kirupa
08-22 06:13 PM
Simply create a button that links to the zip file. Instead of linking to a web site, link to the URL of the file instead!
wallpaper We#39;re in Stockholm, Sweden
Macaca
12-12 10:14 AM
Muscle Flexing in Senate: G.O.P. Defends Strategy (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/washington/12cong.html?hp) By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN | NY Times, December 12, 2007
WASHINGTON �Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, operates with near-robotic efficiency when it comes to negotiating budget figures in public, consistently refusing to answer questions that would ever commit him to a specific number at the bargaining table.
So it was more than a little telling when Mr. McConnell laid down his mark in the current budget fight on Tuesday, informing the Capitol Hill press corps that he was ready to offer Democrats a deal, $70 billion in war financing with no strings attached and a total budget identical to President Bush�s proposal.
In other words, the Republicans should get virtually everything they want. And he was not kidding.
With the president warning repeatedly that he will veto any budget package he dislikes and the Democrats short of the 60 votes they need in the Senate, the Republican minority is in an unusually strong bargaining position � and not just in the budget negotiations that are the top priority in Congress these days.
Mr. McConnell and his fellow Republicans are playing such tight defense, blocking nearly every bill proposed by the slim Democratic majority that they are increasingly able to dictate what they want, much to the dismay of the majority leader, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, and frustrated Democrats in the House.
In fact, the Senate Republicans are so accustomed to blocking measures that when the Democrats finally agreed last week to their demands on a bill to repair the alternative minimum tax, the Republicans still objected, briefly blocking the version of the bill that they wanted before scrambling to approve it later.
For the Democrats, it was a perfect example of why they have taken to calling the G.O.P. the �grand obstructionist party.� The Democrats send out daily tallies of the number of Republican filibusters, which the Democrats say will set a record.
It also explains why so little is getting done in Congress right now. With a crush of legislation pending ahead of the Christmas holiday recess, it should be one of the busiest times of the year.
In addition to holding up a spending deal and setting the terms on the alternative minimum tax, Senate Republicans blocked a major energy bill on Friday. Mr. Reid said Tuesday that he planned to remove a major component that the Republicans opposed in hopes of getting the bill approved.
The Republicans are not shy about their strategy, which they say is merely exercising the minority�s right to filibuster, which has existed since the earliest days of the Senate. Nor are they shy about standing with Mr. Bush, who now threatens almost daily to use his veto to back up the strategy.
But there are also risks. The latest New York Times/CBS News poll found that the stagnation in Congress has made an impression. Just 21 percent of Americans say they have a favorable view of Congress and 64 percent disapprove. And the two parties have been unyielding, calculating that voters will blame the other side.
For some lawmakers, especially those facing re-election, the danger is palpable.
�I am not seeing much common ground, meeting in the center,� said Senator Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, a Republican who is seeking a third term. �And if we don�t find that, the Senate will fail in its governing responsibilities.
�The thing that�s important to remember is that the Senate was structured to govern from the center, to find the common sense. There is little sense about this place right now.�
Democrats say the Republican stance, especially on spending, is reckless and aimed at shutting down the government.
Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, insists that the more Republicans block Democrats in Congress, the more seats Democrats will win next year.
Republicans have to defend 23 Senate seats next year, nearly twice as many as Democrats, who have 12 to defend.
The Republicans, however, say their strategy will win.
�I think we are being consistent here against higher taxes, consistently against greater regulation, consistently against creating new causes of action in bill after bill after bill,� Mr. McConnell said. �It�s a positive message of our vision of America.
�We have a pretty good sense that the public has figured out they are not too happy with this new Congress.�
By the calculation of Mr. McConnell and other Republicans, voters will reward them for stopping the Democrats from doing all sorts of things that the Republicans view as foolish.
Aides to the Republican leadership said they hoped to supplement that message with an agenda that they plan to lay out early next year and that they said would show clear differences with the Democrats.
In the meantime, Mr. McConnell and the Republicans, with Mr. Bush�s support, effectively have a stranglehold on the Senate. That has in turn created bitterness between Democrats in the Senate and House, where Democrats have a larger majority and more leverage.
