Will the Republican Party destroy itself to reward illegal immigration?
David Frum, in today's issue of National Review:
No issue, not one, threatens to do more damage to the Republican coalition than immigration. There's no issue where the beliefs and interests of the party rank-and-file diverge more radically from the beliefs and interests of the party's leaders. Immigration for Republicans in 2005 is what crime was for Democrats in 1965 or abortion in 1975: a vulnerable point at which a strong-minded opponent could drive a wedge that would shatter the GOP.
The president's insistence on de facto amnesty for illegals isn't helping, either. Inexplicably, Mr. Bush does not appear to understand that his proposal will push the GOP into civil war, with business interests pitted against everyone else.
The GOP is a party dedicated to national security, conservative social values, and free-market economics. The president's policy on immigration risks making it look instead like an employers' lobby group. That's the weak point at which the edge of the wedge could enter--and some smart Democratic politician is sharpening it right now.
Yep.