Bush goes into Free-fall.

With his poll numbers in what appears to be free-fall, Bush went on national television yesterday to talk about immigration, usually a sure-fire way for a Republican leader to drum up some support for himself.

I thought it was no more than a crude attempt to enhance his poll numbers prior to November's mid-term elections and fully expect him to soon start banging on about gay marriage and other subjects that seem to incense right wingers.

However, if his speech on immigration is anything to go by, there's not much this President can say that will prevent his destruction at the polls come November.

His speech on immigration has gone down with his own side like a cup of cold sick, if bloggers from the right are any indication.

Radioactive Liberty has called for him to step down:

I don’t give a crap about the wants, needs, desires, rights, hopes, dreams, or intentions of any criminal invader. If you can’t get that straight, then resign. Now. Today. Cheney will do just fine running the country for the next two years.

Get it through your head, you shit-sucking, corrupt politicians. Build a wall. Shoot to kill. They are invaders. Invaders, not an asset. Shoot to kill.

They are invaders. Immigrants come here legally. They are criminals. Do I really need to repeat myself?

Shoot to kill.

This is Bush's base, and this is their reaction.

Polpundit didn't receive the speech any better:

The president’s approach to immigration is hard to counter because:

1. It’s bad in so many ways that it’s hard to list all of them

2. It’s deceptive in so many ways that it’s exhausting to point out all of them

I’m going to take on just one deception today: “Amnesty.”

Bush defines “amnesty” as an “automatic path to citizenship” for illegal aliens. Because the illegal alien will be forced to cough up $2,000, pay his back-taxes, and learn English, he is not supposed to be getting “amnesty.”

Analogy: Suppose you steal a car. Now you keep the car for five years. At the end of that period, if you can prove that you stole the car, pay the license fees on the car, pay a fine, and demonstrate adequate driving skills, you can keep that car. Instead of going to jail. And that’s not supposed to be “amnesty.”

If you think that the car thief in the example above got amnesty, then the illegal aliens under Bush’s plan would be getting amnesty.

Michelle Malkin dismissed the speech even as she sat in the very heart of conservatism:

The only good thing about watching the speech was getting to watch it in the Fox News green room with Colorado GOP Rep. Tom Tancredo, a stalwart immigration enforcement advocate. It was nice to have someone to shake heads along with as empty platitude after platitude was laid on thick.

Even The National Review, that stalwart of conservatism, has dismissed his speech in an article entitled, "Meet El Presidente":

In short, an untrustworthy and depressing sales pitch.

With Bush unable to garner his troops behind him even when he's hitting subjects close to their heart, November signals disaster.

The problem for Bush is that he has lost the middle ground. Rational fiscal conservatives have deserted him due to his mismanagement of the economy and his growing, almost criminal, deficit.

When your figures dive to 29% you are left with only the slobbering right wing of the party who's answer to the question of immigration is to reach for a gun and, "shoot them."

So Bush is left in the unenviable position of being supported by only the party's most loyal stalwarts who's programme he can never endorse.

He's fucked.

Tags: Bush, immigration, borders, Mexico, National Guard, US, right, wing reaction,