Mr. Reid met Tuesday afternoon with Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California as the Democrats continued to struggle to formulate an �omnibus� spending package that would bundle 11 appropriations bills and avoid a shutdown of government agencies.
Democrats last week pushed to add $11 billion for domestic spending, above what Mr. Bush had proposed, in exchange for money for the war effort, with no strings attached. But Republicans objected, and Mr. Bush threatened a veto.
Democrats then suggested cutting home-state projects, typically called earmarks, sought by lawmakers in both parties, but on Tuesday Mr. Reid seemed to back away from that idea.
Mr. McConnell, of course, said it was up to the Democrats to work things out, whether on spending or any other measure, in a way that Republicans would accept.
�They are in the majority,� he said. �But in the Senate, to do most things, it requires 60. That has been the case for a long time, and it will require working out our differences. So we�re prepared to work with them to finish up the session. But the bills will not be written exclusively by Democrats.�
WASHINGTON �Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, operates with near-robotic efficiency when it comes to negotiating budget figures in public, consistently refusing to answer questions that would ever commit him to a specific number at the bargaining table.
So it was more than a little telling when Mr. McConnell laid down his mark in the current budget fight on Tuesday, informing the Capitol Hill press corps that he was ready to offer Democrats a deal, $70 billion in war financing with no strings attached and a total budget identical to President Bush�s proposal.
In other words, the Republicans should get virtually everything they want. And he was not kidding.
With the president warning repeatedly that he will veto any budget package he dislikes and the Democrats short of the 60 votes they need in the Senate, the Republican minority is in an unusually strong bargaining position � and not just in the budget negotiations that are the top priority in Congress these days.
Mr. McConnell and his fellow Republicans are playing such tight defense, blocking nearly every bill proposed by the slim Democratic majority that they are increasingly able to dictate what they want, much to the dismay of the majority leader, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, and frustrated Democrats in the House.
In fact, the Senate Republicans are so accustomed to blocking measures that when the Democrats finally agreed last week to their demands on a bill to repair the alternative minimum tax, the Republicans still objected, briefly blocking the version of the bill that they wanted before scrambling to approve it later.
For the Democrats, it was a perfect example of why they have taken to calling the G.O.P. the �grand obstructionist party.� The Democrats send out daily tallies of the number of Republican filibusters, which the Democrats say will set a record.
It also explains why so little is getting done in Congress right now. With a crush of legislation pending ahead of the Christmas holiday recess, it should be one of the busiest times of the year.
In addition to holding up a spending deal and setting the terms on the alternative minimum tax, Senate Republicans blocked a major energy bill on Friday. Mr. Reid said Tuesday that he planned to remove a major component that the Republicans opposed in hopes of getting the bill approved.
The Republicans are not shy about their strategy, which they say is merely exercising the minority�s right to filibuster, which has existed since the earliest days of the Senate. Nor are they shy about standing with Mr. Bush, who now threatens almost daily to use his veto to back up the strategy.
But there are also risks. The latest New York Times/CBS News poll found that the stagnation in Congress has made an impression. Just 21 percent of Americans say they have a favorable view of Congress and 64 percent disapprove. And the two parties have been unyielding, calculating that voters will blame the other side.
For some lawmakers, especially those facing re-election, the danger is palpable.
�I am not seeing much common ground, meeting in the center,� said Senator Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, a Republican who is seeking a third term. �And if we don�t find that, the Senate will fail in its governing responsibilities.
�The thing that�s important to remember is that the Senate was structured to govern from the center, to find the common sense. There is little sense about this place right now.�
Democrats say the Republican stance, especially on spending, is reckless and aimed at shutting down the government.
Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, insists that the more Republicans block Democrats in Congress, the more seats Democrats will win next year.
Republicans have to defend 23 Senate seats next year, nearly twice as many as Democrats, who have 12 to defend.
The Republicans, however, say their strategy will win.
�I think we are being consistent here against higher taxes, consistently against greater regulation, consistently against creating new causes of action in bill after bill after bill,� Mr. McConnell said. �It�s a positive message of our vision of America.
�We have a pretty good sense that the public has figured out they are not too happy with this new Congress.�
By the calculation of Mr. McConnell and other Republicans, voters will reward them for stopping the Democrats from doing all sorts of things that the Republicans view as foolish.
