Intelligencer

Come Out For McCain

IT is very important that the Irish community turn out in style for Senator John McCain this Friday at St. Barnabas auditorium in the Bronx. McCain has been the leading light along with Senator Edward Kennedy on legalizing the undocumented and he deserves to hear the support of the Irish for his position loud and clear.

It was a risky move by McCain when he decided to come out in favor of legalizing the undocumented, as many in his own Republican Party oppose him bitterly. He also knows that a number of his opponents will seek to portray him as soft on this issue during the presidential campaign.

Taking unpopular stands has never been a source of great concern to the Arizona senator, however, but it would still be very nice for the Irish to turn out in large numbers to support him. Details at www.irishlobbyusa.org, and Page 5 of this week’s Irish Voice.

Ted Shows the Way

THANK God for Senator Ted Kennedy — that has to be the feeling among Irish and other immigrant groups after the old warhorse gave a lesson in power politics during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings this week on immigration.

Kennedy, a master of parliamentary procedure, essentially ran rings around the Republican opposition to Kennedy/ McCain and shrewdly held out for the best possible position on every one of the bill’s provisions.

Going into the debate there were fears expressed that the Republican committee majority would hold together and thwart all efforts at reaching a compromise. There were many who urged Kennedy, the floor manager on the Democrat side, to settle for a watered down version of the Chairman’s Mark, as Senator Arlen Specter’s bill was called.

Kennedy, however, would have none of it. At one point he even had Senator John Cornyn of Texas on his side, a remarkable feat given that Cornyn was pushing a competing bill.

That did not hold, but Kennedy convinced four key Republicans, Sam Brownback of Kansas, Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, Mike De Wine of Ohio and Specter of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to stay with him.

On the other side he managed to meld together a united Democratic response, including Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, who had given every indication that she intended to vote against legalization bills during previous hearings. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York also did much of the groundwork to ensure a united Democratic majority.

Kennedy, however, seemed to have bought Feinstein off by agreeing to an agricultural workers provision in the bill that will now go to the Senate floor.

It was a tour de force performance by the Massachusetts senator, who reminds us all once again of what a great force he continues to be in American politics.

Graham Impressive

ANOTHER very impressive speaker at the committee hearings was Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, whose impassioned remarks about ending the nightmare of the undocumented went over very well.

Graham is a very interesting politician who doesn’t fit the strict mode of right wing southerner. In fact he has maverick tendencies like John McCain and Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, which makes him far more interesting as a political figure than 90% of the Senate. Certainly on this bill he played a blinder.

Specter Makes His Mark

KUDOS too for Senator Arlen Specter, the JudiciaryCommittee chairman who ran the hearings in superb fashion. His Chairman’s Mark document was a whopping 305 pages and there were many who thought he would never be able to navigate through it all given the tight end of March deadline imposed by Senator Bill Frist, the Senate Majority leader.

Frist is no lover of immigration reform and could well seek to scuttle the bill in the two weeks of debate now set aside.

Thus, it would have suited Frist very well to have had a weak bill come out of committee, or better still, a bill that could not be put together in time because of his arbitrary deadline.

However, Specter showed why he is such a skilled parliamentarian. He deftly worked his way through the bill, allowed amendments but insisted on quick votes and generally used a combination of charm, threats and plain old-fashioned arm twisting to get the bill ready for the Senate floor.

Bill Has Floor Majority

NOW that the Judiciary Committee bill is ready for the Senate floor, there is definitely a Senate majority for most of its provisions. Just counting the four Republican senators who voted for it in committee plus John McCain on the side of the bill along with all the Democratic senators gives it an overall majority at this point.

Indeed, there may well be up to 60 votes in favor of the bill as many moderate Republicans in particular have made clear that they will back most of its provisions.

Easy then to assume passage? Not exactly. Frist could well become the stumbling block. As majority leader he has unparalleled power and can use several methods to try and sideline the bill.

However, he may be reluctant to do so given that President Bush, among others, have essentially signaled their support for it.