Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

We now know the deal Dubya cut with McCain to get his support in the election–Amnesty for illegal immigrants. This is not something Bush voters saw as a mandate, I can assure you. And it is not something I’m pleased about.

There are many reasons for both parties to want the flow of Mexicans into this country to continue. I just don’t know precisely why McCain is so interested. He has some kind of dealings with people who want the status quo. The average Arizonan doesn’t. Republicans really have nowhere near as much interest in having more here as do Democrats. There is the cheap labor aspect of things, which Democrats will tout as the primary reason for this move. But Democratic supporters are just as likely to hire them as Republican supporters. Tyson Foods, one of the biggest Clinton donors, is heavily into the illegal market.

And Democrats have always viewed Mexicans in the US as a prime voting block that historically goes to them. Bush made inroads into that group in his reelection as Governor, and now as President. But it certainly wasn’t enough to have a significant impact (regardless of Dick Morris’ evaluation).

There is something far deeper going on here. We send over a billion dollars to Mexico each year in aid. In return, they send us half a million immigrants, both legal and illegal. Mexicans account for the largest group of legal immigrants coming into the US each year, as well as the largest group of illegals.

Mexico is poor–40% of the population live in poverty. The society is very class-conscious, and moving from one class to another is nearly impossible. It has retained much of the caste system that existed from colonial times. Corruption is the byword in politics. The poor really have no hope except escape. And it is a really painful thing to see. It is difficult to imagine the risks taken by people desperate to do better for themselves.

The northern border is a political relief valve. Without the oppotunity for people to escape to something better, and money from those working in the US being sent home, the political system in Mexico would implode.

There is something very secretive in this mix. In issues regarding national defense, I defer to a President’s judgement of how much information can be released. In this case, there isn’t nearly enough.