I am farther to the right than Atilla the Hun. I voted for W, but when he has the Border Patrol tell Mexico where the Minutemen are on the border, that's a crime and/or misdemeanor. Legal immigration should be stopped immediately and the borders hermetically sealed. This issue really sticks in my craw. I am ready to vote for a third party.

Well, we could do what other countries do and just shoot those who cross...

I know it's an "I hate Bush!!" list but this shows how little Americans know about the presidency. As a conservative, here's what I expect from my (inconsistently and unreliably) occasionally conservative president: SECURE THE BORDER AGAINST TERRORISTS AND ENEMIES OF THE STATE!!

Other than that, I expect the law, as duly voted on, signed by the president or one of his predecesors, to be enforced. Period. It's not that tough. Shut up and get on with it.

How that jackass can flap his mouth about "Homeland Security" when ANYBODY carrying ANYTHING can just walk right across our borders is a perfect illustration of the incompetence,arrogance and blatant dishonesty of the Bush regime.

There's not much to be done about it short of digging a wide canal from California's shore to Texas'. And I'm not convinced it's a serious problem. Some right wingers were looking for a scapegoat issue for the election, and it's backfired. Bush has done no more or less than any previous president. There's a lot of money made off of the illegals, and neither party's going to buck that campaign money.

Unfortunately Bush has displayed little leadership in this area, but to be fair, no recent president has either. He's inherited a very tough situation, and seemingly,he's got too much on the plate to realistically go out on a limb on this one. At this point it seems he feels he lacks the political clout to do anything bold, for he likely believes he wouldn't survive politically if he were to try. Sadly, as a leader he seems increasingly impotent, almost by the day. Might his presidency end up looking like that of Jimmy Carter's - worn out and dejected - in his final days of office?

. . .really sheds the conservative bat-cape where this issue is concerned. . .

I must admit Bush has dropped the ball on this one, I couldn't disagree with him more on this issue.

Those Americans oppose a "soft" resolution to this issue should not feel bad. If any other Western nation (including my country, Canada) faced the same problem they would shut the borders tight and ensure those already in the country illegaly face some kind of matriculation if not outright deportation.
Residency in the U.S. is a privilege, not a right, and it should be cherished as such.

The feds have been appallingly negligent enforcement of our laws - i don't know enough about it to say if that's a problem with leadership, a problem with budget, or something else.

However, whenever I've heard President Bush speak on the subject of how to go forward on this issue, he's sounded pretty sensible to me.