they were unhappy with the result because it would not cure the severe labor shortages they foresee in the coming decade."
U.S. News and World Report noted that while White House spokesman Tony Snow "called the deal a template for progress on future domestic policy issues. Still, the Bushies shouldn't count their chickens just yet. The immigration legislation has many hurdles to clear before becoming law -- and prospects weren't looking so good late last week."
Skills Favored Over Family Ties. Critics and proponents of the bill alike highlighted the measure's point system, a feature that would deemphasize familial ties and increase the importance of a would-be immigrant's skills and education. USA Today reports that in "what Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez called 'a very significant and, we believe, very important shift,' the bill proposes to change the policy that has made family the chief factor in determining who becomes a citizen." Relatives of citizens and "legal permanent residents will still make up most of the nation's immigrants. But their numbers will shrink as the proportion who gain entry because of their skills grows." The Los Angeles Times reports, "The proposal would shift the way the nation awards green cards from a heavy preference on applicants with family ties - a system adopted in 1965 - to those with advanced skills, college degrees and English-speaking ability." However, this proposal drew criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said on ABC's This Week that while she agreed with President Bush that it was "a good first step," it was "disruptive of families." The Hill adds Pelosi's "concerns could have a significant impact on the success of the legislation as the House takes up the bill."
"Amnesty" Remains A Major Problem. Probably the most serious opposition to the bill is grounded in what some see as "amnesty." The Washington Times reports members of the Congressional Immigration Caucus "say a compromise reached between members of the Senate and the Bush administration over immigration reform violates the rule of law, giving amnesty to millions of illegal aliens in the United States." On CNN's Late Edition, the chairman of the caucus, Rep. Brian Bilbray, said, "The worst thing you can do if you try to control illegal immigration is reward 12 to 20 million illegal aliens with citizenship and permanent residency. That's why the border patrol agents oppose this bill."
The Politico reports, "Administration officials and Republican supporters of the bipartisan immigration legislation vigorously defended the measure on the TV talk shows today, attacking critics who suggest the bill amounts to amnesty for illegal immigrants in the country." On CNN's Late Edition, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said, "I have the impression that perhaps for some people, the only thing that would not be amnesty is mass deportation. We don't think that's practical, we don't think that's logical, we don't think that's humane and that would hurt our economy. So it's not amnesty."
Asked if the bill would hurt the Republican party, RNC chairman Sen. Mel Martinez, said on CNN's Late Edition, "No, it could be the saving of the Republican party, frankly. And to do nothing would be the wrong thing for the American people."
On ABC's This Week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "Some would argue that allowing 12 million illegals in the country right now, free to move around the country, is a form of amnesty. Everyone's against amnesty. The question is, how do you go forward on this bill? I think it's an improvement over the status quo."
Illegal Immigrants Skeptical The Christian Science Monitor reports that for "the Senate reform plan to work as intended, illegal immigrants would need to embrace its rules not opt for business as usual." But their reaction, "'yes, but ...' is one sign that the reforms could fall short, even if they were to become law, because illegal immigrants themselves may prefer business as usual to a regimen of fees and journeys home. Their early reactions range from guarded optimism to good-humored laughter at the idea that the plan, as laid out, could actually work."
Sen. Arlen Specter yesterday suggested that rather than face a symbolic vote of no confidence in the Senate, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales may choose to resign. On CBS's Face the Nation, Specter told host Bob Schieffer, "I have a sense...that before the vote is taken that Attorney general Gonzales may step down. ... I think historically that is something which Attorney General Gonzales would like to avoid." The New York Times reports Senate Democrats "have said they would bring a no-confidence resolution to the floor as soon as this week because of questions about Mr. Gonzales's role in the dismissals of eight federal prosecutors last year and doubts about his leadership."
As the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Specter's remark was seen by media sources as an indication that Gonzales' support continues to erode among the Senate GOP. The Washington Times reports Specter "has not called for Mr. Gonzales to resign, but said the growing pressure from Democratic and Republican lawmakers who are demanding Mr. Gonzales' departure may force President Bush's longtime ally from office." Specter said "he expects a 'sizable number' of Republicans to vote 'no-confidence,' a move that could take place as early as this week." The Houston Chronicle /AP reports, "In a further sign of his eroding support within the GOP, Gonzales failed to draw a public statement of support from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell."
White House Says Gonzales Did Not Know Comey Was Acting AG Meanwhile, Newsweek reports a new development in the controversy that was stoked by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey's testimony last week. Comey told a Senate panel how, in March, 2004, Gonzales and then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card fruitlessly visited then-Attorney General John Ashcroft in the hospital to ask him to approve an President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program. Newsweek reports, "After the incident, there were recriminations over what Comey portrayed as an attempt by Bush's top lawyer and chief of staff to 'take advantage' of a very ill man. Comey didn't tell the Senate panel that the bad feelings were stoked even more the next morning when White House officials explained the hospital visit by saying Gonzales and Card were unaware that Comey was acting A.G. (and therefore the only person authorized to sign off on the surveillance program), according to a former senior DOJ official."