Aides to the Republican leadership said they hoped to supplement that message with an agenda that they plan to lay out early next year and that they said would show clear differences with the Democrats.
In the meantime, Mr. McConnell and the Republicans, with Mr. Bush�s support, effectively have a stranglehold on the Senate. That has in turn created bitterness between Democrats in the Senate and House, where Democrats have a larger majority and more leverage.
Mr. Reid met Tuesday afternoon with Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California as the Democrats continued to struggle to formulate an �omnibus� spending package that would bundle 11 appropriations bills and avoid a shutdown of government agencies.
Democrats last week pushed to add $11 billion for domestic spending, above what Mr. Bush had proposed, in exchange for money for the war effort, with no strings attached. But Republicans objected, and Mr. Bush threatened a veto.
Democrats then suggested cutting home-state projects, typically called earmarks, sought by lawmakers in both parties, but on Tuesday Mr. Reid seemed to back away from that idea.
Mr. McConnell, of course, said it was up to the Democrats to work things out, whether on spending or any other measure, in a way that Republicans would accept.
�They are in the majority,� he said. �But in the Senate, to do most things, it requires 60. That has been the case for a long time, and it will require working out our differences. So we�re prepared to work with them to finish up the session. But the bills will not be written exclusively by Democrats.�
qualified_trash
10-23 12:28 PM
gc_maine2,
I think you have your question posted on the incorrect forum.
thanks,
QT
I think you have your question posted on the incorrect forum.
thanks,
QT
2011 I apparently arrived on the worst day for Stockholm night life because it
Line
07-12 04:59 PM
Thinking about the idea of reusing an old idea.
I decided to reuse an old saying, and in the concept of reuse, I thought of cut and pasting.
Check out my idea of the phrase "Heart On A Sleeve"
http://linedetail.com/siteimages/LinesHeartOnASleeveShirt.jpg
-Line
I decided to reuse an old saying, and in the concept of reuse, I thought of cut and pasting.
Check out my idea of the phrase "Heart On A Sleeve"
http://linedetail.com/siteimages/LinesHeartOnASleeveShirt.jpg
-Line
more...
mustang29
04-04 05:17 AM
I work with winForms
Blog Feeds
07-21 01:10 PM
It has now been nearly two years since the Senate voted to kill an immigration reform package and the hopes of ever dealing with the mess that is our immigration system seemed over for the foreseeable future. But a lot has changed in 23 months. Most importantly, there was an election in 2008 that dramatically changed the politics on the issue. There are ten more Democrats in the Senate and nearly 30 more in the House. And there is a Democratic President that likely owes his win to Hispanic voters turning out in large numbers to deliver several states that...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2009/07/get-ready-for-the-thrilla-this-fall.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2009/07/get-ready-for-the-thrilla-this-fall.html)
more...
kirupa
09-21 03:24 PM
In less than an hour :) The judges had until Friday to get their entries in!
2010 of Stockholm, Sweden in
Blog Feeds
07-23 04:20 AM
The Governor has filed her response to the motion argued in court today to delay the implementation of Arizona's SB1070 law on July 24th. Reader USC has discussed some of the arguments in the comments. In short, Arizona is arguing that illegal immigration is costing the state serious money and delaying implementation will economically damage the state. Also, they argue that illegal immigrants are dangerous criminals and the citizens of Arizona are in grave danger each day this law is not implemented. Too bad the data doesn't back up either. On the crime issue, here are the facts. On the...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2010/07/arizona-files-brief-to-block-injunction.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2010/07/arizona-files-brief-to-block-injunction.html)
more...
lascha
04-19 06:11 PM
I am in a similar position and also have my green card in process. havent yet given my step 3...dont know what to do?
I am hoping I can cancel my green card appli and start my resi on j1 visa
I am hoping I can cancel my green card appli and start my resi on j1 visa
hair Maybe next time go there in see how the night life is.
