YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Harry Reid: Jeb Bush ‘made a fool of himself’ with immigration reform proposal

    By | The Ticket – Tue, Mar 5, 2013

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    Lawmakers on Capitol Hill piled on the criticism of Jeb Bush Tuesday after the former Florida Republican governor seemed to change his position on whether illegal immigrants should be offered a "path to citizenship" as part of an immigration reform package.

    Bush's promotional tour for his new book, "Immigration Wars," hit a snag when he told the "Today" show Monday that illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S. should return home before being allowed to apply for citizenship. Bush walked the comments back on Tuesday, saying he would support a path to citizenship if it didn't incentivize more illegal immigration.

    With Congress still in the early stages of crafting a comprehensive and fragile immigration reform bill, House Majority Leader Harry Reid slammed Bush, and downplayed Bush's role in the national debate over the issue.

    "His opinion on immigration is not evolving, it's devolving. He keeps going backwards," Reid said Tuesday when asked about Bush's comments. "I think he's frankly made a fool of himself the last 24 hours. Frankly on this issue, I don't think Jeb Bush is a Florida leader. I think Marco Rubio is. Bush has been elected to nothing lately. Rubio is the leader on immigration. He wants to have an immigration bill; I appreciate that."

    Bush's comments appear to be a reversal from June 2012, when he said he "would support" a "path to citizenship" for illegal immigrants.

    Because immigration reform relies on a delicate framework of liberal and conservative coalitions, there is a fear on Capitol Hill that any outside comments from influential lawmakers—both former and current—could derail the effort.

    And that fear is bipartisan.

    "This proposal caught me off guard," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the lead Republicans on immigration reform, said Tuesday of Bush's comment. "It undercuts what we're trying to do."

    Bush is scheduled to meet with political reporters in Washington, D.C., Thursday, after participating in a forum on immigration reform at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

    Loading...

    News for You »

    • Boyfriend espaces out window as husband confronts cheating wife [VIDEO]

      As part of perhaps the most spectacular walk-of-shame ever, an underwear-clad lover escaped from a third floor bedroom as the returning husband confronted his cheating wife on a balcony.

    • Rescues, Grim Recoveries at Elementary School After the OK Tornado

      There's a reason that many eyes were on Plaza Towers Elementary as Moore, Oklahoma began to assess the damage from a deadly, devastating tornado that blasted through the town Monday evening and killed at least 51 people: the school was leveled, with dozens of children still inside. And so far, some of the most emotionally charged news has emerged from the story unfolding there. 

    • Kids rescued from rubble at Okla. elementary

      MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Several children have been pulled out of the rubble alive at a school in an Oklahoma City suburb.

    • BREAKING: Subway Just as Unhealthy as McDonald’s!

      If you watched the London Olympics last summer, you saw a parade of top athletes touting the nutritional qualities of their favorite eatery: Subway. Watching Apolo Ohno or Robert Griffin III bite into a veggie footlong with avocado or hearing that Subway is “the official training restaurant of athletes everywhere,” you might get the idea that the food served at the chain isn’t that bad for you—that it’s even healthy.

    • Remains found in woods could be missing Maine teen

      BANGOR, Maine (AP) — State police in Maine say a body found in the woods likely is that of a 15-year-old girl last seen more than a week ago.

    • AP Photos: Images of devastating Oklahoma tornado

      The devastating tornado that swept through Oklahoma turned houses into matchsticks and sent parents and teachers running to pull children from the wreckage of an elementary school in the eye of the storm. At least 51 people were killed by the 200-mph storm and dozens of homes destroyed. The toll was expected to rise. Here are images from the aftermath :

    • Navy Dolphin Finds Rare 130-Year-Old Torpedo

      A Navy dolphin training to look for mines off the coast of San Diego found a museum-worthy 19th-century torpedo on the seafloor, military officials said.

    • America Has the Worst Tornadoes on Earth

      Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

    Show More
    Loading...

    Follow Yahoo! News