Immigration Vote last night shows alot

There was a vote in the Senate last night on the Grassley Amendment to the current immigration bill under consideration. The Grassley amendment, among other things, increases the penalties for employing illegal immigrants to $20,000.

The amendment passed 58-40 and the from the quotes in the AP article and the statements by Bill Frist and Mel Martinez, you would think that this represented some kind of breakthrough for the Republican side, but it's not. Take a look at the vote. Only 18 Republican Senators voted in favor; the measure passed because the Dems voted 41-2 in the affirmative, but you wouldn't know that from the coverage.

Even at this late date in the issue, it appears that Republicans, even in the "more moderate" Senate are not willing to go after illegal employers.

(This provision does have a backdoor in it. In order for enforcement to take place, employers would be required to submit all Social Security numbers to the DHS for checks (I'm assuming Immigration and Customs enforcement,) but funding for this program is to be provided seperately.)

Also, Milbank has a profile on Senator Jeff Sessions and his objections to the overall bill, a bit of a candid snapshot of the broader Republican anti-immigrant position. Also, Also, McCain hating Drudge links to this NYObserver piece where McCain, in a closed door fundraiser, blasts Limbaugh, Dobbs, and Savage for helping to “fuel the problem.”