President Bush wants to continue the fight.

“President Bush considers it premature to declare the immigration reform bill dead in the Senate, White House adviser Dan Bartlett said Friday.

A motion to cut off debate on the measure failed Thursday night, stopping the proposal from coming up for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had said earlier that if the motion was not approved, it would be “over with … gone.”

But Bartlett told CNN that Bush wants Reid to consider putting the bill back on the table.

Bartlett was asked about the bill ‚Äî one of the president‚Äôs top legislative priorities ‚Äî as Bush prepared to leave the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, for Poland.”

Yet, it’s ill advised.¬† Scott Rasmussen writes on the reason why the bill died yesterday.

“Elite newspapers and countless bloggers are writing their own explanations of why the compromise immigration legislation failed last night. Most of the write-ups discuss legislative tactics, an amendment offered by Senator Byron Dorgan (D), or some particular provision of the bill dealing with amnesty or guest workers.

The reality is much simpler and has nothing to do with legislative tactics. The immigration bill failed because a broad cross-section of the American people are opposed to it. Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliated voters are opposed. Men are opposed. So are women. The young don’t like it; neither do the no-longer-young. White Americans are opposed. Americans of color are opposed.

The last Rasmussen Reports national telephone poll found that just 23% of Americans supported the legislation. When a bill has less popular support than the War in Iraq, it deserves to be defeated. “

Mr. President, the people have spoken.¬† It may be your priority, but it’s the people’s will that counts.¬† Let’s move on.