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Patriot Games
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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/6/11/85741.shtml?s=us
Bush Vows to Get Immigration Bill Done
NewsMax.com Wires Monday, June 11, 2007
SOFIA, Bulgaria -- President Bush, turning from adulation in the Balkans to
difficulties back home, said Monday that his stalled immigration overhaul
would be revived and his embattled attorney general would not fall under a
Senate vote of no-confidence.
"I'll see you at the bill signing," Bush said confidently about an
immigration bill that has run into deep trouble on Capitol Hill.
Bush plans to trek to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to have lunch with Republican
senators, part of a hands-on approach to persuading party conservatives that
the bill is better than the status quo.
He also dismissed a planned Senate vote against Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales as a purely political "meaningless resolution," saying it would
have "no bearing" on Gonzales' fate.
"I'll make the determination if I think he's effective or not," Bush said.
The no-confidence vote follows months of investigations and the disclosure
of internal Justice Department documents that contradicted Gonzales' initial
assertions that the firing of federal prosecutors was not politically
motivated or directly coordinated with the White House. Bush dinged the
Democratic-controlled Senate for ditching the immigration debate in favor of
the Gonzales matter.
Warmly welcomed in both Bulgaria and Albania, the president spoke at a news
conference in one of Europe's oldest capitals with Bulgarian President
Georgi Parvanov. He was to be back at the White House Monday evening, after
an eight-day trip that also took him to the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany,
Italy and Albania.
On a sunny, cool morning, thousands of Bulgarians lined the cobblestoned
main street through Nevsky Square as an honor guard played both countries'
national anthems.
Bush and Parvanov walked past a line of Bulgarian troops wearing white coats
trimmed in red and navy pants tucked in high black boots. After watching
troops goose-stepping to upbeat military music, Bush prayed before a wreath
at an eternal flame that marks Bulgaria's tomb of the unknown soldier.
The president greeted a line of Bulgarian soldiers in camouflaged uniforms
who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bulgarian parliament recently
extended the Iraq mission until March 2008, and last year, Bulgaria signed
an agreement with Washington allowing U.S. troops to use Bulgarian military
facilities.
Bush then worked a crowd of locals, reaching in to shake hands. Later
outside the news conference, he eagerly approached another curious
gathering - the third time in two days he has done something he rarely does
at home.
In contrast to thousands of anti-Bush protests at earlier stops and his low
approval rating at home, Bush seemed to bask in the affection he received
here and, even more enthusiastically, in Albania the day before.
Bush's comments on immigration reflected his determination to pass a bill to
give millions of unlawful immigrants a path to citizenship. It is a top
priority for the remainder of his presidency, but a fragile bipartisan
compromise on the issue has unraveled.
He has been criticized for not doing enough for the bill, which is bitterly
opposed by many conservatives in his party. Some lawmakers claim it is dead
for the year, but Bush said it was only one step back after "two steps
forward" and vowed to push ahead.
"I believe we can get it done," he said.
Once again, Bush was asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's surprise
counterproposal to the U.S. plan for a missile shield in Eastern Europe,
based in the Czech Republic and Poland. Putin proposed instead a system
anchored around a Soviet-era radar installation in Azerbaijan.
"I don't know whether it's technologically feasible," Bush said of Putin's
idea, promising a review by experts.
Bulgaria's leaders are worried that the rocket shield is not intended to
cover southeastern parts of Europe, including their own country. Bush said
that isn't needed because other defenses cover Bulgaria, but Parvanov said
he would only "accept any solution that would provide more guarantees, more
security guarantees."
Another worry comes from the tensions the proposed shield have created
between the United States and Russia. Moscow fiercely opposes the plan,
fearing the shield is aimed at Russia. The United States says no - the
shield is aimed at Iran, in case it develops nuclear weapons.
Bulgaria feels caught in the middle. It was the most loyal Soviet ally
during the Cold War, and even now is almost entirely dependent on Russian
energy supplies.
"Bulgaria should not have to choose between the friendship between the U.S.
and the friendship with Russia," Parvanov said.
Bush stressed the strength of U.S. relations with Bulgaria, which shed
communism in 1989 and joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in January.
Parvanov appealed for U.S. help in freeing five Bulgarian nurses and a
Palestinian doctor sentenced to death in Libya for allegedly infecting
hundreds of children with the AIDS virus. They have been in Libyan custody
since 1999, and all deny the charge.
Bush pledged the U.S. will press the Libyan government for their release and
contribute to a fund to help the children. "This is an issue that we care
about," he said.
Bush also met with Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, and Parvanov feted him
at a formal luncheon at the National Museum of History, outside of town at
the foot of green mountains.
"For a person who was raised in the deserts of Texas, this is a beautiful
view," Bush said, gesturing to the floor-to-ceiling windows that afforded a
dramatic view.
