Bush can't lead or move GOP on immigration bill

Failed Bush/Cheney/GOP border militarization experiment continues

WASHINGTON -- Bush/Cheney have failed to move the Senate on immigration reform, leaving the deadly and destructive border situation in Arizona and elsewhere without relief.

The compromise bill failed yesterday when President Bush, Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) failed to get enough Republican Senators to support their bill.

The lame duck President is getting weaker.

Now America's borderlands will continue to suffer more death and destruction, largely because the GOP can't bring some seemingly racist and ignorant members to support humane and fair reform of America's failed immigration and border policy.

I'm a bit surprised the GOP support fell short. Kyl's failed bill was pretty harsh, and big on more border militarization, which Republicans seem to like, and weak on employer sanctions, which big business Republicans also seem to like.

But bucking some of the fringe GOP base is a tough political sell for many Republicans.

Leaders in South Texas are especially enraged about Bush/Cheney plans for border walls along the Rio Grande River there, and they should be.

Meanwhile, while most people and leaders in Arizona oppose a border wall, including Governor Napolitano, and US Reps. Grijalva and Giffords in our border districts, Republican Larry Nelson, Mayor of Yuma, is unwisely pushing border walls. The people of Yuma deserve better and should elect someone smarter next time.

This may be a case where no bill is better than a bad bill, but Washington politicians cannot continue to fail to act on America's wrecked border and immigration situation. Too many people are dying, too much land is being destroyed.

Americans need to listen to voices from the borderlands. We cannot militarize or 'Berlin Wall' our way to a better immigration situation. We need wise and humane reform now.

As Bush/Cheney and the GOP fail, stall and wait, children, women and men die almost everyday trying to be part of the American dream.