Both political parties have tolerated flagrant illegal immigration, and they have continued to do so during this wartime. I suspect that most of their reasons would not bear scrutiny in the light of day. IMO the fundamental issue about immigration is the government’s inability/unwillingness to fulfill one of its basic responsibilities (guarding the nation’s borders). Ultimately the illegals are secondary; this is about us.

I hope that future candidates who run on the border-enforcement issue will also call for reform of the dysfunctional legal immigration system. That would be both good politics and common decency. Good politics, because it would inoculate against charges of bigotry and mean-spiritedness. Common decency, because people who ask to join America are paying us a compliment; they deserve to be treated with respect, courtesy and responsiveness whether or not we grant their request.

IMO the way the government treats legal immigrants is how, left to its own devices, it would treat us citizens. Eternal vigilance…

The only real option for “redeployment” would be the Kurdish regions. There the U.S. could protect the closest thing we have to an ally in Iraq, keep a close eye on the unfolding sectarian strife, and prevent an Iranian takeover.

The real mistake was not realizing Iran’s Shia, Syria’s Baathists, and Saudi Arabia’s Takfiri Wahhabis, along with jihadis from all over the world, would flow into Iraq the second our troops took a water break. It is possible more troops would have helped, but only if their intent was to punish the neighboring states acting as conduits for foreign intervention intent on preventing democracy.

Now Iran has the initiative and influence in Iraq through Al Sadr. Not bombing him in Najaf saved short-term grief for the risk of long-term failure. But unlike Ralph Peters, I think it’s too late to kill him. Only Maliki could take action, and he probably won’t.

Iraq was drawn on a map by the British seemingly in an effort to create internal strife. Given that fact the progress thus far is about what was to be expected.

As always, you have penned an excellent and thoughtful article on the current state of affairs. I would note that the rightward movement you correctly see on the illegal immigration issue is a direct result of the public’s growing realization that the problem has spiralled out of control and an enforcment-first policy is the only sane and reaonable option at present.

The mavens of multi-culturalism are wrong in their belief that the current crisis with illegal immigration is simply another fake issue ginned up by cynical and clever politicians to manipulate the electorate. Rather it is a deeply troubling matter that resonates with ordinary Americans who believe the laws of our country should not be cast aside and ignored to please corporations on the make for cheap labor and to satisfy the utopian fantasies of multi-culturalists on the left.

Finally, those who are intellectually honest must acknowledge illegal immigration for what it is: a massive criminal enterprise aided and abetted by the Mexican government that constitutes a large-scale, full-throttle assault on the fundamental American principle of the rule of law.

When things turn ugly, the mood of the nation swings in the other direction. But is what’s going on in Iraq today any worse than the last hours of Gulf One when the fleeing Iraqi army was caught and annihilated on the Highway of Death? The carnage was horrific along that road. The difference: we were enjoying the emotional high from a quick and overwhelming victory then. Today we face no good news, at least if you believe the media. What we get, fair or not, is a constant litany of failure. Let’s face it, televised carnage appeals to our emotional side. Underneath a picture of bleeding marines you don’t get a crawl that reads, “But in other news, power was restored to ten villages in Anbar Province, two hospitals and three schools were opened, safe water is being delievered to . . . ”

The media controls the mood of the nation. The appeal is emotional. Most people feel from the gut rather than think from the head. And we’re stuck with it.