A reporter tells me that Sen. Frist has just said that the Senate would be too busy with judicial nominations and the like to be able to pass immigration “reform” (i.e., an amnesty dressed up as a guestworker program) this year, though he expected it would in the first half of next year. Of course, next year few politicians, especially Republicans, are going to want to vote for an illegal-alien amnesty, so close to an election, so the “reform” probably wouldn’t happen then either. This looks a lot like an attempt by a presidential candidate to avoid being tarred as soft on illegal immigration, but also not appear like he’s confronting the White House.