Living in the Shadows

This is one time when people on the Right and on the Left can find common ground.

What President Bush proposed tonight to deal with the illegal immigration problem is seen as inadequate by both sides.

Anything resembling amnesty for illegals angers those on the Right, looking to be fair and uphold the integrity of the law.

Anything short of complete amnesty for illegals and wide open borders angers the Left, looking to win over millions of potential voters.

So, Bush can look forward to criticism from those of varying political persuasions.

What bugs me about the entire illegal immigration mess is that it should never have been allowed to happen.

For generations, the U.S. government didn’t take the matter seriously. That’s inexcusable.

Nearly twelve million illegals didn't get here overnight, and we can't expect a quick and easy solution. That doesn't stop opportunistic politicians from demanding one.

The fact is we have millions of illegals living in the shadows.

The fact is we also have politicians that have spent years in the shadows, failing to protect our nation's sovereignty and simultaneously betraying American taxpayers.

To those on the Right and the Left, sharing the mindset that Bush's proposals are woefully inadequate, I say at least his plan is a start.

Some say that the National Guard presence won't solve the problem. Of course, it won't. How could it? The problem is so massive.

Sending the Guard to the border is belittled by some as really just a symbolic move and condemned by others as a purely political ploy to boost Bush's poll numbers.

I think anything that can be done to assist in stemming the flood of illegals is a plus. The perfect plan isn't necessary.

All the political gamesmanship is irresponsible and inexcusable.

It's time for everyone to get out of the shadows. It's time to address the realities of the burdens that millions and millions of illegal immigrants place on the citizens of the United States.

Mexico must take responsibility for the welfare of its own people and stop pushing their problems into the shadows of U.S. communities.

For its part, the U.S. government must take responsibility for enforcing immigration laws and securing the borders. Elected officials should be forced out of the shadows and held accountable for their incredible failures. They need to quit whining and bickering and grandstanding and take action.
Text of the President's Address


Here is a must read from the Heritage Foundation.
More from the Heritage Fondation.

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From Drudge:

CNN aired President Bush rehearsing his immigration speech from the Oval Office on Monday night!

The embarrassing images and audio [16 seconds total] captured the president starting and stopping his message, then looking at the White House media advisor for direction.

[Click for video capture]

"The president is rehearsing and the network pool inadvertently went to the president as he is rehearsing," anchor Wolf Blitzer explained.

FOXNEWS, MSNBC and other outlets did not air the rehearsal.

The development comes just six months after CNN mistakenly placed a bold black 'X' mark over Vice President Cheney's face as he gave a speech.

CNN has the quality of a public access cable production without any of the charm.

I don't think that the President was embarrassed by CNN's "mistake" nearly as much as the news network was.

CNN is______.

A) slimy

B) inept

C) slimy and inept

The answer is C -- slimy and inept.