***Bumped****As a result of today’s failure of key amendments the vote tomorrow is likely to fall short of the 60 needed, see update below

Spells doom for the (A) bill down the road…

“Though the Senate voted Tuesday to bring President Bush’s immigration reform bill back to the Senate floor, objections to any of two dozen amendments to be debated starting Wednesday could kill the bill for the year.

And even as the Senate moved forward, House Republicans late Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution opposing the immigration bill — a move that could place a significant roadblock in front of the measure even if it clears the Senate.

By a vote of 114-23, the House Republican Conference approved a statement by Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan that simply read: “Resolved: The House GOP Conference disapproves of the Senate immigration bill.” The vote came during a closed-door meeting.

The lack of Republican support could doom the immigration bill because House Democratic leaders have previously said they would not bring it to the House floor unless at least 70 of the 201 GOP members were on board.”

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said, “It’s clear that there is a large number of House Republicans who have serious concerns with the Senate bill.”

Additionally polls like this CNN poll conducted here still show a majority of Americans against the the bill.

“A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday showed 47 percent of Americans opposed the bill, while 30 percent supported it and 19 percent said they didn’t know enough about it to make a judgment. The poll’s sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

However, the poll found a significant division among opponents of the immigration plan. About 28 percent said they were opposed because it did too much to help illegal immigrants, but 15 percent said they were opposed because it did too little.”

In either case it’s still NOT what the people want. But what this isn’t about what the American people want but what special interest groups with big bucks want.

I’ve been watching the CSPAN coverage of the debate, and it’s apparant as noted here that Harry Reid is using near unconstitutional methods to get the bill passed. This may be a way that the bill’s legality could be challenged in court if it were to pass into law.

On CSPAN tune in as laster on Senator Jeff Sessions will be getting the floor for about an hour. Sessions is a strong, coherant and passionate against this bill. We need far more of him and less of the (A) bill eight that voted yea on cloture yesterday.

Nevertheless the House republicans are built with better stuff and than the RINOS that have infested the Senate. Thus the bill won’t ever get out of the House as is.

UPDATE: Capt Ed also following the Reid circus.

UPDATE: Second Vote on Cloture tomorrow has been dealt a severe blow:

“U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici has decided he won‚Äôt support an immigration proposal he helped draft because amendments he believes are critical won‚Äôt be approved.

In response to a question, Domenici’s office confirmed for me moments ago that he no longer supports the bill.

The GOP senator‚Äôs decision came after the Senate, on a vote of 53-45, rejected earlier today an amendment proposed by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, that would have required all adult illegal immigrants to return home within two years to qualify for permanent legal status in the United States. The bill requires only heads of households to return to their home countries to apply for legal status.”

This is a hugh hit as many of the “switchers” switched pending the Hutchinson amendment. Among them Webb, Coleman and Ensign as well as Brownback. This will take the vote – providing there are no other switchers – below 60 and thus bill is DOA.

UPDATE II: More trouble, via the Politico:

“Proponents of the Senate immigration bill were unable to block an amendment Wednesday on identification requirements, casting doubt on whether the overall measure will clear a crucial test vote set for Thursday morning.

The bill survived its first cloture motion Tuesday by a vote of 64 to 35. Only five senators would need to change their position for the bill to collapse Thursday.

It just so happens that four senators who voted Tuesday to move the bill forward have since seen the Senate reject their amendments, potentially moving some of them into the “no” column. The list includes Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

At least one of them, Webb, has indicated that he is a likely to oppose the bill.

Menendez has not made a decision, his spokesman said. Dodd’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Bond was reportedly moving against the bill.

And a fifth senator, Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), said he would vote against cloture.

“It’s a tight vote,” said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the chief Democratic negotiator. “We are going to work, and work hard.”

This is large change from Sunday when Senator “Plunk ‘em and Leave ‘em” was proudly proclaming from Sunday news shows that the votes were a lock.