Orange County Register: Border issue exposes GOP rift

[question everything]

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Letter from Washington: Border issue exposes GOP rift

By DENA BUNIS
The Orange County Register

(snip)

Senate Majority Leader Frist basically said "in your face" to Judiciary Committee Chairman Specter last week, when just hours before a weeklong recess he introduced a border-security bill. And, by extension, he also snubbed another fellow Republican, McCain. How to reform immigration law has become one of the most divisive issues around here lately - especially within the Republican Party.

Both Sens. Specter and McCain want to see a bill that combines enforcement, a new guest-worker program and a way to deal with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already here. So, for that matter, do Republicans John Cornyn and Jon Kyl, although they come down stronger on the enforcement side and wouldn't give illegal immigrants a path to permanent residency.

For the past couple of weeks Specter has tried to rein in a committee whose members' attention has been distracted by everything from the Dubai ports deal to the budget bill to lobby reform. He practically threatened to kick senators off the panel - something he doesn't really have the power to do – if they didn't start showing up. Specter begged his leader for more time, insisting this complicated subject needed to be done right or not at all. Then, finally, much to the surprise of the packed committee room, there was an epiphany on Thursday. Members showed up. They got serious. A bill started to gel.

So what does Frist do? He big-foots the Pennsylvania lawmaker and introduces his own bill, one that takes the enforcement pieces of Specter's bill but leaves out anything about guest workers and illegal immigrants. Frist says if the committee does in fact vote to send a bill to the floor a week from Monday, when Specter has called it back, then it can substitute that one. But he insists that whatever happens, the Senate will debate immigration next week.

(snip)

But there's another possibility. Frist wants to run for president. To get anywhere in what's likely to be a crowded GOP primary field, he's going to have to appeal to the so-called base. And many in that base want to see a crackdown on illegal immigration and oppose any guest-worker bill. So if Frist can say he muscled such a measure through the Senate he'd score some big brownie points with that group. And it would also serve to show a clear difference between him and McCain - another possible presidential candidate.

(snip)

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1059023.php

[babylonsister]

1. Frist is a toy IMHO. Not much love for Specter either. Thanks

for this.