Two stories today that illustrate the inversion of the long-standing principle that entry to the United States is a privilege granted by us on any terms we choose and not a right:

* The president and Senate Democrats are pushing to expand the Visa Waiver Program to even more countries that feel we owe it to them to admit their citizens without scrutiny just because they’ve sent a few uniformed truck drivers to help us in Iraq.

* Illegal aliens are suing the federal government (let me repeat: illegal aliens are suing the federal government) because they haven’t yet been issued a new category of visa for crime victims who cooperate with police. This despite the fact they have been issued temporary permission to stay while the formal regulations regarding the new law are hammered out — but that isn’t good enough.