Speech #1100055578

I have been foursquare behind the Presidents successful efforts in that war and some of these efforts that we have been talking about today that are straining the public morale. I have been very supportive of the Presidents tax efforts. fundamental economic efforts in the tax area to keep our economy humming. So after all of this support. last week it was personally offensive to me to hear that I and millions of people like me were being described by the President as not wanting to do what is right for America because we refused to support the KennedyBush immigration bill currently being examined and going through the Senate. The President also suggested that those of us who oppose the type of legalization of status and those of us who are opposed to the type of legislation that we believe will promote more illegal immigration into our country. that we are just trying to frighten people by using the word "~amnesty." The President. of course. insists on defining amnesty in a way that is independent and contrary to the way everyone else defines that word. and every time he does that. he loses credibility. Every time he follows his inclination to try to obfuscate this issue of illegal immigration. rather than to deal with it and to debate it foursquare. he loses credibility. The President also suggests if we know the details of the bill. the legislation. I call it. the BushKennedy legislation. that we will support it.