Hugh Hewitt calls it “A Disaster”:

“Word is leaking that the GOP in the Senate are on the verge of agreeing to an immigration bill that has –as a concession to the GOP– less than half of the fencing promised by law last year.

White flag time on the border, and a national security and thus a political disaster.

The GOP are sending around talking points attempting to make this “compromise” defensible, but it won’t and shouldn’t fly. Agreeing to it takes the party down the tubes on the issue of border security –because it doesn’t provide what the public understands to be border security, a very long, very high fence with a very wide gate.

This is McCain’s continuing gift to the GOP, and the immigration absolutists’ legacy: Lots and lots of promises and no fence worth calling a fence.

Aren’t there 41 GOP senators willing to fight for border security? Apparently not. And they will see the result in their depleted coffers and diminished numbers come November ‘08. All they have to do is fight for border security, but they won’t even do that.”

Here we go again. Hewitt of course is gitting wiggy on the ‘rumor’ of the GOP going with the Ted Kennedy plan for immigration reform.

The threat of “If they don’t do as I want I’m voting Democrat” game is getting old. Look, I want stronger border security too, but this issue has become one of many faces at this point. The fact is that Republicans while in power could get nothing done for one simple reason. They’re politicians. Faced with a crucial midterm in 2006 there is no way they wanted to piss off the sizable hispanic voting bloc and go full tilt Trancredo.

Now that they are not in the majority it’s not any different, no politician on any side – save those like Trancredo – are going to push for fences/deportation in the face of 2008. Just in case you missed the point, “Political Job Security = Getting Votes”. Yeah it’s lame and sad and we all wish we would have men and women of sterner stuff and “do what is right for the cause”, but that’s Disney Land folks, it just isn’t reality.

The fact of the matter is that this is a mess that is more than fourty years in the making. Hell, even “The Gipper” Fubar’d the thing with his “immigration reform” in 1986.

Point is that because this is an election issue the real issues and the real positive and doable solutions to the problem simply aren’t going to get done.

Rick Moran, though cynical, echos my thoughts:

“I am a cynical old curmudgeon, having long ago lost my wide eyed innocence when it comes to worshiping the men and women who occupy seats in the House or the Senate. In fact, I lost my schoolboy notions of government and the people who serve the United States within about 6 months of coming to Washington. They are not paradigms of wisdom and virtue nor are they evil manipulators. They are human. There are nice ones and mean ones. Smart ones and dumb ones. Clever ones and clueless ones. Serious and unserious, trustworthy and untrustworthy ‚Äì the whole, rich panoply of the human tapestry encompassing all the good, the bad, the bald, and the ugly resides in those chambers of lawmaking. So it is entirely possible to revere lawmaking but be cynical about the lawmakers. Such is the way of Washington.

But one thing that all politicians can‚Äôt help being ‚Äì good, evil, and everything in between ‚Äì are liars. The very same thing that you might spank your child for, politicians do on a regular basis. The very same thing that you would divorce your spouse for, politicians do without thinking.”

Reality folks. But still not the reason to elect Hillary……