NY TIMES GETS SNARKY ON IMMIGRATION BATTLE

This is choice:

America must send its overtaxed troops to the border right now, they say, so a swarm of ruthless, visa-less workers cannot bury our way of life under a relentless onslaught of hard work.

And:

Mr. Bush gave lip service to aspects of comprehensive reform, but that part of his message was, as usual, delivered with a mumbling lack of conviction.
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It is still possible that a good bill will emerge this year, but only if Democrats and moderate Republicans hold firm to protect the fragile flame of good sense against the deter-and-deport crowd. This means sticking together to defeat destructive amendments on the Senate floor. It means overcoming this latest contribution from the ever-unhelpful president, who could have pointed the nation toward serious immigration reform last night, but instead struck a pose as Minuteman in chief.

I myself kept listening for a forceful argument for harsh penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants and thus themselves sponsor the very heart of the illegal immigration problem. But characteristically Bush buried any harsh words for the real culprits since they are, of course, "his base." It is, after all, his responsibility and his pleasure to provide a pool of cheap labor for his business cronies.

Tags: immigration reform, president Bush, border illusions