WorldNetDaily: Battle over illegals: Bush vs. Congress

Specifically, while Bush is pushing his rapidly-going-nowhere AgJOBS plan, Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is proposing a measure of his own: the REAL-ID Act. It addresses all the worst holes in border security, including driver's licenses--going so far, in fact, as to set a minimum federal standard for driver's licenses and rule that any State's license that doesn't meet the standard shall be invalid for any federal purpose.

Note to all you who are understandably concerned about federalism and States' rights and such: Mr. Sensenbrenner does not propose to tell any State Division of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) what to do. He just says that if they don't conform to a minimum standard--well, the State can settle with such a sub-standard driver's license if they want, but the federal government will not.

Mr. Sensenbrenner does make one important provision, and I'd say that the federal government has a compelling interest in making it: that no person, who is not a permanent resident of the United States, shall ever receive a driver's license that shall expire later than his visa. Significantly, Mohammed Atta, leader of the hashshasheen of 22 Jumada t'Tania ("September 11"), held a driver's license with a six-year outdate while carrying a six-month visa.

In view of the discovery in Texas of some discarded clothing that looks as though it belonged to a terrorist (and no, I don't think he disappeared in the Rapture!), I don't see how the ACLU or anyone else can reasonably oppose this measure. And I remind everyone that New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission has a very tough six-point system of proof of age, identity, and address that would easily meet the Sensenbrenner standard. (Give Jim McGreevey credit for some things, especially for his motor-vehicle reforms and for straightening out the EZPass mess! Too bad he had to ruin everything with his various corrupt practices--but that's water under the bridge.)