Immigration Pushed Aside

Democrats say it's because it serves Republicans to keep the issue alive? More likely, Republican voters HATE the Senate bill and it would hurt Republicans to pass an amnesty bill. I've said it before, the immigration issue is a problem for Republicans and Democrats and everyone probably would like the issue to go away, and stay out of the voters' mind right now.

I also believe that the Democrats wrongly assume that the poll numbers indicating frustration with the administration mean this:

But Democrats believe that voters will not be easily persuaded by the Republican push on national security and that the public increasingly sees the Iraq war as an impediment to the war on terror.

In a letter to Mr. Bush on Monday, the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate urged him to begin pulling American troops out of Iraq this year.

“Mr. President, staying the course in Iraq has not worked and continues to divert resources and attention from the war on terrorism that should be the nation’s top security priority,” said the letter signed by Mr. Reid and Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, as well as the senior Democrats on relevant committees.

The Democrats also urged Mr. Bush to fire Mr. Rumsfeld, and they intend to try to force no-confidence votes in coming days that could put Republicans on the spot, given statements by some in the party that Mr. Rumsfeld should resign. But the leadership remains supportive.

Here again, I think they're wrong. A good chunk of Republicans want more aggressive action in Iraq not less. They want more aggressive border patrol not less. They want more terrorisurveillancence not less. So when polled about satisfaction, they will report being dissatisfied, but certainly not in the same way Democrats and Progressives are dissatisfied and certainly not in a way that will have them voting Democrat. As bad as some on the right side feel about Bush and other Republican leaders, the incessant yapping by Kerry, Kennedy, Pelosi and the rest is just so much nails on the chalkboard to even the most dissatisfied Republican and even lots of Moderates who worry about National Security.

And this election is again about national security.

Issues like this make Moderates and Republicans very nervous about considering a Progressive Democrat. Michael Barone asks, "Why do they hate us?" referring to the New York Times. The feeling many have, accurately I think, is that a good number of Democrats and their media enablers hate America. That does not make for a trusted leader during time of war.

We'll see. I hope the above isn't so much wishful thinking on my part. We are certainly a divided nation.