CNN is covering the clash between conservative bloggers and President Bush over the (A) Bill.

“Different conservative blogs have different pet issues — government transparency, federal judges, Fred Thompson, to name a few.

But no issue in recent memory has united conservative bloggers like the debate over immigration. Their frustration has culminated in a full-scale revolt against the Bush administration and a Senate bill that activists say does little to solve the country’s border security problems.

President Bush’s pledge to support $4.4 billion in additional border security funds has breathed new life into the bill, but the drumbeat against the legislation shows no signs of quieting.

It’s increasingly clear from Web postings and interviews with top conservative bloggers that the immigration bill has done serious damage to the president’s credibility among the conservative netroots, the grassroots bloggers on the Web.

Erick Erickson, managing editor of the popular conservative blog Redstate, says he receives between 800 and 900 e-mails a day from readers, most of whom are “enraged” by the White House’s immigration efforts.

“Of all the issues the president has picked to make his hill to die on, he has picked the one that has divided his base,” said Erickson, who lives in Macon, Georgia. “I am shocked by the anger and outrage out there … You’ve got war against the president within the Republican party.”

When details of an immigration compromise were announced this spring, conservative bloggers were immediately incensed. Michelle Malkin labeled it “a White House betrayal.”

Another popular blogger, Hugh Hewitt, called the bill a “fiasco” and wrote: “this push for this bill is a disaster, Mr. President.”

No doubt this has the right side up in arms, but not always for the right reasons. You’ll know my position initially was one of “wait and see” until we saw what the bill contained before being for or against.

Being the husband of a Korean immigrant – and now naturalized citizen – I have more than enough sympathy for immigrants so long as they – as my wife did – enter the country legally.

After reading the bill – most of it is legalese that will absolutely make your head explode – I determined that it was indeed not the bill needed to fix the problems we face – not even close. In fact I found it would, if employed, exacerbate the situation immensely.

The fact is that many conservatives like myself have actually read the proposed legislation and have had the same reaction that I and others have had and said, “wait a minute, let’s go back to scratch“. Others have encouraged the President to push on – even sans significant base support – because “it’s the best chance we have now“. Which is the position I initially had until again, I read the thing.

Yet at this point of significant push-back, not only from conservative blogs, but from the American people via polling data, it’s time that the President stop and listen to what the people who elected him twice have to say. Pushing this thing forward is a mistake which may well cost him even more down the road with base support.¬† That is if it’s not already too late.
Capt Ed as quoted:

“I think that they are going to continue to support him on the war on terror. As for the rest of it, they are looking for ways to reshape the party agenda going into the next election. That’s a nice way of saying they are going to consider him irrelevant.”

To take license with a familiar quote: “Mr. President, tear up this bill!“