Bush welcomes Kennedy as leader moving Congress toward immigration amnesty

President Bush said his most important ally in getting Congress to approve amnesty may be Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., a longtime nemesis of Republicans. Once Republicans settle on a course, Bush said, Kennedy could be the one to lead the charge in the now-Democratic Congress.

Bush pledged Wednesday to intensify his push for immigration amnesty, standing alongside Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Mexico. "My mood is optimistic because the mood in Congress seems like it's changed," Bush said. Bush and Calderon also pledged to step up the fight against illegal drugs.

Calderon said he supports efforts by Bush to ease immigration laws. Bush wants to establish a guest-worker program and amnesty for many of the millions of illegal aliens in the United States.

Bush's s long-languishing immigration proposal is closer to those favored by Kennedy and many other Democrats than to those of his own party. Bush called Kennedy "one of the best legislative senators there is" and noted he had worked with Kennedy in 2001 in winning bipartisan support for the No Child Left Behind education bill, one of the hallmarks of Bush's first term.