Gonzales May Face Texas Bar Probe U.S. News and World Report reports congressional sources say that "Democrats will ask the Texas Bar Association to determine whether Gonzales violated his code of professional responsibility or broke laws by bringing up the NSA" warrantless wiretapping program "in the hospital in front of Ashcroft's wife, who lacks security clearances."
NYTimes Sees Rove's Fingerprints On Scandal In an editorial, the New York Times says, "This scandal is too important for the public or Congress to move on. This story should not end until Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is gone, and the serious damage that has been done to the Justice Department is repaired." The "degree of partisanship in the department is shocking," and it is "hard not to see the fingerprints of Karl Rove."
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The White House yesterday fired back at Jimmy Carter after the former president scathingly criticized President Bush's handling of foreign policy and Iraq in two interviews over the weekend. ABC World News reported Carter "lashed out this weekend, labeling the Bush Administration's foreign policy the 'worst in history' and holding Bush responsible for 'an overt reversal of America's basic values.'"
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution /AP reports that in a "biting rebuke, the White House on Sunday dismissed former President Jimmy Carter as 'increasingly irrelevant' after his harsh criticism of President Bush." White House spokesman Tony Fratto said, "I think it's sad that President Carter's reckless personal criticism is out there. I think it's unfortunate. And I think he is proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments."
The New York Times reports Carter "delivered a blistering critique of President Bush in two interviews released Saturday. And, on Sunday, the White House responded in kind, calling his comments 'sad' and Mr. Carter himself 'irrelevant.'" The Los Angeles Times reports, "Perhaps not since Herbert Hoover took issue with the blame heaped on him for the Great Depression by Franklin D. Roosevelt have two presidents or their spokesmen feuded quite so publicly - and angrily - as former President Carter and President Bush."
USA Today /AP reports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said President Bush "has a 'tin ear' when it comes to Iraq and should compromise with majority Democrats on a war spending bill with a timetable for U.S. troops to leave." Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that with "hopes of getting a new bill to President Bush before the Memorial Day weekend," that Republicans "don't want a retreat date in there, a surrender date." Asked if the Democrats in Congress are playing "a political game" with the Iraq war spending bill, Sen. Carl Levin said on CNN's Late Edition, "Last November was not a stunt. Last November was a Democratic election. The American people said, 'change course in Iraq,' and that's what Democrats are determined to do. The President will not change course."
Gingrich: Setting Withdrawal Date Would Be Accepting Defeat Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, on NBC's Meet the Press, said, "There are young men and women risking their lives in uniform who, I think, are dramatically going to be demoralized by the idea of who's the last person to die trying to win in Iraq. I mean, if we have to set a deadline, then let's set it for next Tuesday. Let's get out of there. Because I think the idea that we're going to set a magic moment a year from now or 11 months from now or 10 months from now basically says we are prepared to accept defeat...we will have legislated defeat."
ABC World News reported, "It has been a deadly and disheartening few days for American forces in Iraq. The military said today that seven more troops died over the weekend, bringing the total killed since Friday, to at least 15. On the civilian side, at least 55 Iraqis were found killed during the day on Sunday." The New York Times reports six American soldiers "and their interpreter were killed by a roadside bomb in western Baghdad on Saturday, the military said Sunday, in one of the deadliest single attacks against American troops in the capital in recent months."
The New York Times reports President Bush welcomed NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer "for two days of meetings focusing on holding together the fragile coalition fighting in Afghanistan and on dealing with new tensions with an assertive Russia." The Secretary General arrived in Crawford Sunday afternoon "for what aides said would be a working dinner with the president and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice."
Top Aides Bunk In Trailers During Bush Trips To Crawford Under the headline "When Bush Is In Crawford, Select Staffers Are In Trailers," the Washington Post takes a look at the less-than-sumptuous "11-acre staff encampment set up to support the president" when he visits his Crawford, Texas, ranch. The camp "is a cluster of double-wide mobile homes, adjacent to the president's 1,600-acre ranch, where a handful of traveling White House staffers, Secret Service agents and communications staffers both work and sleep during Bush's stays here." Bush has spent "all or part of 413 days of his presidency at his ranch."
