More second-term blues for Bush on immigration

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The collapse of a White House-backed overhaul of U.S. immigration laws was the starkest sign yet of President George W. Bush's dwindling influence during a second term undone by chaos in Iraq and last year's congressional election losses, analysts said.

The bipartisan immigration compromise unraveled in the Senate on Thursday night in the face of opposition from the left and right -- including many of Bush's fellow Republicans.

"An administration that practiced such effective message control in its first term now looks completely impotent," said Georgetown University political analyst Stephen Wayne. "They are stuck in their tracks."

The immigration compromise, which included tougher border security measures and a plan to legalize most of the country's 12 million illegal immigrants, would have been Bush's biggest triumph in a troubled second term.

But 38 Senate Republicans joined 11 Democrats and an independent in blocking a final vote on the centerpiece of Bush's legislative agenda.

"This was a clear demonstration of how little influence the White House now has in Congress," said Cal Jillson, a political analyst at Southern Methodist University in Texas.

Conservatives fought the bill because they said it would give amnesty and a path to citizenship to people who broke U.S. laws, while labor unions said a temporary worker program in the bill would create an underclass of cheap laborers.

The vote came as public dissatisfaction with continuing violence in Iraq and Bush's leadership have driven the president's approval ratings down into the low 30s. His standing has emboldened opponents and left Bush vulnerable to political attack.

"Washington operates on two cardinal rules -- you don't kick a man until he's down, and then you don't stop kicking him," Wayne said.

ANOTHER CHANCE?

Bush and other supporters promised to try to revive the immigration bill, and Bush said he would meet with members of the Senate when he returns next week from Europe, where he attended the G8 summit.

"Like any legislation, this bill is not perfect. And like many senators, I believe the bill will need to be further improved along the way before it becomes law," Bush said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.

Polls showed public support for the compromise was mixed.

A Pew Research Center survey found most Americans favored at least one of the proposal's key objectives, but the overall bill drew a negative reaction.

A Gallup Poll put opposition at 60 percent among those who paid close attention to the bill.