Amnesty

NRO: No Amnesty for Senators.

John McCain dismisses critics of the immigration bill by saying that what we have today is a “de facto amnesty.” He’s right. The status quo reflects Washington’s decades-long unwillingness to enforce the immigration laws. It is that track record that has made the public justifiably skeptical about politicians’ latest round of promises about border and workplace enforcement. According to a Rasmussen poll taken earlier this week, by a three to one margin voters think that the government should enforce its current laws before considering new ones.

The top immigration priorities for voters are to improve border security and reduce illegal immigration. Harry Reid’s priority, on the other hand, is to “bring the 12 million undocumented Americans out of the shadows.” The bill he is backing provides legalization now and promises of conservative enforcement measures and green-card reforms later. Read More

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Fatah vs. Hamas

CFR.org: Toward the Brink in Gaza.

For two decades, at least, events within the Palestinian political world pointed to a day of reckoning some time in the future pitting the secular against the religious in Palestinian life. When the words “civil war” emerged Tuesday in headlines around the world, some suggested the dreaded day might have dawned. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, amid bloody battles in Gaza, issued an order that read, in part: “Confront the seekers of the coup. Defend your dignity and your military honour. Defend the security of your people (AlertNet).”

The target of the order from Abbas, of course, is Hamas, the senior partner of his Fatah movement in the Palestinian coalition government. Cooler heads may yet prevail. Yet, since Hamas’ election victory in January 2006, one effort after another to forestall direct conflict between Fatah and Hamas has failed, including the most recent mediation attempts by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Dennis Ross, the longtime U.S. Mideast envoy, put his finger on the explosive nature of things in Gaza (WashPost) earlier this month. The debate, he writes, no longer focuses on a comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead, “it was about the conflict between Palestinian organizations in Gaza— Hamas vs. Fatah—and whether Gaza was in fact already lost to the Islamists. Both Israelis and Palestinians were wondering about the consequences of Gaza’s becoming, in their word, ‘Hamastan.’” Read More

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Just A Bumper Sticker

Fox News: Edwards Calls War on Terror Bush's 'Bumper Sticker' Slogan.

Democratic White House hopeful John Edwards, in a major foreign policy speech Wednesday, minimized the Bush administration's War on Terror as nothing more than a "bumper sticker slogan" used to justify the war in Iraq and "bludgeon political opponents."

"It is now clear that George Bush's misnamed 'War on Terror' has backfired — and is now part of the problem," Edwards told the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. "The War on Terror is a slogan designed only for politics, not a strategy to make America safe. It's a bumper sticker, not a plan." Read More

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Chavez Revolution

AP: Venezuelans Protest As TV Station Shuts.

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan police fired tear gas and plastic bullets Monday into a crowd of thousands protesting a decision by President Hugo Chavez that forced a television station critical of his leftist government off the air.

Police fired toward the crowd of up to 5,000 protesters from a raised highway, and protesters fled amid clouds of tear gas. They later regrouped in Caracas' Plaza Brion chanting "freedom!" Some tossed rocks and bottles at police, prompting authorities to scatter demonstrators by firing more gas.

It was the largest of several protests that broke out across Caracas hours after Radio Caracas Television ceased broadcasting at midnight Sunday and was replaced with a new state-funded channel. Chavez had refused to renew RCTV's broadcast license, accusing it of "subversive" activities and of backing a 2002 coup against him. Read More

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Immigration Bill

Washington Times:Camouflaged amnesty.

I wish I could believe the president and those senators who claim their agreement on immigration legislation will "fix" the problems of open borders and illegal aliens. I can't, because the public has had no input into the measure; the last time Congress "fixed" the problem, it got worse; and it appears Democrats and Republicans care more about harvesting votes for their respective parties than doing what's best for their fellow citizens.
The bill would allow for the hiring of 18,000 additional border patrol agents, construction of 370 miles of fence and 200 miles of vehicle barriers, ground-based radar, camera towers and aerial vehicles. Employers would have to electronically verify new hires within 18 months and all existing employees within three years. Read More

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