Is this a clever GOP tactic to divert attention from the 'elephant' in the room, Iraq?
Go to this link to see the imbedded links of who said/wrote what...
http://www.theagitator.com/archives/027836.phpG.O.P. Immigration Immolation
So here's what's on the political internets in the last 24 hrs:
--The RNC fired it's entire donor phonebank after small dollar donations started drying up, and Bush's immigration stance is cited as the reason.
--Peggy Noonan says Bush's immigration stance has "has torn the conservative coalition asunder."
--Over at NRO, Kathryn Lopez says she has "Bush Derrangment Syndrome," David Frum says "It's Divorce" between the G.O.P. and Bush over immigration, and Mark Levin says "The President is Losing Me."
--Laura Ingraham went on a 9 minute vitriolic rant about immigration yesterday -- not that that is particularly unique, except that Bush was the object of her ire.
--And over at the Washington Post, they're reporting minority leader Boehner is trying to "Polish GOP Brand" because the "party is showing deep divisions on issues such as education and immigration."
I don't know what the fall out of all this will be, but the debate is just getting started and the gloves are off. Further, I imagine that all this rumbling will push the GOP presidential candidates further to the right on immigration for the time being and I wonder how taking a harder line on immigration will affect their chances in the general election. Regardless, it's time to pull out the lawn chairs and popcorn. Watching the Republicans sort this out is going to be one hell of a show.
And in other immigration contretemps, Daniel Drezner has a good summary of the fallout from the NYT op-ed questioning Lou Dobbs immigration "facts." It's worth a look.
Posted by Mark Hemingway on June 01, 2007