I get back from some down time at the ocean and find that my predictions are worth what you paid for them! Now that the Obama administration has finally sued Arizona to stop the July 29 implementation of the state’s new immigration law, I think the outcomes are likely to be good for the pro-enforcement side.

Obama’s folks know the suit is a long shot, but they probably didn’t see themselves as having much choice — their open-borders supporters are getting increasingly anxious at the White House’s reluctance to push their cause forward, and they drew a line in the sand regarding Arizona. I suppose the White House figured not suing was more dangerous for the Democrats’ chances in November, because of the resulting demoralization of the open-borders Left; but on the contrary, I think the lawsuit will energize the pro-enforcement folks in November, which is why three of Arizona’s five congressional Democrats desperately lobbied against the lawsuit. Democrats are on the side of Washington against Arizona, these Democrats’ opponents can now claim.

But it’s not just Arizona; as Chris Cillizza at the Post points out, “The Administration’s lawsuit, however, ensures that the immigration debate will be front and center for the next few months — making it a virtual certainty that for some (many?) it will be a voting issue on November 2.” And in a longer-run sense, I think the WSJ has it right:

Mr. Obama’s partisan immigration tactics might assuage his own party activists, but in the process he is further alienating Republicans and poisoning the chances for genuine reform through the rest of his Presidency.