Bush Vows to Get Immigration Bill Done
NewsMax.com Wires Monday, June 11, 2007
SOFIA, Bulgaria -- President Bush, turning from adulation in the Balkans to
difficulties back home, said Monday that his stalled immigration overhaul
would be revived and his embattled attorney general would not fall under a
Senate vote of no-confidence.
"I'll see you at the bill signing," Bush said confidently about an
immigration bill that has run into deep trouble on Capitol Hill.
Bush plans to trek to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to have lunch with Republican
senators, part of a hands-on approach to persuading party conservatives that
the bill is better than the status quo.
He also dismissed a planned Senate vote against Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales as a purely political "meaningless resolution," saying it would
have "no bearing" on Gonzales' fate.
"I'll make the determination if I think he's effective or not," Bush said.
The no-confidence vote follows months of investigations and the disclosure
of internal Justice Department documents that contradicted Gonzales' initial
assertions that the firing of federal prosecutors was not politically
motivated or directly coordinated with the White House. Bush dinged the
Democratic-controlled Senate for ditching the immigration debate in favor of
the Gonzales matter.
Warmly welcomed in both Bulgaria and Albania, the president spoke at a news
conference in one of Europe's oldest capitals with Bulgarian President
Georgi Parvanov. He was to be back at the White House Monday evening, after
an eight-day trip that also took him to the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany,
Italy and Albania.
On a sunny, cool morning, thousands of Bulgarians lined the cobblestoned
main street through Nevsky Square as an honor guard played both countries'
national anthems.
Bush and Parvanov walked past a line of Bulgarian troops wearing white coats
trimmed in red and navy pants tucked in high black boots. After watching
troops goose-stepping to upbeat military music, Bush prayed before a wreath
at an eternal flame that marks Bulgaria's tomb of the unknown soldier.
The president greeted a line of Bulgarian soldiers in camouflaged uniforms
who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bulgarian parliament recently
extended the Iraq mission until March 2008, and last year, Bulgaria signed
an agreement with Washington allowing U.S. troops to use Bulgarian military
facilities.
Bush then worked a crowd of locals, reaching in to shake hands. Later
outside the news conference, he eagerly approached another curious
gathering - the third time in two days he has done something he rarely does
at home.
In contrast to thousands of anti-Bush protests at earlier stops and his low
approval rating at home, Bush seemed to bask in the affection he received
here and, even more enthusiastically, in Albania the day before.
Bush's comments on immigration reflected his determination to pass a bill to
give millions of unlawful immigrants a path to citizenship. It is a top
priority for the remainder of his presidency, but a fragile bipartisan
compromise on the issue has unraveled.
He has been criticized for not doing enough for the bill, which is bitterly
opposed by many conservatives in his party. Some lawmakers claim it is dead
for the year, but Bush said it was only one step back after "two steps
forward" and vowed to push ahead.
"I believe we can get it done," he said.
Once again, Bush was asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's surprise
counterproposal to the U.S. plan for a missile shield in Eastern Europe,
based in the Czech Republic and Poland. Putin proposed instead a system
anchored around a Soviet-era radar installation in Azerbaijan.
"I don't know whether it's technologically feasible," Bush said of Putin's
idea, promising a review by experts.
Bulgaria's leaders are worried that the rocket shield is not intended to
cover southeastern parts of Europe, including their own country. Bush said
that isn't needed because other defenses cover Bulgaria, but Parvanov said
he would only "accept any solution that would provide more guarantees, more
security guarantees."
Another worry comes from the tensions the proposed shield have created
between the United States and Russia. Moscow fiercely opposes the plan,
fearing the shield is aimed at Russia. The United States says no - the
shield is aimed at Iran, in case it develops nuclear weapons.
Bulgaria feels caught in the middle. It was the most loyal Soviet ally
during the Cold War, and even now is almost entirely dependent on Russian
energy supplies.
"Bulgaria should not have to choose between the friendship between the U.S.
and the friendship with Russia," Parvanov said.
Bush stressed the strength of U.S. relations with Bulgaria, which shed
communism in 1989 and joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in January.
Parvanov appealed for U.S. help in freeing five Bulgarian nurses and a
Palestinian doctor sentenced to death in Libya for allegedly infecting
hundreds of children with the AIDS virus. They have been in Libyan custody
since 1999, and all deny the charge.
Bush pledged the U.S. will press the Libyan government for their release and
contribute to a fund to help the children. "This is an issue that we care
about," he said.
Bush also met with Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, and Parvanov feted him
at a formal luncheon at the National Museum of History, outside of town at
the foot of green mountains.
"For a person who was raised in the deserts of Texas, this is a beautiful
view," Bush said, gesturing to the floor-to-ceiling windows that afforded a
dramatic view.
