Bush Fears for Nation's Soul

"Q How?

"THE PRESIDENT: Well, obviously, speak out publicly on the issue. But I'm working the members a lot, too. So is the whole administration."

Bush also spoke about the political courage required to back his proposal -- implicitly calling his opponents cowards. He mentioned courage six times in his speech, and seven times in his interview.

"The question is, is there a mind-set that says, I'm willing to make the courageous decisions necessary to solve the problem? If so, we'll get a bill passed," he told Hutcheson.

Here is Hutcheson's story on the interview. Here is the text of Bush's speech.

Speech Coverage

Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post: "President Bush lashed out at critics within his own party Tuesday, accusing Republican opponents of distorting the immigration deal he negotiated with leading congressional Democrats and playing on the politics of fear to undermine public support.

"In stern tones normally reserved for the liberal opposition, Bush said conservatives fighting the immigration proposal 'haven't read the bill' and oppose it in some cases because 'it might make somebody else look good.' Their 'empty political rhetoric,' he said, threatens to thwart what he called the last, best chance to fix an immigration system that all sides agree is broken. . . .

"Bush's trip to Georgia opened a campaign intended to undercut the criticism that has consumed conservative talk shows and Web sites and to educate the public about a complicated bill."

Jim Rutenberg writes in the New York Times: "President Bush took on parts of his conservative base on Tuesday by accusing opponents of his proposed immigration measure of fear-mongering to defeat its passage in Congress. . . .

"'If you want to kill the bill,' he said, 'if you don't want to do what's right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it. You can use it to frighten people.'

"A senior official said later, 'In no way was he questioning anyone's patriotism or desire to do what's right.'

"It was a rare case of the president's taking on the coalition that helped him win and keep the Oval Office, the same conservative radio hosts, bloggers, writers and members of Congress who contributed significantly to the defeat of immigration measures last year."