Dissension before unityWASHINGTON (CNN) - Republican lawmakers will rally around President Bush tonight at the Republican National Committee's 2006 Presidential Gala, but prior to the fundraiser his senior political adviser will try to convince skeptical Republicans to back Bush's immigration reform plan.
Karl Rove is being dispatched to Capitol Hill this morning to meet with House Republicans, who have become the biggest obstacle to Bush's calls for a guest worker program and the creation of a path to earned citizenship for illegal immigrants. Despite opposition to Bush's proposal, a senior GOP aide suggested the House Republican Conference is interested in his analysis and the political consequences of the issue in the midterm elections.
"People recognize that Karl is a political genius," the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Grind this morning. "At the end of the day, he knows politics probably better than anyone else in that room."
The House approved an immigration reform bill late last year that does not include these provisions and Republican critics suggest the earned citizenship proposal is amnesty cloaked in a different name.
"It offers a perverse incentive - the longer and more flagrantly you have broken immigration laws, the easier it will be to get on the so-called path to citizenship," Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Arizona) said in an interview with CNN. "I don't believe the American people will appreciate that. The law should deal with illegal immigrants in a humane fashion, but you cannot excuse or dismiss the law with a nudge and a wink."
Bush delivered a nationally televised prime time address on immigration reform Monday, the first day the Senate renewed debate on the issue. The Senate could pass an immigration reform bill including the guest worker and citizen provisions by month's end, forcing a showdown with the House on the legislation's final language.
House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), who personally supports the House bill, acknowledged it will be a struggle to reach a compromise with the Senate on immigration reform.
"I don't underestimate the difficulty in the House and Senate coming to an agreement on this issue, but I do think it is possible because I think the American people expect us to do something responsible here," Boehner said yesterday. "But it is a very difficult issue."
This afternoon, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Virginia) holds a hearing on Bush's decision to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to provide logistical support to border control agents. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Paul McHale; Lt. General James T. Conway, director of the Operations, J-3, the Joint Staff; and Lt. General H. Steven Blum, chief, National Guard Bureau; are scheduled to testify at the 4 p.m. ET hearing being held in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
Tonight, internal GOP differences on immigration will be set aside as Bush headlines the RNC fundraiser at DAR Constitution Hall. The event is expected to be attended by 800 people and raise $17 million. The theme is "Race to Victory" and Diamond Rio provides the entertainment. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. ET, and Bush is expected to arrive at 6:25 p.m. ET. The president begins the public portion of his day at 10:20 a.m. ET making remarks and taking photos with the 2006 U.S. Winter Olympic and Paralympics Teams. At 1:50 p.m. ET, Bush signs the "Tax Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005."
While Republicans are cutting a rug at Constitution Hall, Democrats will be gathering at the National Geographic Society's 17th and M Street location for the screening of former Vice President Al Gore's much hyped documentary on the consequences of global warming. "An Inconvenient Truth" was directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Lawrence Bender, both of whom are expected to be in attendance tonight. There are no tickets available for the 7 p.m. ET screening. But if you are a red carpet gawker, VIP's are scheduled to arrive at 6:30 p.m. ET.
A busy day on Capitol Hill as the Senate continues debating immigration reform and the House seeks to pass a budget resolution. Senate Democrats will send a letter this morning to Bush calling on him to take several steps to reduce the nation's dependence on oil. Among a handful of other energy saving measures, Democrats suggest requiring that 25 percent of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2010 be able to run on alternative fuel and the "federal fleet should reduce its petroleum consumption by 20 percent over the next five years, and save at least 40 percent by 2020," according to the letter obtained by the Grind.
Senate Democrats, who describe "America's dependence on oil" as "one of the greatest economic and national security challenges faced by our generation," hold a 10:15 a.m. ET news conference at the Senate Swamp to unveil their plan. House Democrats talk about energy at 10 a.m. ET in the Cannon House Office Building rotunda following their weekly meeting.
House Republican leaders will use their post meeting news conference to discuss their "continued commitment to work for real solutions, from preventing tax increases and restraining spending to securing more borders." The news conference begins at 10 a.m. ET outside room HC-6 in the Capitol.
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) uses the six month anniversary of his call for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq to "discuss the real consequences of this war" at noon in the House Radio & TV Gallery.
Should she or shouldn't she? For that matter, should he or shouldn't he? New Yorkers are split over whether Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) should run for the White House, according to a new WNBC/Marist poll. Forty nine percent of registered New York voters want Clinton to seek the Democratic nomination, while 44 percent oppose it. Giuliani fared slightly better with 51 percent of registered New York voters endorsing a presidential bid by the former Gotham mayor, while 43 percent opposed it. Not bad numbers considering that only 22 percent of registered New York voters supported a presidential bid by New York Gov. George Pataki (R).
And the Grind is wondering if Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware) will try to score some free Amtrak tickets from his son, Hunter, if the Senate approves the younger Biden's nomination to serve on the Amtrak Board. Hunter, a principal in the law firm Oldaker, Biden & Belair, was nominated by Bush yesterday to replace former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis (D), whose term expired. The elder Biden, who regularly rides the rails between Washington and his Delaware home, is a fierce defender of Amtrak.
