June
28, 2007
Posted by D.A. King at 11:41 am [Email
the author]
[Print
This Article] [Email
This Article]
The
senate amnesty-again bill has been defeated …again.
Jun
28, 11:46 AM EDT
Senate Blocks
Immigration Bill
By
CHARLES BABINGTON
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON
(AP) — The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President
Bush’s plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants,
likely postponing major action on immigration until after
the 2008 elections.
The
bill’s 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. MORE
here
________________________________________________________________________
Immigration
Reform Bill Dies in Senate
Senate
Opponents Have Succeeded in Stopping Immigration Reform Bill
By
JAKE TAPPER
June
28, 2007 —
The
Senate's immigration reform bill died once again this
morning; it needed 60 votes to survive a procedural motion
but failed to achieve even a majority of 50 -- a feeble
showing for a bill that had supposedly been revived.
It
was another loss for not only the legislation but Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and President Bush, who
was making phone calls this morning to lobby wavering
Republicans -- apparently to little avail.
Only
46 senators voted in favor of the bill, with 53 casting
votes against the measure. The lopsided vote on the
procedural motion signified paltry support for the
compromise as two of the original compromisers -- Sens.
Johnny Isaskson and
Saxby Chambliss
, Republicans of Georgia -- worked against the bill.
"This
legislation was a tremendous step in the right
direction," Reid said after the bill was defeated.
"It's not a time for pointing fingers, it's not a time
for casting blame, it's a time for recognition that
immigration is a problem that needs to be fixed."
Sen.
Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., one of the authors of the bill, vowed
he would continue to fight for the principles of the bill.
But
the bill's enemies simply had the votes and, according to
polls, the support of the public.
"This
immigration bill has become a war between the American
people and their government," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.,
one of the bill's chief opponents. "This vote today is
really not about immigration. It's about whether or not
we're going to listen to the American people and realize
that we need to proceed more carefully in a more sensitive
manner and appear to be listening to the concerns of the
American people."
The
bill was thought to have died earlier this month when it
failed on a similar motion, though supporters remained
optimistic that objections could be overcome.
"I'll
see you at the bill signing," Bush quipped to reporters
at the time. He later spoke to Republican senators at a
lunch meeting where he hoped to alleviate concerns by
speaking emotionally about how important it was to him
personally that the issue be resolved.
But
few Republican senators seemed moved, and many said their
issue was with the substance of the bill, not the
president's personal feelings about it.
Reid
has said he wouldn't bring the bill back for a vote unless
Republicans could promise at least 20 votes for the bill.
Two weeks ago, a compromise between Reid and Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had supposedly been brokered.
This
week a Tuesday vote to resurrect the bill and bring it up
again for debate received 64 "aye" votes, but the
will was not there for the more difficult and more
consequential vote today.
Both
Republicans and Democrats who voted "aye" Tuesday
voted "no" today. Among those were Sens.
McConnell, George Voinovich, R-Ohio, Pete Domenici, R-N.M.,
Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, Jim Webb, D-Va., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa,
and Mark Pryor, D-Ark.
Sensing
the political winds blowing as the votes against the bill
started to reach critical mass, presidential candidate Sen.
Sam Brownback, R-Kan., who initially voted "aye"
in favor of the bill, switched his vote to "no."
Sen.
Norm Coleman, R-Minn., who faces a potentially difficult
re-election in 2008, loitered on the floor of the Senate
until that crucial 40 vote margin against the bill was
achieved, after which he voted against it.
Copyright
© 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures
Link:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3326113&page=1