Blog Feeds
05-05 01:30 PM
Today�s New York Times brims with immigration dysfunctions galore. The paper's immigration reports tellingly underscore the front-burner role this white-hot policy issue plays in the nation and the world. In the first section alone, we see: � An open-mike faux pas by British PM Gordon Brown, referring to an immigration opponent as a �bigoted woman,� prompted his abject apology and now risks a Labor Party loss in the UK election next week; � A controversial opinion piece and articles on the political, legal and economic fallout of the Arizona Peace-Officers� Suspect-and-Arrest-or-Refrain-and-Be-Sued Act; � A report on four Dream Act marchers�...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/angelopaparelli/2010/04/all-the-immigration-news-thats-fit-to-print-1.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/angelopaparelli/2010/04/all-the-immigration-news-thats-fit-to-print-1.html)
more...
Blog Feeds
02-05 06:40 PM
The final season of ABC's Lost begins tonight wrapping up the groundbreaking science fiction drama that is truly addictive and has one of the most complex plots ever devised for television. The show also has an international cast that American's have rarely seen and which makes the show even more appealing. Here are some of the immigrants that have played important roles in the show over the last six years - Naveen Andrews - UK - Sayid Jarrah Daniel Dae Kim - South Korean - Jin Kwon Yunkim Kim - South Korea - Sun Kwon Evangeline Lilly - Canada -...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2010/02/immigrants-of-the-day-the-cast-of-lost.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2010/02/immigrants-of-the-day-the-cast-of-lost.html)
hot Sodermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
kirupa
03-27 12:45 AM
Added :)
more...
house Stockholm+sweden
nightowl76
10-31 12:58 AM
Hello,
My I-485 was filed this July. My wife and I got FP notices for Nov 20. But my wife is currently in India and I will be in India too on Nov 20. So we will have to reschedule at least for my wife.
My question is, has anyone who filed their I-485 after July 2 rescheduled their FP appt and got a new appt date? I'm in the San Jose area.
Thanks in advance.
My I-485 was filed this July. My wife and I got FP notices for Nov 20. But my wife is currently in India and I will be in India too on Nov 20. So we will have to reschedule at least for my wife.
My question is, has anyone who filed their I-485 after July 2 rescheduled their FP appt and got a new appt date? I'm in the San Jose area.
Thanks in advance.
tattoo Stockholm, Sweden
sac-r-ten
03-10 10:57 AM
A friend of mine lost his I797. His lawyer asked him to apply for duplicate.He got the duplicate after few months. I don't know the exact procedure was.
more...
pictures The clubs in Stockholm are
MyUSVisa
05-14 01:04 AM
I joined company ABC on H1B in 2005.
In Nov 2006 company XYZ filed my GC.
H1B got transferred to a couple of companies because I changed jobs while GC was being processed in parallel without being affected by my job changes because it was filed by another company.
In Oct 2007 got my EAD for a period of 1 year. Kept working on H1B only though.
EAD expired in Oct 2008. Applied for a new card but never received it. Did not apply for one after that.
In Nov 2009, I quit my job and moved back to home country giving up my H1B while still not affecting my GC because company XYZ agreed to keep it under process.
So at this time, I have no H1B and no EAD card. My priority date is however going to be current soon.
Now...
1) Do I have to be in the country before my dates get current or can I do that later?
2) On what status do I enter?
3) Can I delay the process somehow without affecting my GC?
In Nov 2006 company XYZ filed my GC.
H1B got transferred to a couple of companies because I changed jobs while GC was being processed in parallel without being affected by my job changes because it was filed by another company.
In Oct 2007 got my EAD for a period of 1 year. Kept working on H1B only though.
EAD expired in Oct 2008. Applied for a new card but never received it. Did not apply for one after that.
In Nov 2009, I quit my job and moved back to home country giving up my H1B while still not affecting my GC because company XYZ agreed to keep it under process.
So at this time, I have no H1B and no EAD card. My priority date is however going to be current soon.
Now...
1) Do I have to be in the country before my dates get current or can I do that later?
2) On what status do I enter?
3) Can I delay the process somehow without affecting my GC?
dresses Stockholm nightlife - Sweden
subba
06-28 06:55 PM
Absolutely.
Work experience has nothing to do with visa status.
Work experience has nothing to do with visa status.
more...
makeup Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
JunRN
09-30 03:38 PM
Quote from Anna35 ():
" I live less than a mile of Lincoln Nebraska Service center, and the parking lot was full yesterday saturday from 7 to 12 pm after that and today sunday is empty. so dont work beside the system automatic updates... "
NSC must have used up all the FY2007 visas...if not and they did not work on the last day of FY2007, then we can conclude that they really don't care if visas are wasted or not.