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On the heels of a Zogby poll showing him opening a double-digit lead in New Hampshire, a new poll shows Mitt Romney doing the same in Iowa. An Iowa Poll, sponsored by the Des Moines Register, of likely Republican caucus participants in that state, conducted May 12-16 shows Romney leading with 30%, followed by Sen. John McCain, 18%; Rudy Giuliani, 17%; Tommy Thompson, 7%; Sen. Sam Brownback, 5%; Mike Huckabee, 4%; and Rep. Tom Tancredo, 4%. On the Democratic side, John Edwards leads with 29%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama, 23%; Sen. Hillary Clinton, 21%; Gov. Bill Richardson, 10%; Sen. Joseph Biden, 3%; and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, 2%.
The Des Moines Register reports, "Romney's front-runner status in the new Des Moines Register poll could stem in part from solid performances in the two national debates, his work in building a network of supporters in Iowa, his fundraising prowess and money spent on TV ads, said J. Ann Selzer, The Register's pollster. 'His success raising money seems to have aroused caucusgoers' interest, prompting them to take a serious look at the candidate,' Selzer said." Noting that Romney is a Mormon, the Register added, "Most likely Republican caucus participants -- 71 percent -- say it makes no difference in their choice of a candidate if that person would be elected the first Mormon president. However, 22 percent say that would make their support for the candidate less likely."
In a report on the Democratic side of the Iowa Poll, the Des Moines Register says that Edwards, "a dogged campaigner, has almost made Iowa his second home since first making a bid for the White House four years ago. ... Edwards' familiarity to Iowa Democrats appears to have bred much more respect than contempt. Eight in 10 likely caucus participants have favorable feelings about the candidate, according to the Iowa Poll." He "also has an edge over his competitors in Iowa for the labor vote, a key Democratic constituency. He is the first choice of 36 percent of likely caucus participants from households with a union member. Clinton captures the support of 26 percent of that group and Obama gets 21 percent."
The potential for Al Gore to shake up the Democratic field by making a late presidential bid was the focus of extensive media coverage this weekend. In addition to appearing on the cover of Time Magazine this week, Gore was also the subject of a 4,400-word New York Times Magazine piece this weekend. The NYT Magazine piece says that "six years after the Supreme Court declared him the loser of a presidential race that seemed his for the taking, Al Gore has attained what you can only call prophetic status; and he has done so by acting as he could not, or would not, as a candidate -- saying precisely what he believes, and saying it with clarity, passion, intellectual mastery and even, sometimes, wit. Everywhere he goes, people urge him, almost beg him, to run for the presidency. He probably won't -- though he might."
In addition, the AP writes that "even with 18 presidential candidates to choose from, it is Al Gore who draws the allegiance of many high-tech elite." Since 2000, Gore "has become an environmental crusader and technology insider. He is on Apple's board of directors, advises Google and has his own startup." He "has close ties to some of the biggest names in the technology industry," and is "one reason that enthusiasm and fundraising in Silicon Valley for any of the current candidates has been noticeably muted." Joe Cotchett, "a lawyer with Silicon Valley ties" who is raising money for John Edwards, said, "The candidate of Silicon Valley is Al Gore. But he's not running."
The New York Times reports Sens. Hillary Clinton and John McCain "plan to unveil significant domestic policy proposals today." Clinton will call for a "$5 billion plan for universal pre-kindergarten classes," while McCain will seek "more efficiency and ethics in government." Clinton "will visit an elementary school in Miami today to propose her first major education initiative of the campaign: a federal fund to help states create or expand universal pre-K programs." McCain "plans to veer away from the government-is-the-problem school of conservatism as he outlines his vision of government in a speech today to the Oklahoma State Legislature." He "plans to speak of the need for more ethics and efficiency in government." The AP adds McCain "is promising to hold Cabinet chiefs accountable for ensuring the integrity of their agencies and proposing to withhold money from government programs that don't meet performance expectations."
On its front page, the Washington Times yesterday wrote, "Give Wyoming Republicans credit for chutzpah in the scramble to hold the earliest possible 2008 presidential primary. Instead of setting an election date, the Wyoming Republican Party has adopted a policy stating that it will hold its county conventions on the same date as the New Hampshire primary." Tom Sansonetti, "the Cheyenne lawyer and longtime Republican activist who devised the plan," said, "We said, 'Yes, we might lose half our delegates. On the other hand, Wyoming could play a role in this election. Do you want to play or do you want to party? We want to play."
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Jay Leno: "It's Friday, of course, which means Rudy Giuliani is pro-choice again."
David Letterman: "'Shrek 3' opened earlier today. ... The story of Shrek" is that "he's a beastly ogre, he's a giant, and he marries into a family of royalty," and "then eventually goes on to become Governor of California."
Conan O'Brien: "President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair held their last joint press conference. President Bush says he's going to miss listening to Tony Blair, because when he closes his eyes, Blair sounds just like C-3PO."
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