Kaus is remarkably astute

Immigration -- Bush's domestic Iraq

MAINSTREAM editorialists like to praise President Bush's immigration initiative as an expression of his pragmatic, bipartisan, "compassionate conservative" side, in presumed contrast to the inflexible, ideological approach that produced the invasion of Iraq. But far from being a sensible centrist departure from the sort of grandiose, rigid thinking that led Bush into Iraq, "comprehensive immigration reform" is of a piece with that thinking. And it's likely to lead to a parallel outcome.

Here are 10 similarities:

The grandiose element in the Bush style is a big surprise to me. It is something i never suspected in 2000.

It is one of the reasons i found Maurois's description of Peel worth pondering.

Peel split the Tories when he set out to repeal the Corn Laws. He won the battle but lost his party.

Is there a Republican Disraeli who is bold enough to lead the break with Bush?

See also:

Conquest's Law