Peggy Nooman:

“A little love would go a long way right now. We should stop putting newcomers in constant jeopardy by blithely importing ever-newer immigrants who’ll work for ever lower wages. The ones here will never get a sure foot on the next rung that way.

We should close the border, pause, absorb what we have, and set ourselves to “patriating” the newcomers who are here. The young of AmeriCorps might help teach them English. Those reaching retirement age, who happen to be the last people in America who were taught and know American history, could help them learn the story of our country. We could, as a nation, set our minds to this.

We shouldn’t be disheartened. So much good could be done once a Great Pause begins, once the alarm is abated.

What will we do about the 12 million here? Nothing radical. We’re not really a radical people, Americans.

Having no borders–that’s radical.

Saying, to the American people, in essence, Back my big bill or I will not close the borders, is radical.

Insisting on “all or nothing at all” is radical.

Leaving your country wide open in the age of terror is radical.

But America isn’t radical. If its leaders only knew! Our leaders are in need not only of wisdom but of faith. And, as always, love, as opposed to mere sentiment, and vanity, and pride.”

No doubt at this stage of the immigration debate it’s not time to push a totally FUBAR’d bill to fix a totally FUBAR’d system. It’s time to stop and first address the problem from standard leadership 101.

That is to fix the problem with the least amount of effort, and that would be to build the fence, secure the borders and then turn deal with the immigrants within the country.

The fact is that those already here - as of this moment - aren’t going anywhere - that’s obvious. But in order to stem the flow we have stop the flow. At this point it’s easier to do that than to wade through the convoluted managery that the present bill contains on employer enforcement, Z visas, and stuff.

The money is there - it’s been there. If we can fly men to the moon (40 years ago), and build the Hoover Dam, and all of the other magical marvels we have created in this country we can build 700 miles of fence. Again, that the easy part. Fixing the problem within will indeed take much more than this bill entails.

But the point is that now we have an almost comical rush by renagade and to use Harry Reid’s words “out of touch” and arrogant GOP leadership who is ignoring the majority of Americans will as evidenced through the polls.