LAT: Border Battle Now GOP Turf War: House GOP takes on Bush w/ hearings

Border Battle Now a GOP Turf War
House Republicans take on the president with their plan to hold public immigration hearings.
By Janet Hook and Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writers
June 22, 2006

WASHINGTON — The unorthodox plan by House Republicans for a series of hearings on immigration policy represents an aggressive effort by hard-line critics of illegal immigration to reassert control over the emotional debate — and wrest it from President Bush — as this year's elections approach.

In proposing hearings around the country in July and August, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) has made plain that he and other Republicans are willing to scuttle Bush's top domestic priority rather than give ground on Senate legislation — backed by the president — that would provide a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants.

The hearings will hand a giant megaphone to vocal conservatives, who White House officials had hoped would be overshadowed by the president's more moderate tone on how to rewrite immigration laws. And that is a major setback for Bush and GOP strategists who worry that rhetoric lambasting the citizenship provision will alienate the nation's growing number of Latino voters.

Also, the House decision to conduct the public hearings seems to all but ensure another high-profile policy flameout for a president who, after winning reelection in 2004, promised to spend his political capital on bold initiatives.

Last year, Bush's proposed restructuring of Social Security landed with a thud on Capitol Hill. Now, his usually steadfast allies in the House appear unmoved by his embrace of the Senate's multi-pronged immigration bill — a view he promoted in a national speech in mid-May....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immig22jun22,0,4525781.story?coll=la-home-nation

Coffee and Righties anyone?

Here's what i think is going on with illegal immigration. The decider wants a guest worker program, this program is for big business for cheap labor.

The repugs in congress want the same thing! I believe the RNC and Rove will use this as a wedge issue, to get re-elected.

Once re-elected the RNC and Rove will work out a compromise with the WH for a guest worker program or they'll do nothing regarding illegal immigration.

Of course this will do nothing to address the real problem we have in regards to illegal immigration, but that want stop the RNC Rove machine come November.

Yes. They've been howling on this board, too.

is the mainstream media going to go on and on about how divided the GOP is????