JustIn:ImmigationBillDefeated;KYSenatorsVoteNayonEndingClosure

McConnellandBunningVotedNayonendingclosure

CHARLESBABINGTON,AssociatedPressWriter7minutesago

WASHINGTON-TheSenatedroveastakeThursdaythroughPresidentBush'splantolegalizemillionsofunlawfulimmigrants,likelypostponingmajoractiononimmigrationuntilafterthe2008elections.

Afterthestingingpoliticalsetback,Bushsoundedresignedtodefeat.

"LegalimmigrationisoneofthetopconcernsoftheAmericanpeople,andCongress'failuretoactonitisadisappointment,"hesaidafteranappearanceinNewport,R.I."Alotofusworkedhardtoseeifwecouldn'tfindcommonground.Itdidn'twork."

Thebill'sSenatesupportersfell14votesshortofthe60neededtolimitdebateandclearthewayforfinalpassageofthelegislation,whichcriticsassailedasofferingamnestytoillegalimmigrants.Thevotewas46to53infavoroflimitingthedebate.

SomesenatorsinbothpartiessaidtheissueissovolatilethatCongressisunlikelytorevisititthisfallornextyear,whenthepresidentialelectionwillincreasinglydominateAmericanpolitics.t

Bushappearedglumashespoke.Hisnegotiatorshadexpressedoptimismthevotewouldgotheirway—or,atleastbecloser.

"CongressreallyneedstoprovetotheAmericanpeoplethatitcancometogetheronhardissues,"Bushsaid.HeturnedattentiontootherhisothergoalsinCongressthisyear,includingenergy,healthcareandbalanced-budgetinitiatives.

LastyearasimilarimmigrationeffortcollapsedinCongress,andtheHousehasnotbotheredwithanimmigrationbillthisyear,awaitingSenateaction.

ThevotewasadefeatforabipartisangroupoflawmakerswhoadvocatedthebillasanimperfectbutnecessaryfixofcurrentimmigrationpracticesinwhichmanyillegalimmigrantsuseforgeddocumentsorlapsedvisastoliveandworkintheUnitedStates.

ItwasavictoryforRepublicanconservativeswhostronglycriticizedthebill'sprovisionsthatwouldhaveestablishedpathwaystolawfulstatusformanyoftheestimated12millionillegalimmigrants.TheywereaidedbytalkradioandTVhostswhorepeatedlyattackedthebillandurgedlistenerstofloodCongresswithcalls,faxesande-mails.

Votingtoallowthebilltoproceedbyendingdebatewere33Democrats,12RepublicansandindependentJoeLieberman,Conn.Votingtoblockthebillbynotlimitingdebatewere37Republicans,15DemocratsandindependentBernardSanders,Vt.TimJohnson,D-S.D.,didnotvote.

Thebillwouldhavetoughenedbordersecurityandinstitutedanewsystemforweedingoutillegalimmigrantsfromworkplaces.Itwouldhavecreatedanewguestworkerprogramandallowedmillionsofillegalimmigrantstoobtainlegalstatusiftheybrieflyreturnedhome.

Bush,makingalast-ditchbidtosalvagethebill,calledsenatorsearlyThursdaymorningtourgetheirsupport.HomelandSecuritySecretaryMichaelChertoffandCommerceSecretaryCarlosGutierrezapproachedsenatorsastheyenteredandleftthechambershortlybeforethevote.

ButconservativesfromBush'sownpartyledtheopposition.Theyrepeatedlysaidthegovernmentmustsecurethebordersbeforeallowingmillionsofillegalaliensapathtolegalstatus.

Sen.ElizabethH.Dole,R-N.C.,saidmanyAmericans"don'thaveconfidence"thatborders,especiallywithMexico,willbesignificantlytightened."It'snotjustpromisesbutproofthattheAmericanpeoplewant,"Dolesaid.

Butthebill'sbackerssaidbordersecurityandaccommodationstoillegalimmigrantsmustgohandinhand.

"Yearafteryear,we'vehadthebrokenborders,"saidSen.EdwardKennedy,D-Mass."Yearafteryear,we'veseentheexploitationofworkers."

Afterthevote,hesaid:"Itisnowclearthatwearenotgoingtocompleteourworkonimmigrationreform.ThatisenormouslydisappointingforCongressandforthecountry."Kennedy,achiefproponentofthebill,said,"wewillbeback.Thisissueisnotgoingaway."

Butbeforethevote,Sen.DianneFeinstein,D-Calif.,toldcolleaguesthepoliticalclimatealmostsurelywouldnotallowaseriousreconsiderationuntil2009orlater.Itwouldbehighlyunlikely,shesaid,"inthenextfewyearstofixtheexistingsystem....Wearesoclose."

Fromthebeginning,thebill'smostforcefulopponentsweresouthernRepublicans.GOPSens.DavidVitterofLouisiana,JimDeMintofSouthCarolinaandJeffSessionsofAlabamaledthecharge,oftenbackedbyTexanJohnCornyn.

TwosouthernRepublicans—LindseyGraham,S.C.,andMelMartinez,Fla.,whowasborninCuba—supportedit.

Alsocrucialtothebill'sdemisewasoppositionfromthreeDemocratsrecentlyelectedfromGOP-leaningstates:JonTesterofMontana,ClaireMcCaskillofMissouriandJimWebbofVirginia.

AlltheDemocraticpresidentialcandidatesintheSenatevotedtoenddebateandadvancethebill.AmongtheRepublicancandidates,onlySen.JohnMcCainofArizonavotedtokeepthemeasurealive.Sen.SamBrownback,R-Kan.,atfirstvotedwithMcCain,butswitchedhisvotewhenitwasclearthebidtoenddebatewouldfail.

SessionssaidontheSenatefloorafterthevotethatAmericans"arenotmean-spirited,buttheyareconcernedaboutalawfulsystemofimmigration."

DeMinttoldreporters,"IthinktheonlyvictoryhereisfortheAmericanpeopleand,symbolically,agovernmentofthepeopleandforthepeople.Thepeoplerespondedtothisissueinaveryemotionalandjustaveryengagedway,whichchangedthemindsofmanypeoplehereintheSenate."

DeMintsaidhehoped"we'llproceedwiththesecurityandenforcementaspectsofthisbill,andthatwillpavethewayofhowwesolvesomeoftheotherproblems."

___

ThebillisS1639.