Earlier this year Blackwater Worldwide created a new business unit to build and deploy remotely piloted airships. Small maueverable airships are great surveillance, communications, and intelligence gathering platforms so this seems like a pretty logical extension of their business. They’ll do a ton of business with these too because this is exactly the type of operation that most agencies should be contracting out anyway.

Blackwater Facts has more:

Blackwater Airships, a unit of Blackwater Worldwide, designed the blimp to carry intelligence-gathering cameras, sensors and communications gear for counterterrorism, counternarcotics and border security operations. The blimp is to be unmanned and piloted by remote control from the ground.

Blackwater intends for its airships to be low-cost alternatives to other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The blimps can fly at 10,000 feet and require only a crew of three.

I’d like to see a dozen of these things on the Texas-Mexico border starting Monday but that’s a whole other issue. I can definitely see them being deployed at the local level for special event security. HPD certainly seems interested in having that capability. Head over to The Virginian-Pilot for really cool photos of the tests.

I’m not sure what McCain expects to gain from this. The damage is done and there’s no resurrecting his campaign.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain on Thursday backed a scaled-down proposal that imposes strict rules to end illegal immigration but doesn’t include a path to citizenship.

The move away from a comprehensive measure is an about-face for the Arizona senator, who had been a leading GOP champion of a bill that included a guest worker program and would have legalized many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. It failed earlier this year.

“We can still show the American people that we are serious about securing our nation’s border,” McCain said in a statement, adding that the new bill would “provide an essential step toward achieving comprehensive reform in the future.”

Desperation is ugly.

This huge grassroots victory demonstrates that good government is possible and common sense can prevail - if you’re willing to work for it:

A immigration bill to legalize millions of people in the U.S. unlawfully failed a crucial vote Thursday. Senate majority leader Harry Reid withdrew the bill afterwards — spelling its defeat for the year.

Despite what the left will say, loudly over the next few days, Americans are not opposed to immigration. The defeat of this bill has everything to do with bad government. You can’t cut the American people out of this discussion. You can’t re-weave the fabric of our society without our participation. You can’t limit our ability to work and provide for our families by flooding the market with the cheap labor desired by your donors. You can’t undermine our security - not now. You quite simply can not govern like this and get away with it.

It’s my sincere hope that the lessons learned from this failed measure will result in meaningful immigration reform that’s good for Americans, provides a sensible path to citizenship for those who play by the rules, and institutes a reasonable guest worker program for those who may not have come here legally but are otherwise acting in good faith. This bill did not do that.

Bloggers React:

Michelle Malkin
As annoying as Reid’s refrain was, he is right: This was the president’s bill. This was the monstrous sham that President Bush tried to ram through the Senate with his pal Teddy Kennedy–subverting the committee process, attempting to cram it in before the Memorial Day holiday, rushing to limit debate, and then complaining about delays. This was the bill President Bush sent conservative-bashing bureaucrats like DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff to peddle on CNN. This was the bill President Bush championed while deriding critics as fearful bigots and running away from building the fence he promised to build.

Don Surber
Let the Republican Revolution begin!

Insomnomaniac
And predictably, instead of giving credit to the PEOPLE of this country who shouted from the rooftops that WE DIDN’T WANT IT, the whiners in D.C. (Bush included) are blaming Rush Limbaugh and talk radio.

GayConservative.org
Bush needs to give us a real proposed bill with true conservative American interpretation.

American Pundit
It’s over - Democrats have withdrawn the amnesty bill from the Senate floor. They say it will be gone back to in the future, but for now it’s dead. Reid gives the Senate some pity-party talk, going as far as saying his feelings are hurt. He basically says that he was shocked that the Democrats, in control of the Senate, couldn’t get enough votes.

Captain’s Quarter’s
Last update, I think. Harry Reid talked about how he gave the bill lots and lots of time, but the Republicans wanted too many amendments and too much time from the busy legislative schedule. Hmm. Funny about that. Isn’t this the same Democratic leadership that took 108 days just to pass a spending bill for our troops in Iraq? How many weeks is that? I’ll help — over 15 weeks. That’s 7 times longer than Reid wanted to give a historic overhaul of our immigration system.

