Chertoff at the Border

Dallas Morning News | Editorials:

"But there are not enough guns, planes and agents in the world to safeguard the long stretch from Brownsville to El Paso. Washington needs to create a program where workers from foreign countries, including illegal immigrants already here, can qualify for a legal work visa and apply for citizenship."

True, but there are powerful constituencies in the President's base firmly opposed to such a work program. The conservative base demonstrated how quickly they could turn on President Bush when he nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. He is still licking his wounds. So, it's unlikely that he will stand up to his base on a matter like immigration reform.

It took a Lyndon Johnson to get a Civil Rights bill past southern Democrats. It took a Richard Nixon to get an opening to China past anti-Communist Republicans. It would take a compassionate conservative like George W Bush to get immigration reform past xenophobic Republicans. But now it looks like Bush is a premature lame duck, unable to lead his party and his country to a solution to our immigration challenges.