President Bush gave a speech last night about his plans for a comprehensive immigration policy. In true Bush fashion, he did in all in under 20 minutes, and nobody really knows much more than they knew before.

The only real new idea was a plan for an immigrant ID. This ID would allow immigrants to be tracked, and would allow prospective employers to verify the person whom they are hiring is really who he/she says they are. This would be a really great idea, except for the fact that this does nothing for immigration reform. It may help locating people already here, but without real immigration border control, ID cards will just remind us how much our immigration policies are failed.

Walking The Tight-Rope

Bush ran right down the middle of the field last night, not hurting nor helping his cause. No one’s mind was changed last night, and many people are even more strongly opposed to any form of amnesty, no matter what happy face you put on it.

He gave a little to the House– mentioning the immigrants as “illegal,” something which Vicente Fox refuses to do, as well as sticking up for big business in saying that it’s often “difficult” for businesses to verify the status of the people they hire. Sure.

He gave a bit to the Senate, with the guest worker program, and a prolonged, protracted path to citizenship that basically amounts to amnesty.

Sign Me Up!

Bush continues to tell us his plan doesn’t include amnesty. In the letter of the law, it may not exactly equate to true amnesty, but the result is exactly the same. Illegals get to stay here for 11 years during the naturalization process. They must learn English, stay out of trouble, and pay taxes as well as a $2,000.00 fine. OK. But absent Bush’s reform, millions would have done just that anyway, so what exactly does Bush’s plan do? Nothing!

I’m A Guest, I Will Work

Another crazy notion Bush espoused is that with a guest worker program, illegals will stop coming over the border because they can do it legally. They can do it legally now! The whole point is that they don’t want to wait, they want freedom now. They want a better life now. With the guest worker program, they have to go back in a year, or whatever the term. Why go back? They can cross the border and stay forever. What illegal would want all that red tape of a guest worker program when they can just cross the border and get the 10-year amnesty program?

A Man Not Of The Polls

For a president that is compelled by his beliefs and convictions, he sure didn’t take a stand, one way or the other. Bush would have been better off to take either side — amnesty or deportation — than to give a few morsels to each side. It served no real purpose.

No better example of this is the National Guard aspect of his comprehensive plan. He is adding 6,000 Guardsmen on the border (the House cheers!), but he is not giving them any powers to actually stop illegals from crossing the border (the Senate erupts with applause). What kind of proposal is that? So you are hiring 6,000 guys to pump gas and be desk jockeys?

I’m A National Immigrant Watcher Guy

I like how Bush referred to some of their duties as “intelligence” related. What? All you have to do is pick up a pair of binoculars and you can see your “intelligence” crossing a river, jumping a fence, or crawling out through a hole in the ground. This has to be the weakest use of the military I’ve ever seen. The Guardsman may or may not even have weapons!

It was speeches like last night’s, and policy decisions over the last 5 years that will elect Democrats to run the House and Senate in November, and will raise them to the presidency in ’08.

Bush just makes me sick. If I were a Republican right now, I’d be even more sick to my stomach than I am.