Mr. Bush, Put Up That Wall!

That's what the House of Representatives said yesterday, with a 260-159 vote on a 700-mile fence to separate Mexico from the United States. The measure was part of a controversial immigration package, the House version of which will likely be passed or defeated today, including such already-approved gems as requiring Border Patrol uniforms to be made in America, goddammit! Other approved bits include an end to the catch-and-release treatment of illegal immigrants, and a requirement that every employer in the country check on the immigration status of their employees. Language giving unbinding support for a guest worker programs (which will be hammered out in the Senate, not the House) could end up being the deal-breaker.

Of the Laredo Wall, anti-illegal crusader Tom Tancredo said:

What would be the best Christmas present to the American people is pictures of concrete being poured.