Bush: Blair's No Poodle

Consider for instance that two of Bush's immigration talks were before a fairly obscure association of general contractors ( May 2 and June 14). Others have been before groups of border patrol agents and other law enforcement officials ( April 9 and May 29); specially invited roundtables ( May 3 and May 16); or, like yesterday and June 1, to supporters of the bill invited to the White House.

Bush never appears before the general public, so it's no surprise he hasn't mentioned immigration in that sort of environment. But he won't even mention immigration in front of groups of fellow Republicans.

At his May 10 speech at the Republican National Committee Gala? Not one word.

At his May 30 speech before the New Jersey Republican Committee? Not one word.

David Rogers writes in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required): "Having won a foothold for immigration overhaul, President Bush must now hold together Senate Republican votes in the face of increased hostility from their colleagues in the House."

Nicole Gaouette and Noam N. Levey write in the Los Angeles Times: "Even as the Senate voted Tuesday to restart the stalled debate on immigration legislation, Democratic support for the bill appeared to be slipping, and could jeopardize it as much as fierce Republican opposition does."

And Jonathan Weisman writes in The Washington Post that while some administration officials are expressing confidence that the bill will pass, "[p]rivately, White House officials were less boastful. Even if it clears the Senate, the bill faces a wall of GOP opposition in the House."

Torture Watch

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Maureen Dowd writes in her New York Times opinion column (subscription required): "A group of high school Presidential Scholars visiting the White House on Monday surprised President Bush by slipping him a handwritten letter pleading with him to not let America become known for torture and urging him to stick to the Geneva Conventions with terror detainees.

"The president reassured the teenagers that the United States does not torture. Then the vice president unleashed a pack of large dogs on the kids, running them off the White House lawn, before he shut down the Presidential Scholars program and abolished high schools.

"Since it's rare that Mr. Bush ever sees groups that have not been prescreened to be nice to him, he made the mistake of opening the letter in front of the students and was surprised to learn that he has made many Americans ashamed by subverting values that the country has always held dear, like abiding by the Constitution and respecting human dignity."

Here's John Roberts on CNN yesterday morning:

"Some of the students behind the letter are with us this morning from Washington. They are Mari Oye from Massachusetts; Leah Anthony Libresco from New York; and Colin McSwiggen from Ohio.