Bush resorts to $4.4 bribe in security funding to gain amnesty votes

President George W. Bush has resorted to bribery to gain votes for his immigration amnesty proposal. The President has proposed adding $4.4 billion in added border security spending to gain passage of amnesty.The $4.4 billion will be added to the base bill before it returns to the Senate floor. Republican Senate leaders have now promised to produce the votes to curtail debate on the bill and proceed to final passage. (See “they haven’t heard enough” below)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is set to approve the new deal on immigration and move to bring the once-dead legislation back to the Senate floor next week. Reid expected to approve the compromise and put the bill back on the Senate calendar for consideration in the middle of next week. He expects the Senate could vote on final passage of the bill by next Friday.

President Bush agreed to border security spending in hopes of winning over fellow Republicans. "We're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept," Bush said in a speech to the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Despite the immigration legislation’s failure in a procedural vote on June 7, a tenacious lobbying effort by top Bush administration officials and the bipartisan architects of the so-called "grand compromise" kept the bill on life support. All sides agree if a commitment to passing the bill isn't agreed to this week, the bill is likely to die.