A portion of today's "Meet The Press" debate on immigration....between Congressman Sensenbrenner and Senator Hagel:



REP. SENSENBRENNER: I’m not saying that the illegal immigrants will be sent home, and I think that the end sum game, which I hope Senator Hagel agrees with, is to turn the illegal immigrant work force into a legal work force, whether they’re legal immigrants or whether they’re United States citizens. Because this problem has festered for such a long period of time, that can’t be done with the wave of a wand or the signing of a bill by the president of the United States.

But I get back to the point that unless we do employer sanctions right and do border security right, you’ll simply get more illegal immigrants coming across the border, and those that are here now might not apply for amnesty or whatever else it’s called because they’re afraid that they will price themselves out of the market and lose their jobs.

MR. RUSSERT: Senator:

SEN. HAGEL: Jim Sensenbrenner has just described the Senate bill. He has just described why we should pass the Senate bill. Everything he just said, it is right and it is included in the Senate bill. You talk about polls and the American people and where the American people are on this. Isn’t it interesting that you have four states that are along that 2,000-mile border with Mexico, four states with eight United States senators. Five of those eight senators, bipartisan, supported the Senate bill.

Not only does 5 of the 8 border state Senators support the Senate bill.....those who voted against it....my Senator Cornyn for one has will vote for it after a few changes are worked out in Conference with the House bill. Here's what Senator Cornyn said about the Senate bill....even though he voted "Nay" for it:

"Senator Cornyn, R-Texas, voted against the bill, but said problems with it can be settled in negotiations with the House.

"Failure is really not an option," said Cornyn, who will be one of the negotiators. "I think we've got to come up with a bill that addresses the American people's concerns."

Where does Congressman Sensenbrenner get off saying it's a non-starter? He's in WYOMING, for heaven's sakes. I think the border state Senators and Congressmen and women should have more pull....and I think, in the end will have.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,196913,00.html

Also.....Sensenbrenner calls finding a way to make the illegals legal "amnesty" and says that's one thing about the Senate bill he doesn't like. And yet.....in his first comment above...the portion I highlighted that's exactly what he says he wants as well. So, I don't understand what he's complaining about.

Read the entire interview that I linked above. But what it seems that Sensenbrenner wants is securing the borders and stopping businesses from hiring illegals. He wants to address that and that only right now. But that's only 1/2 the equation. That leaves the illegals here and dangling. He seems to think if we don't hire them, they'll just go home. I think he's very wrong about that. To address only 1/2 of the problem would be a mistake. And I think this is what will get worked out in conference. The Senate bill....while not perfect yet....is much more comprehensive.

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"This is a time for a national imperative not to fail in Iraq." Condoleeza Rice, January 11, 2007