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| Bush seeks support for immigration |
| One Republican widely viewed as a potential convert, Senator Bob Corker, said he was not yet convinced.
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 13-June-2007
2:27:45 AM |
| His party divided and his polls sagging, President George W Bush prodded rebellious Senate Republicans to help resurrect legislation that could provide eventual citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
''It's a highly emotional issue,'' Bush said after a session on Tuesday in which several lawmakers bluntly told him their constituents do not trust the government to secure the nation's borders or weed out illegal workers at job sites.
To alleviate the worries, the president said that he was receptive to an emergency spending bill as a way to emphasize his administration's commitment to accelerated enforcement.
One congressional official put the price tag at up to $15 billion.
''I don't think he changed any minds,'' conceded Senator Mel Martinez, one of the Republicans who lunched with Bush and a supporter of the legislation.
But Martinez added that the president's appearance had helped nudge ''people on the fence'' to be more favourably inclined.
One Republican widely viewed as a potential convert, Senator Bob Corker, said he was not yet convinced.
''At the end of the day, I've got to be able to sit down and know myself that we are going to secure our border. Today, I do not feel that way,'' he said.
High stakes bill
Bush's trip to the Capitol marked only the second time since he became president that he attended the private weekly senators lunch, a gesture that underscored the importance he places on passage of comprehensive immigration legislation.
Despite the president's commitment, many conservatives in his own party have criticized the measure as an amnesty for millions of lawbreakers.
Additionally, job approval ratings in the 30-percent range make it difficult for the president to bend even Republican lawmakers to his will.
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