Like Gephart and Daschle, as Senate minority leader Harry Reid has risen in leadership, he’s gotten progressively more progressive. It’s interesting to contrast his zealous defense of the McCain-Kennedy amnesty to his earlier views; he introduced the “Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993″ that would have cut immigration by two-thirds and, in its original version, denied automatic citizenship to the children of illegal aliens. This from his press release on the bill in 1993:

“Our borders have overflowed with illegal immigrants placing tremendous burdens on our criminal justice system, schools and social programs. The Immigration and Naturalization Service needs the ability to step up enforcement. Our federal wallet is stretched to the limit by illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits often without paying any taxes. Safeguards like welfare and free medical care are in place to boost Americans in need of short-term assistance. These programs were not meant to entice freeloaders and scam artists from around the world. Even worse, Americans have seen heinous crimes committed by individuals who are here illegally.”