Calls To Alaska Senators Tipped Immigration Vote

Take a bow.

The phone calls early Thursday didn�t help bill supporters. And when the vote appeared to be going south, those who had yet to fully commit � and even a few who had � jumped off the ship and helped bring the bill down.

A Senate GOP aide said the tipping point on the floor came when Alaska Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens walked down the aisle and cast �no� votes together.

Shortly after that, Kansas Republican Sam Brownback, who had cast an early �yea,� switched his vote. �I just concluded as I was on the floor that the country is just not ready,� said Brownback.

At one time, Brownback, a 2008 presidential hopeful, was among the leading proponents of what supporters call comprehensive immigration reform. On Thursday, he said he still remains committed.

But not right now. �We need to let it rest,� said Brownback, who wouldn�t speculate about when the time would be right. �I think this has been a very passionate debate and I think this just needs to rest for a while.�

Even Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who stood behind Bush two weeks ago when he came to the Senate and helped revive the foundering bill, voted �no.�

�I just think the opposition to it was very strong,� said John McCain, R-Ariz., whose once front-running GOP presidential campaign has been cast into doubt, in part because of his support for legislation that would legalize the more than 12 million illegal immigrants. �A lot of the Republican base was passionate about the issue, and they made their influence felt.�

Once we've all caught our breath from freaking-out mode, maybe we can freak-out the same way over earmarks? It seems to work. If the intensity is there.

Republican Registration Up After Immigration Fiasco: Up by a very slight 1% to 32%, but that's a 10-month high.

posted by Ace at 05:48 PM

| Access Comments