I wish that thought could become the official U.S. motto overnight. Not that I don't like "E Pluribus Unum." But both phrases relate to our status as an immigrant nation and, while the former has been completely forgotten by the Tea Bags, the latter has been recently uttered by an unlikely source: a conservative state legislator in Utah backing a bill advocating comprehensive immigration reform within the state's borders, including a path to legal status for the undocumented.
The bill, which you can read about here, would ask for a waiver from President Obama to establish such a policy. Doing so would, admittedly, rest on constitutional ground that is shaky at best. But that's exactly why Obama should (and won't do) it. Doing it would invite a confrontation with the GOP House over the issue of CIR--at which point Obama should just tell them to pass the bill that Dubya (in one of his few sane moments) tried to get enacted. He will have forced them to engage the issue on terms they could not refuse, without effectively conceding that they have no motivation in life except an insatiable appetite for power.
Mr. President, if you really want to win the future, pick a fight or two. That's the only language your opponents understand. You're the son of an immigrant. Do the right thing, and stop letting the extremely right do their thing.
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