Ace of Spades HQ
O poor Harry Reid
Unable to pull this coup
please kiss my beautiful round American ass, douchebag

GayPatriot
Be proud America, you have rallied in the face of the obstinate political elites in Washington who have forgotten us. A defeat for President Bush? Yup, who cares. Biggest loser: John McCain. Pack it up, bro… you are done. Thanks to everyone who got involved and called their Senators in the past few weeks.

Hugh Hewitt
As far as the putative Republican crack-up is concerned, allow me to offer a dissenting theory. I have never seen the Republican Party more united than in its hatred for this bill. On one side you have George Bush, Lindsey Graham, Trent Lott and John McCain. On the other side, you have virtually every other Republican in America save the Wall Street Journal editorial board. 30 million people united against roughly 13 individuals - when you think about it, that’s pretty good unity.

NewsBusters
ABC’s Charles Gibson fretted Thursday night over the likely impending demise of the “landmark” immigration deal as George Stephanopoulos blamed conservatives and on NBC Chip Reid faulted “extremes on the left and the right.”

The Jawa Report
Congress’s shameful attempt to ram down our throats an unpopular bill legalizing tens of millions of borderjumpers and adding them to the welfare rolls and public dole, has been defeated.

Right Wing News
I also asked my source why he thought so many Republicans had been supporting such an incredibly unpopular bill. He gave three reasons: First off, there was what he referred to as the “Rovian School of thought,” which says that passing this bill would capture the Hispanic vote for the GOP for decades to come. Next up, there’s the “Chamber of Commerce” vote. He says these Republicans were heavily influenced by business groups that want cheap labor no matter what the cost is for the rest of the country. Then there was the last group, the smallest group in his opinion, who were willing to sign onto a terrible bill just so they could say they were part of a big reform that had bipartisan support.

Mac’s Mind
Yet even so this bill had far more problems than it offered solutions. But I believe that what may come out of this disaster will be a far more realistic and doable bill, and not one that was drawn up in haste.

Digger’s Realm
This bill was the worst piece of legislation to come down the Senate pipe in years and the fact that it was hidden under covers and then revealed so quickly in order to try and screw over the American people is evidence enough of that.

Senator Cornyn led the failed attempt to weed out the more dangerous elements:

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship subcommittee, made the following statement Wednesday regarding the Senate’s vote to keep in place loopholes in the proposed immigration bill which would allow a range of felons to pursue a path to legalization, and ultimately, U.S. Citizenship. The Senate today narrowly defeated, by a vote of 51 to 46, an amendment offered by Senator Cornyn which would have permanently barred all convicted felons – including terrorist associates, gang members, sex offenders, violent criminals and identity thieves – from receiving any immigration benefits.

“Today’s vote was a missed opportunity to close serious loopholes in this legislation. Senators could have demonstrated they want to restore respect for our laws. They failed to do so.

“If we are serious about restoring the rule of law, then how in good conscience can we reward those who have repeatedly committed felonies, such as identity theft, with a path to American citizenship? In our post 9/11 world, how can we in good conscience retain a loophole that would allow members of terrorist organizations and gang members to stay here legally and possibly become U.S. citizens? My amendment made clear that those loopholes would be closed and that would be impossible. I can’t imagine the American people support providing these benefits to people who so clearly have shown themselves unworthy of receiving them.

“This vote was disappointing but it does not weaken my resolve to continue working to improve this bill in the days ahead. There are still a range of areas that need to be reformed and strengthened in this legislation. I hope my Democrat colleagues will allow the Senate to have a full and fair debate.”

