McConnell key to immigration bill

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The fate of the immigration bill comes down to Senate Republicans' leader, Mitch McConnell, and whether he sides with President Bush and Democratic leaders or with rank-and-file members of his own party.

His choices: Accept Democrats' demands to finish the bill this week without major changes, or rally with his Republicans who say the bill is bad and getting worse, and want more time to fight the proposal.

"The only thing that can save us now is if McConnell made an appeal to Republicans that this thing is out of control and we need to step back from it, and we're not getting the amendments we want," said Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican. "He could do that, but I'm not sure where he is right now."

Debate on the bill resumes today, and Republican leaders will have to decide quickly whether to push for a drawn-out debate.

Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, has been on both sides of the immigration issue. He voted for last year's bill and has said this year's version is even better, but he also voted last week to strip out the central plank of the bargain: the legalization program for illegal aliens.

Republicans use words like "confusion" to describe their party's approach, and said that has hurt their efforts to change or defeat the bill. They also say Mr. McConnell and Mr. Bush have given up the best bargaining chip by making it clear they have to have a bill.

"The president has said he's going to sign whatever we send him, so we started with our legs cut out from under us," Mr. DeMint said. "You shouldn't be negotiating if you're not willing to walk away from the table."

Democrats have been far better organized. Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, has blocked Republican amendments and given Democrats time to counter them.

The bill, negotiated behind closed doors by a bipartisan group of senators and two Bush Cabinet secretaries, offers immediate legal status and a path to citizenship to illegal aliens, creates a temporary-worker program for hundreds of thousands of future foreign workers, and rewrites the definitions that govern how immigrants are selected.

Republicans said their leaders have been good at preserving members' rights, but that this next week will be a critical test.