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June 28, 2007

Bush visit: A setback for his immigration plan / Video

WASHINGTON -- The Senate drove a stake today through President Bush's plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.

After the stinging political setback, Bush sounded resigned to defeat.

"Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people, and Congress' failure to act on it is a disappointment," he said after his appearance at the Naval War College in Newport. "A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find common ground. It didn't work."

The bill's Senate supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage of the legislation, which critics assailed as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.

Rhode Island's Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, both Democrats, voted in favor of the motion.

Some senators in both parties said the issue is so volatile that Congress is unlikely to revisit it this fall or next year, when the presidential election will increasingly dominate American politics.

Bush -- who had just delivered a forceful and well-received speech before a military audience on his defense policies -- appeared glum as he spoke. His negotiators had expressed optimism the vote would go their way or at least be closer.

"Congress really needs to prove to the American people that it can come together on hard issues," Bush said. He turned attention to his other goals in Congress this year, including energy, health care and balanced-budget initiatives.

Video: See Bush's reaction to the failed vote.

-- The Associated Press, with projo.com reports

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 1:34 PM | Permalink

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Greg | June 28, 2007 3:02 PM link

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