Liveblogging The President’s Illegal Immigration Speech Tonight

Make sure to head on over to RWN tonight at 8 PM, EST because I’ll be liveblogging the President’s speech on illegal immigration.
Pre-Speech Thoughts

At this point, I’m rooting for W. to do a 180 degree turn on illegal immigration and endorse the House Bill…but I’m not hopeful.

My gut instinct is telling me that he’s going to announce that he’s putting the National Guard on the border and then he’ll launch into a defense of the hideous amnesty bill that’s quickly working its way through the Senate.

Ugh.

If Bush calls Americans lazy by talking about “jobs Americans won’t do,” says he’s against amnesty and then starts describing the amnesty bill he supports, or talks about how illegals will have to go to the “back of line” despite the fact that they’ll be allowed to stay in America, I may throw something at the TV….actually scratch that, I like my TV too much and the chances of Bush popping out one of the aforementioned obnoxious lines is very, very high.

Also, this quote from Bill Kristol that I received in a White House Communications email just a few minutes ago is a really bad omen:

“He is going to win, I think, on the centerpiece of his legislative agenda in 2006, which is immigration reform. He shouldn’t kowtow too much to people who want him only to talk about border security and the National Guard. … But I think he’s actually – they have done a good job in the last, actually, couple of months on their legislative strategy on immigration reform.”

This is a bizarre way of looking at the situation. If Bush “wins” by passing wildly unpopular legislation over the strident objections of most of the people in his own party and the American people as a whole, what has he actually won? A big rebuke at the ballot box in November. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Well, we’ll see how it plays out tonight, but I’m not hopeful.

Update #1: La Shawn Barber will also be liveblogging the speech.

Update #2 Helllllooooo mid-twenties approval rating!

From the New York Post:

In his live, nationally televised address tonight, President Bush will tell Americans that it’s impossible to deport the estimated 11 million illegal aliens living here.

“We must reject amnesty, but recognize that it is not realistic to round up millions of people and send them home,” said White House spokeswoman Maria Tamburri in a preview of Bush’s speech.

She said Bush plans to spell out his vision for sealing the border, enforcing the law, and “creating a rational system for workers to come into our country and to do jobs Americans won’t do.” Bush plans to visit the U.S.-Mexican border this week, and will dispatch his Cabinet to help sell the immigration plan.

It’s going to be a long night…

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