President Bush will never go done in history as a great orator, but then again neither did Harry Truman. Like Truman, Bush presides over a war that has not been popular at home, though his motives in pursuing that war were right on the money. Like Truman, Bush has taken a hard-line vis-à-vis, the enemies of the US, Islamic Radicals replacing communists. And like Truman, Bush has suffered from consistently low poll numbers, even after winning a clear-cut election victory. Whereas the oratory of both Bush and Truman would never be mistaken for Lincoln or Roosevelt, Truman’s motives and ability to communicate those motives were never in question. Lately, however, Bush has attempted to spell out is vision for America on a semi consistent basis. His message has still been diluted, especially with regard to Iraq or the war on terror, but it’s a start. Today, Bush spoke out on the increasingly volatile issue of immigration and his message was profound and accurate.

Speaking at a naturalization ceremony this morning, Bush called on the Congress to enact a guest worker program. He also pointed out something that is glaringly obvious to those objective minded Phalanx visitors. The immigration issue has been used by certain vocal politicians as a distractionary issue to make a name for themselves, clearly as they lack the vision or courage to tackle more pressing issues.

"No one should play on people's fears or try to pit neighbors against each other…No one should pretend that immigrants are threats to America's identity because immigrants have shaped America's identity,” Bush said.

Yes this country should enforce its borders, as the president has said, and yes a porous border can be used by Islamic Radicals to visit harm upon our shores, but the reality is our border with Canada is just as porous as that with Mexico, indeed, quite a few radicals have been caught slipping into this country from the Great White North, given Canada’s loose immigration policies, yet where is the outrage? Where are the moves to deal with Canada? The fact is there is one thing that separates the issue of our border with Canada and our border with Mexico, Mexicans and the bigotry they inspire in the minds of certain backward Americans.

Under the guise of a security threat politicians seek to capitalize on the petty fears and stereotypes to paint illegal immigrants as the second coming of Al Qaeda. Should our borders be protected…yes. Should people observe the laws of this country and be required to enter legally…yes. Are illegal immigrants already in this country a major threat to American identity and security…absolutely not. The number of illegal immigrants seeking public services is minuscule. Indeed, as a proportion of the country’s overall population, more illegals are working than some of our own homegrown deadbeats.

Make no mistake about it, illegal immigration is an important issue, but in the grand scheme of things it pails in seriousness compared to more pressing issues like Social Security, terrorism, Medicare and energy independence. These issues pose a more immediate threat to the long-term viability of this nation, yet cowardly politicians conveniently ignore such issues, why? Because they can distract the electorate with an easy vote getter: immigration, while doing NOTHING to solve the nations more pressing problems. Ricardo and Jose aren’t likely to bankrupt this country; social security and Medicare may very well. Pablo and Carlos aren’t gunning to destroy American democracy; Al Qaeda and foreign oil dependence may very well just.

While the merits of a guest worker program are debatable, the president is right in noting that several Mussolini-esque politicians are seeking to capitalize on this non-issue, solely for political gain…achieving little in the process.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-03-27-immigration_x.htm