In the wake of yesterday’s immigration overhaul measure defeat in the Senate, Grumpy Editor finds national media missed a garbled word uttered by President Bush who made this statement (later repeated in a White House news release) after an appearance at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.:
“Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people and Congress’s failure to act on it is a disappointment.”
While Americans agree that legal immigration is the proper path to follow, the word illegal should have started that immigration sentence from the president.
Illegal immigration is what gets most Americans upset, according to polls that show 80 percent were against the controversial immigration proposal in the Senate that was weeks in the making.
Associated Press noted that “Bush appeared glum as he spoke.”
Meanwhile, in a discussion of the immigration reform measure’s setback a few hours later before TV cameras, Kevin Sullivan, White House communications director, declared “the losers are the American people.”
That was followed a few minutes later by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R., Colo.) who reversed that phrase, labeling the “American president” as the loser, adding “amnesty is not going to fly.”