President Bush asked the Senate Monday night to devise a "rational middle ground" in dealing with illegal aliens. Ultimately, what he wants is for the Senate and House to agree on a measure that will do two things: Secure the U.S.- Mexico border, temporarily using National Guard troops to support the Border Patrol, and the need to agree on a course that can realistically deal with 12 million illegal immigrants. What Mr. Bush wants Congress to understand, and he is absolutely right on this, is that the United States cannot deport all those in the U.S. illegally. Any attempt to do so would not only fail but cost a bundle in the process.

The president is walking a tightrope. The Senate, according to the Associated Press, is close to an agreement which includes toughening border control, creating a new guest-worker program and opening the door to eventual citizenship for most of the illegal immigrants already in the country. Tuesday, senators rejected a bid by Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., to amend the Senate bill to secure the border before taking on other immigration-related concerns.

The main obstacle to Bush's intent is that the Senate and the House remain far apart. The Senate is taking a moderate stance which could open the gates to more Hispanic immigrants and few deportations while the House has OK'd a bill that would make illegal immigrants federal criminals. House lawmakers take a particularly hard line, such as the position taken by Rep. Tom Rice, R-Ga., who represents part of Gwinnett County. According to AP, Rice said, "Thinly veiled attempts to promote amnesty cannot be tolerated. While America is a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws, and rewarding those who break our laws not only dishonors the hard work of those who came here legally but does nothing to fix our current situation."

House leadership gave a cold reception to Bush's plea for a guest-worker program that falls somewhere between amnesty and mass deportation.

Lawmakers in each body must realize they are going to have to bite the bullet and compromise if there is to be any hope of dealing with this volatile issue.