Immigration Looms Over 2008

Aug. 5, 2007 — -- Few issues resonate with the conservative base more than illegal immigration.

It's a topic that's made for strange bedfellows in Washington -- President Bush and Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., have lined up on the same side -- and caused stark fault lines to emerge within the Republican presidential field.

Standing on opposite poles of this divisive issue are Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.

McCain has lent his name to the comprehensive immigration reform bill backed by Bush and Kennedy, arguing that any approach to solving the problems on the nation's borders must be paired with a system that allows undocumented immigrants to get on a path toward legalized status.

Tancredo, meanwhile, has developed a national reputation as a hard-line foe of illegal immigration, and is basing his candidacy almost entirely on the issue.

He touts aggressive new border security measures and decries as "amnesty" any plan that would allow undocumented immigrants to gain legalized status.

The immigration issue will be front and center for the new president, given Congress' inability to pass a major bill this year.

Congressional leaders say the looming presidential election -- and the complicated politics it brings -- will almost certainly force the issue to be punted beyond 2008, leaving it as a major problem for Bush's successor.

Between McCain and Tancredo lie a range of different sentiments on illegal immigration, though the center lies closer to Tancredo than McCain.