Cornyn was opposed by John McCain and Kennedy - of course:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., alone among his party’s presidential aspirants in backing the immigration measure, opposed Cornyn’s bid and backed the Democratic alternative offered by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

McCain was joined in opposing the amendment by the Senate’s four Democratic presidential hopefuls, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware, Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Chris Dodd of Connecticut, and Barack Obama of Illinois.

Listen to Senator Cornyn’s remarks following the vote.

Michelle Malkin has the breakdown on the Senate votes.

Need to Know is a short roundup of key stories that shouldn’t be missed on your cruise through the blogosphere. The number of links in the roundup may vary but if you find it here you can trust that it’s must-read material.

La Shawn Barber | Bush is an idiot
President George W. Bush will go down in history as the man who ushered in a dramatic demographic shift that turned the United States into a Third World country, with a disappearing middle class, another poorly educated and poor underclass (this one much larger than the other and Spanish-speaking), and a wealthy, insulated, gated-community elite. And I voted for him. Twice. I voted for Clinton twice, too, but I’m more ashamed of voting for Bush.

Peggy Noonan | Bush is worse than an idiot
What political conservatives and on-the-ground Republicans must understand at this point is that they are not breaking with the White House on immigration. They are not resisting, fighting and thereby setting down a historical marker–”At this point the break became final.” That’s not what’s happening. What conservatives and Republicans must recognize is that the White House has broken with them. What President Bush is doing, and has been doing for some time, is sundering a great political coalition. This is sad, and it holds implications not only for one political party but for the American future.

The Washington Time | Grass-roots rebellion
The Republican National Committee, hit by a grass-roots donors’ rebellion over President Bush’s immigration policy, has fired all 65 of its telephone solicitors, Ralph Z. Hallow will report Friday in The Washington Times.

Mary Katherine Ham | One last call before you’re fired
I happened to be at my friend Emily Dunham’s house when the RNC called to see “at what level she was comfortable renewing her contribution.” It went a little something like this.

TexasFred’s | Bush is an…eh, you know
I’ve known this for a LONG time, and I am really glad to see someone like La Shawn Barber come out and say it as well… Bush has all but done this nation in, he is giving us away to his Mexican amigos and bleeding us to death in his version of the ‘Crusades’ of the middle ages… But at this moment, the open borders and the “Z” plan are going to hurt us more than anything else, and yes, I say in a loud and resounding voice, La Shawn is right, George Bush IS an IDIOT…

Bloviating Zeppelin | A letter to the RNC
The GOP has gone completely invertebrate. You do not deserve my money. You have consciously determined not to protect our country. Demography is prophecy. You fail to comprehend that concept.
Understand this: bringing your Republican President into line, bringing your Republican Congressmen into line, bringing your Republican Senators into line — it isn’t my job.

Chuck Muth | The President insults his base
Un…be…lievable. According to the president, Americans whose “convictions run deep” on this “complex” and “emotional” issue “don’t want to do what’s right for America.” And the amnesty aspect of the proposal isn’t anything major; heck, it’s only a “narrow slice” of the bill. And anyone who disagrees is just trying to “frighten” people. Talk about how to win friends and influence people. Well, at least he didn’t call us all a bunch of vigilantes this time. So I guess that’s progress. But if I wasn’t offended by the bill itself before, I am by the president’s insulting characterizations of opponents in this speech, along with his mischaracterizations of the issue. And that’s enough for me to conclude that this latest “comprehensive” reform scheme still sucks eggs and deserves a quick and painful death. Hasta la vista, baby.

Ann Coulter | Just being Ann
At the precise moment in history when the U.S. has abandoned any attempt to transmit Anglo-Saxon virtues to its own citizens, much less to immigrants, George Bush wants to grant citizenship to hordes of immigrants who are here precisely because they are fleeing cultures that are utterly dysfunctional and ruinous for the humans who live in them. Yes, this country has absorbed huge migrations of illiterate peasants in the past — notably Italian immigrants at the turn of the last century. But also notably, half of them went back. We got the good ones. America was not yet a welfare state guaranteeing room and board to the luckless, the lazy and the incompetent from cradle to grave.

