WASHINGTON, June 2 � President Bush�s advocacy of an immigration overhaul and his attacks on critics of the plan are provoking an unusually intense backlash from conservatives who form the bulwark of his remaining support, splintering his base and laying bare divisions within a party whose unity has been the envy of Democrats.
Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, right, says, “I think President Bush hurts himself every time he says it is not amnesty.”
It has pitted some of Mr. Bush�s most stalwart Congressional and grass-roots backers against him, inciting a vitriol that has at times exceeded anything seen yet between Mr. Bush and his supporters, who have generally stood with him through the toughest patches of his presidency. Those supporters now view him as pursuing amnesty for foreign lawbreakers when he should be focusing on border security.
Postings on conservative Web sites this week have gone so far as to call for Mr. Bush�s impeachment, and usually friendly radio hosts, commentators and Congressional allies are warning that he stands to lose supporters � a potentially damaging development, they say, when he needs all the backing he can get on other vital matters like the war in Iraq.
�I think President Bush hurts himself every time he says it is not amnesty,� said Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, referring to the bill�s legalization process for immigrants. �We are not all that stupid.�
This week, after Mr. Bush�s suggestion that those opposing the Congressional plan �don�t want to do what�s right for America� inflamed conservative passions, Rush Limbaugh told listeners, �I just wish he hadn�t done it because he�s not going to lose me on Iraq, and he�s not going to lose me on national security.� He added, �But he might lose some of you.�
Such sentiments have reverberated through talk radio, conservative publications like National Review and Fox News. They have also appeared on Web sites including RedState.com and FreeRepublic.com, where postings reflect a feeling that Mr. Bush is smiting his own coalition in pursuit of a badly needed domestic accomplishment, and working in league with the likes of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a co-author of the legislation.
White House officials said it had led them to engage the blogosphere in a concerted way for the first time, posting defenses on liberal and conservative sites.
The tensions, which have rippled through the Republican presidential field, are intensifying just as the Senate is preparing to renew debate on the measure next week. Opponents are seeking significant changes � or outright defeat of the legislation � and raising the specter of a filibuster. The battle has pitted the White House against a group that includes even Mr. Bush�s reliable supporters from his home state of Texas, Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, both Republicans.
White House officials said it was a debate they welcomed in pursuit of a long-sought presidential goal, but in interviews this week, they expressed frustration at what they described as ill-informed criticism that the bill provided amnesty for illegal immigrants when it in fact traded legal status for fines and fees � more than $6,000 for green card holders, officials said. They also noted that the most recent New York Times/CBS News poll showed 66 percent of Republicans supported its legalization provisions.
Karl Rove, Mr. Bush�s top political adviser, said Friday he was confident that the White House would win over its critics as it explained the details of the bill and the administration�s continuing efforts to enforce existing border control laws.
Mr. Rove said he did not think that anger over immigration within the party would affect support for the president on the war and other national security issues. �People are able to say, �I don�t need to agree with anyone 100 percent of the time to be with them on the most important issue facing America,� � he said.
But that same day, Peggy Noonan, the Wall Street Journal opinion writer and former Reagan speechwriter who has supported Mr. Bush, said, �What conservatives and Republicans must recognize is that the White House has broken with them,� in a column under the heading, �President Bush has torn the conservative coalition asunder.�
Democrats have their own serious differences on immigration, with many worried that the Senate plan is too punitive. Others who are closely allied with labor are fearful about the impact on job opportunities, and still others oppose any plan that allows illegal immigrants to earn citizenship. But the Democratic divisions have been all but lost in the loud and volatile clashes among Republicans.
Reflecting the division between the business wing, Congressional moderates and the rest of the party, the editorial board of National Review, which opposes the legislation, has issued a debate challenge to The Journal�s business-minded editorial board, which is more supportive. (The Journal editorial page editor, Paul Gigot, dismissed the challenge, saying National Review writers had not accepted offers to appear on The Journal�s program on Fox to discuss the matter.)
Opposition to Mr. Bush�s immigration plan, which calls for a way to legalize illegal workers who are here now, has been stiff for years. But last year, when similar legislation was under debate, opponents were rightly confident that Republican leaders who controlled Congress would not let it progress. Mr. Bush, not wishing to intensify the fight in an election year, stayed behind the scenes and relented when the legislation died.
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