Immigration Road Show

By Massimo Calabresi

If there's one thing U.S. politicians agree on, it's that the nation needs an immigration-reform bill. But don't expect one soon. Instead of hammering out a compromise between the Senate version backed by President Bush and the harder-line House bill, top lawmakers in both chambers plan to hit the road to rally support across the country for their respective versions.

The House road show is rooted in the frustrations of its Republican leaders, who had been telling the White House for weeks that they couldn't accept the Senate bill, which gives many illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. "They didn't seem to want to hear that," says a top congressional aide. So House Speaker Dennis Hastert, in a meeting before the annual congressional picnic at the White House on June 15, told Bush about his planned hearings to rally opposition to the Senate's bill. Bush's reaction? "He listened," Hastert says.

The Senate bill's backers call Hastert's hearings a stalling tactic. "It's hard to conclude that this is anything but an effort to kill it for the year," says Arizona Republican Jeff Flake. But they can take the game on the road too. Senate Judiciary chairman Arlen Specter said last week he'd hold hearings--to boost the legislation.

A senior Administration official remains optimistic about compromise. "We realize the House needs some time to work through this," he says. "Each side needs the other." That's not quite how the House Republican leaders see it. Bush "has moved our way," says one. What else must the President do? "He needs to move a little farther our way."