This is alarming:

The man told the Journal-Constitution he was in Rome during his honeymoon when the CDC notified him of the new tests and told him to turn himself in to Italian authorities to be isolated and be treated. The CDC told him he couldn’t fly aboard commercial airliners.

“I thought to myself: You’re nuts. I wasn’t going to do that. They told me I had been put on the no-fly list and my passport was flagged,” the man said.

He told the newspaper he and his wife decided to sneak back into the U.S. through Canada. He said he voluntarily went to a New York hospital, then was flown by the CDC to Atlanta.

He is not facing prosecution, health officials said.

“I’m a very well-educated, successful, intelligent person,” he told the paper. “This is insane to me that I have an armed guard outside my door when I’ve cooperated with everything other than the whole solitary-confinement-in-Italy thing.”

And we’re keeping known and suspected terrorists out how?

Bloggers React:

Michelle Malkin
Homeland security? What homeland security?

Webloggin
The selfishness of the man is unbelievable.

John “Blogger Poll” Hawkins just rolled out the details of his immigration survey. We aren’t a happy bunch:

4) Mitch McConnell said the following about the immigration bill in the Senate, “I don’t think there’s a single member of either party next year who is going to fail to be re-elected over this Issue.” Do you think he’s right?

Yes: 4 (8%)
No: 45 (92%)

See all of the results at Right Wing News.

Rasmussen Reports national telephone poll shows quite a surge:

The immigration reform debate may be shaking up the race for the Republican Presidential nomination. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has inched past Arizona Senator John McCain for second place in the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone poll. Just two weeks ago, Romney was in fourth place among GOP hopefuls.

The John Little telephone poll (the one where I annoy everyone who calls me, including telemarketers, by refusing to speak to them until they tell me which candidate they like) has Romney tied with Giuliani. He’s is scoring big points thanks to the clarity and directness of his message. Right on the right highlights additional positives:

He’s stronger on taxes than Huckabee, stronger on the War on Terror than Brownback, and more articulate than Tancredo. THAT is why Romney is now #2. Mittmentum so to speak.

For the record, I’m still undecided and will officially remain so for quite some time. I’ll let you know when I’m off the fence.

The Truth Laid Bear has posted a full copy of the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 online. It even accepts comments. The motivation:

If those who forged this “compromise” have their way, this bill will be voted on as early as Tuesday. That’s a crazily short amount of time for Senators — let alone the American public — to review, understand, and have a voice on the substance of such a complex bill.

My hope, however, is that by presenting the bill in this form, I will help make the bill more accessible to all, and provide a central spot where commentary, criticism, and suggested improvements can be assembled. Who knows — maybe our erstwhile leaders on Capitol Hill will take notice, and take some of our comments to heart.

There’s only one way to find out, so let’s get to it…

I’m sure Blogs of War readers will muster a comment or two.

John Hawkins of Right Wing News writes:

Folks, I know not all of you are against the amnesty bill in the Senate. I also know that all of you don’t approve of Googlebombs.

However, I don’t have any moral qualms about using Googlebombs and I’ve had as much as I can stand from the GOP on the illegal immigration bill. Not only is the bill that the Senate is pushing bad for the party, it’s bad for America, overwhelmingly opposed by conservatives, and it’s political suicide for the Republican Party.

So, with that in mind, I’m pulling out all the stops to try to prevent this bill from being passed.

That means, if the bill passes, I am going to organize a googlebomb aimed at any Republican Senator up for reelection in 2008 who votes for the bill and I’m to do going everything I can to see that they’re defeated in the primaries next year.

Google-Bombing Pro-Amnesty, Republican Senators Up For Election In 2008

If you agree with me, I hope you’ll link back to the post above on my blog and say you agree. If you don’t agree with me, I understand, but I still hope you’ll encourage these Senators to oppose this amnesty bill.

I don’t Googlebomb but if you want to get involved in John’s campaign that’s completely understandable. Now you know where to look.