In case you didn’t see it in the Corner… Immigration deal voted down, 45-50.
I can claim no special sources in the Senate on this one, no ingenious insight, but when I chatted with a CNN producer Tuesday night, and she mentioned news reports suggesting the deal had plenty of votes (weren’t they saying 60 to 70 votes?) I reacted skeptically. I just didn’t see 20 to 30 Republicans taking on such a vocal chunk of their party, and I wondered if some Democrats had some anxiety about the bill. Final score, only seven Republicans sided with Reid, and 12 Democrats opposed.
Considering all the talk of a “done deal” when this was announced…. and recognizing that Reid, Kennedy, McCain, President Bush, etc., may try to reintroduce some variation later… does anybody else feel like they’ve just witnessed the legislative equivalent of The Comeback, when Buffalo came back from a 32 ponit deficit to beat Houston?*
*As a Jets fan, my preferred “great overcome-long-odds-for-surprise-victory” metaphor is the Monday Night Miracle.
UPDATE: Reaction from Rudy:
“The American people demand that their politicians enact an immigration reform bill that addresses security first. I cannot support any immigration deal that compromises on this basic principle.
“This bill failed to guarantee a uniform, tamper-proof, biometric identification card, a single nation-wide database of foreigners in our country, and did not mandate the full implementation of a biometric check-in, check-out system. We can and must guarantee the American people that we know who is coming in and out of our country.
“As President, my administration will dedicate itself to assuring the American people that we have a secure border.”