My sources tell me that Senators Kyl and Kennedy have each submitted immigration counter-proposals to the White House (both of them offering legal status for the illegals — i.e., amnesty — and increased immigration, albeit on somewhat different terms), and the White House is preparing a common bill. Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff will meet with them and other senators at 2:30 today to try get them to accept whatever the White House has come up with. What it comes down to is this — if Jon Kyl makes a deal with Ted Kennedy, then amnesty will pass the Senate; if not, not. What Kyl needs to keep in mind is that whatever the terms of any agreement he may reach with Kennedy, they will inevitably be weakened — and thus move in Kennedy’s direction — as the bill proceeds through Congress. Kennedy will get the credit and Kyl the blame. Both from a policy and a political standpoint, it’s better to have no bill at all than anything likely to come out of such an agreement.