The president struck the right tone tonight but has a lot work ahead of him to get to a signing ceremony. His call for a "reason and respective tone" obviously didn't make it to the ears of Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) who said after the speech (via Hotline blog) that "a guest worker program is nothing more than amnesty wearing make-up --it's easier to look at, but just as ugly underneath." How witty. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) also put out a statement that made more news in what it didn't say:
House Republicans have responded to the concerns of the American people by passing a strong border security bill that reflects our commitment to re-establishing basic respect for our immigration laws and sealing our border against illegal entry. If the Senate passes an immigration bill, I'm committed to working with Chairman Sensenbrenner and House Republicans to ensure we make border security our first priority and meet our commitments to the American people.
Boehner didn't reject a guest worker program or "paths to citizenship" for those already here. Why? Because he and other House GOP leaders want to get a bill out of conference that doesn't include the felony provision that was in the House-passed bill -- a bill that Boehner, ironically, didn't support. So at the end of the day Republicans will have to decide whether they want to be the party of Patrick McHenry or President Bush -- in other words, a minority party or a majority party in the years ahead.