This from Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico’s (Armenian!) ambassador to the U.S.:

“I will say this very clearly — comprehensive immigration reform in the United States starts in Mexico. Unless Mexico is able to generate the type of economic growth, job creation, well-paid job creation, we will still have a difficult time, even though there’s a comprehensive immigration agreement [in the United States], to dampen the root causes that propel so many Mexicans to seek a better life across the border.”

Hmmmm. So we have to rely on Mexico to get its house in order before the Bush-Kennedy comprehensive amnesty extravaganza can work? I don’t find that encouraging. In fact, it’s really just another argument for not passing a guestworker-amnesty bill — better to pursue a strategy of attrition through enforcement until Mexico modernizes sufficiently that its people won’t want to leave.