Lindsey Graham says immigration reform is dead until 2012

This is a mobile post, please excuse any formatting that may be lacking, such as there being no proper block quotes.

While on vacation I have been ignoring the news. At night, after the day’s activities are over, I take the time to peruse the headlines to see if anything catches my eye. Doing this has lead me to believe that the Obama administration may use Arizona’s new immigration law as a springboard to push comprehensive immigration reform. Naturally, this would include amnesty for illegal aliens. Again, this was just the sense that I was getting from the headlines, having not had the time to read the articles.

Today I saw a headline that caught my eye and I decided to read this story in which Lindsey Graham has declared that there will be no immigration reform bill until 2012. From the article (again, I apologize for the lack of block quotes):

It is impossible for me and any other serious Democrat to get this body to move forward until we prove to the American people we can secure our borders,” Mr. Graham told Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who was testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. “I believe we can do it by 2012 if we’re smart,” he said.

Lindsey Graham is now suddenly realizing that the border needs to be secured before immigration reform can even be debated. Welcome to the party Lindsey, we are glad you could make it even if you are a little late. Did Arizona’s new law finally make it clear to Lindsey Graham that the border needs to be secured because of the increase violence there, and more and more innocent Americans dying there on what seems like a daily basis? If so, Arizona’s new law may have had the exact opposite effect that I thought it would; instead of the administration being able to use Arizona’s new law as a springboard toward amnesty, if Lindsey Graham is to be trusted (and I am not sure he can be trusted) illegal immigration could be dead until 2012. And that is good news because any bill that Lindsey Graham would support would surely include amnesty for the people who entered this country illegally.

Lindsey Graham was the lone Republican willing to work with Democrats on an amnesty bill, without his support there is virtually no chance of bill going anywhere, unless Barack Obama can recruit another Republican to replace him. The obvious choice would be John McCain, but he is too bust trying to rebrand himself as a conservative to go along with amnesty. He is facing a tough primary opponent and will never go along with the position that we know he truly agrees with. Not during an election year. That leaves the usual suspects; Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins– and don’t discount the pressure that will be applied to Scott Brown– these are the three to watch. If they hold true than immigration reform and amnesty for illegals could be a dead issue for awhile.

But then again, there is always reconciliation. Whatever Obama wants, Obama gets. By whatever means necessary because the end justifies the means and Barack Obama and the Democrats will do whatever it takes to pass this. They won’t let a simple thing like a lack of votes stop them. We know this is a fact because we have already seen it firsthand.