June 7, 2007
Posted: 03:03 PM ET
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, threatened to pull the long-sought immigration bill off the floor if a key procedural motion to limit debate on the bill – which is to be voted on Thursday night — is defeated. "The bill’s over with. The bill's gone. I mean what else can I do?" he asked reporters. "Should we spend more time on this so we don't get to debate gas prices, so we don’t have to chance to vote on whether or not Alberto Gonzales should stay on as attorney general?" Reid's warning may have been part political tactic. He’s sending a message to Republican senators, who early Thursday voted as a group to defeat a similar motion to limit debate, that Thursday night’s vote might be their last chance to keep alive the immigration bill, components of which have polled favorably, that is President Bush’s top domestic priority. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, the number two Republican, held out hope a deal could be reached before Thursday night’s vote that would allow for a handful more amendments to satisfy Republicans but also let Reid know the debate will end soon and allow the Senate to move onto other matters. But Lott said Reid hurt his cause with Republicans by scheduling the Gonzales no-confidence issue for the first vote after immigration. Lott complained the Gonzales legislation, “is irrelevant, non-binding and will do nothing but drive us into a pit of nastiness out here. What is the rush?” – CNN's Dana Bash and Ted Barrett Filed under: Immigration
|
 
About The Ticker
The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team, with campaign coverage, 24-7. Sign up for our twice daily Ticker emails. Got a news tip or feedback? For complete political coverage, bookmark CNNPolitics.com.  CNN=Politics Screensaver
New in the Ticker
Follow us on Twitter
Categories
Archive
Popular Posts
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CNN Comment Policy: CNN encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. You are solely responsible for your own comments, the consequences of posting those comments, and the consequences of any reliance by you on the comments of others. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNN the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying and other information you provide via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNN Privacy Statement.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
