The New York Times gleefully reports:
The sweeping immigration overhaul endorsed by President Bush crumbled in the Senate on Thursday night, leaving the future of one of the administration’s chief domestic priorities in serious doubt.
...After a day of tension and fruitless maneuvering, senators rejected a Democratic call to move toward a final vote on the compromise legislation after Republicans complained that they had not been given enough opportunity to reshape the sprawling bill.
...The outcome, which followed an outpouring of criticism of the measure from core Republican voters and from liberal Democrats as well, was a significant setback for the president. It came mainly at the hands of members of his own party after he championed the proposal in the hope of claiming it as a major domestic policy achievement in the last months of his administration.
The Associated Press approaches the story from the same angle in its reporting -- this is a disaster for President Bush.
He's the loser.
A broad immigration bill to legalize millions of people in the U.S. unlawfully suffered a stunning setback in the Senate Thursday, costing President Bush perhaps his best opportunity to win a top domestic priority.
The bipartisan compromise championed by the president failed a crucial test when it could not attract even a simple majority for an effort to speed its passage.
What a stunning setback!
Rejoice!!!
The Washington Post says virtually the same thing -- bad news for Bush.
A tenuous compromise to overhaul the nation's immigration laws collapsed last night when senators from both parties refused to cut off debate and move to a final vote, handing the unlikely alliance of Democratic leaders and President Bush a setback on a major domestic priority.
The defeat came after months of painstaking negotiations and weeks of debate as a 45 to 50 procedural vote fell well short of the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) then pulled the bill from the floor, while holding out hope that the Senate could resurrect the measure within weeks.
"There's no reason to be upset. I think that we have to look toward passing this bill," Reid said after 9 p.m., even as he catalogued a long list of futile efforts at compromise. "It's something that needs to be done."
But he was quick to place responsibility for the defeat on Bush, who had made passage of the measure a top legislative goal. "The headlines are going to be, 'The President Fails Again,' " Reid said. "It's his bill."
Yes, Reid was very happy to quickly pull the bill and then remind anyone who would listen that it's Bush's bill.
The Dems and their mouthpieces in the lib media are all framing this as a defeat for Bush. The President failed again. Blah, blah, blah.
Obviously, Reid and his allies, including the hacks in the lib media, want to make this all about Bush.
It's all posturing and spin and scoring political points with them.
Reid clearly is giddy about the bill going nowhere. He's fantasizing about headlines! He wants everyone to associate the failure to get immigration legislation passed with Bush.
I don't care about those political games.
I think Reid is sleazy, but that's not what matters right now.
What matters is that legislation that would have been a disaster for the country has been put aside.
The future of the United States is not about President Bush. This isn't a legacy thing.
The pundits are always talking about legacy. It drives me nuts, particularly since Bush's legacy is already determined.
Bush's legacy is that he doesn't care about his legacy.
And I don't care if one of his major domestic priorities didn't pass last night.
I'm glad that specific bill is out of the picture.
As Jeff Sessions spelled out, the bill was filled with loopholes.
It couldn't be saved. It was fatally flawed.
I really don't see the withdrawal of the immigration bill, something that's bad for the country, as a defeat. Thankfully, in its present form, it won't become law.
That's a victory for the hard-working, tax-paying people of America, the citizens, the ones here legally.
It's not about party politics, though Reid would like it to be.
In spite of the focus of the lib media, this isn't about a defeat for Bush. That's not the important part of the story.
It's about the good of the nation, and the nation has reason to be relieved.
We're a nation of laws, not men.
That immigration bill was a mess. It's failure to get through the Senate should be viewed as a victory.
The right thing happened and that's reason to celebrate.
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