Bush vs. GOP

05/31/2007

The contentious immigration-reform debate has split the president from many members of his own party. Does the White House have the clout to move the bill along?


By Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
Newsweek


May 30, 2007 - The scene was oddly familiar: a prominent Washington politico accuses his opponents of trying to “frighten people” by distorting his policies for political gain. It could have been Harry Reid talking about the White House or Karl Rove dissing Democrats. But the tough talk this time came from President Bush, who trashed fellow Republicans this week for their opposition to an immigration-reform deal he struck with top congressional Democrats.

Speaking at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, Bush delivered a scathing rebuke to some of his biggest supporters, accusing conservatives who label the legislation as amnesty for illegal immigrants of trying to derail the bill with “empty political rhetoric.” He decried “political bickering” and implied some oppose the bill because “it might make somebody else look good.” Bush argued that people most opposed to the bill “haven’t read it” and in a line that seemed similar to the arguments Democrats make against Republicans regarding the war in Iraq, Bush accused the legislation’s critics of trying to scuttle immigration reform by scaring the American people.

“Those determined to find fault with this bill will always be able to look at a narrow slice of it and find something they don’t like,” Bush said. “If you want to kill the bill, if you don’t want to do what’s right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it, you can use it to frighten people. Or you can show leadership and solve the problem once and for all.”

Fighting words, no doubt. But is Bush too late to the game to make a difference?

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