The Independence Day Speech President Bush Should Make
By Doug Patton (07/03/07)
Every once in a while, the speechwriter in me simply demands to be let out. This is one of those times. The defeat of the senate’s massive amnesty bill gives the president a golden opportunity to raise his approval rating by twenty points overnight. To do that, this is the speech he should give to the American people immediately:
“My fellow Americans…I have chosen this two-hundred-thirty-first anniversary of the birth of this great nation to address you on an issue of utmost importance to our national security.
“As you know, the comprehensive immigration bill, which this administration has consistently supported, has faltered and failed in the United States Senate. It was my desire to deal with this problem in a comprehensive manner that would deal with the millions of undocumented immigrants already here at the same time we put in place tough new laws to bring about border enforcement.
“And even though I continue to believe that this comprehensive approach is the most effective way to implement immigration reform, as your president, I want you to know that the reasons for the failure of this bill have not escaped my attention. Just as many of our senators have heard the frustration and the anger of the American people on this issue, so have I.
“Our nation is a representative republic, not a pure democracy, but there are times when the will of the American people is so overwhelming that it cannot and should not be ignored in the pursuit of our own agendas. And it would be tragic if we only heard half the message. The U.S. Senate has heard half your message: that this is the wrong legislation at the wrong time. The other half or your message is that you want the current laws enforced. That’s my job, and I have heard you loud and clear.
“Consequently, I have undertaken a complete review of all current laws with regard to immigration. If we cannot deal with the entire problem all at once, we will at least begin at the beginning. Here is the essence of my three-pronged plan:
“First, effective immediately and commensurate with existing law passed by Congress last year, contractors will be hired in sufficient numbers to finish seven hundred miles of border fence by the end of this calendar year.
“Second, I will ask Congress for the funding to hire enough new border patrol agents to monitor that fence. In the meantime, I am ordering National Guard troops from every state to assist in the effort, with special emphasis on troops from Border States. These troops will be armed and they will have the authority to detain and arrest lawbreakers, especially those trafficking in human beings and illegal drugs. Also, in addition to patrolling the fence, these troops will have the authority to stop the tunneling under our border, which has been going on for some time now.
“Third, American companies knowingly employing illegals will be fined to the maximum extent that current law allows. There will be no more looking the other way as jobs are given to people who have broken our laws in order to get them.
“My fellow Americans, the message you delivered loud and clear, through your phone calls, faxes, e-mails and personal contacts to the Congress and to this White House, has not fallen on deaf ears. That message is that you want our borders defended and enforced before anything else is done to deal with the millions of undocumented immigrants already in our country. That is what we will do.
“Good night and may God bless America.”
That is the speech the president should give this Independence Day. It is the message the majority of the American people want to hear. It is the message I want to hear. I’m not holding my breath. Are you?
© Copyright 2007 by Doug Patton
(Printer friendly version) Email: Doug Patton