Do not expect any approval from NSC today....we can only expect automatic uptdates!
" I live less than a mile of Lincoln Nebraska Service center, and the parking lot was full yesterday saturday from 7 to 12 pm after that and today sunday is empty. so dont work beside the system automatic updates... "
NSC must have used up all the FY2007 visas...if not and they did not work on the last day of FY2007, then we can conclude that they really don't care if visas are wasted or not.
Do not expect any approval from NSC today....we can only expect automatic uptdates!
girlfriend Biggest Cities in Sweden
Cathy_P
February 9th, 2005, 05:56 PM
I like this, Freddy. There's always a warm feeling of life in an open air market. Where is this located?
hairstyles Dublin nightlife, Stockholm, Sweden
indyanguy
05-28 01:33 PM
Suggestions, anyone?
We contacted the USCIS and they are not willing to disclose any information about the notice. They simply say they will resend it. That might take a long time.
We contacted the USCIS and they are not willing to disclose any information about the notice. They simply say they will resend it. That might take a long time.
LostInGCProcess
11-03 04:12 PM
There is no issue what-so-ever using AP to enter US. I don't know why you are mixing H1 with AP. Both are different. AP is just a travel Document that can be used to travel abroad and return to US. Does not matter if you have a H1 or not.
Macaca
05-19 07:54 AM
3 Months of Tense Talks Led to Immigration Deal (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/washington/19immig.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) By CARL HULSE (http://www.nytimes.com/gst/emailus.html) and ROBERT PEAR (http://www.nytimes.com/gst/emailus.html), May 19, 2007
WASHINGTON, May 18 � Hours before a bipartisan deal on immigration policy was to be announced Thursday, a tenuous compromise was threatening to unravel, and tempers flared once again.
Just off the Senate floor, Senators John McCain of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas, both Republicans, exchanged sharp words, with Mr. McCain accusing his colleague of raising arcane legal issues to scuttle the deal. Mr. Cornyn retorted that he was entitled to his view and noted that Mr. McCain had spent more time campaigning for president than negotiating in recent weeks.
The senatorial dust-up, described by witnesses, was just one of the tense moments in remarkable negotiations over the last three months that resulted in this week�s accord. Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who oversaw the talks, compared them to a floating craps game, with a changing cast of characters and shifting sites.
Lawmakers and staff members who participated said passions occasionally ran high in the dozens of meetings, with Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, sometimes using his temper as a negotiating tactic. Senators who had spent hours anguishing over the smallest details had little patience for colleagues who made brief appearances to offer their views.
�New people came in and wanted to revisit the whole deal,� Mr. Specter said. �That happened all the time. It was very frustrating.�
In the end, negotiators overcame political divisions and some level of distrust to produce the agreement that will be debated in the Senate beginning next week. Lawmakers said they forged bonds partly through the telling of personal stories about their own family roots, as well as long hours spent together and the prospect that the bill might be a last chance at reaching consensus on a major national problem.
�It was like waiting for a baby to be born,� said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, about the negotiations. �On occasion, it was like being in mediation with a divorced couple. It was like being at camp with your buddies. It was feeling like a part of history.�
As difficult as the negotiations were, they might ultimately seem tame compared with the fight the authors of the plan now face. Before the language of the bill was even published, the proposal � a major domestic objective of the Bush administration � was under attack from the right for allowing illegal immigrants to earn citizenship and from the left for dividing families. The offices of the negotiators were under siege from critics who had the phones ringing endlessly.
�It is real easy to demagogue this thing, and some people probably won�t be able to help themselves,� said Senator Mel Martinez, Republican of Florida and another key participant in the talks. �We are going to have to stick together on the fundamentals of this agreement.�
The talks had their genesis in last year�s failure on immigration after House Republicans essentially chose to ignore a bill passed by the Senate that conservatives derided as amnesty since it would have allowed some of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States to remain and eventually qualify to be citizens.
President Bush helped plant the seeds of this year�s negotiations on Jan. 8, at a White House event celebrating the fifth anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act. Mr. Bush pulled aside Senator Kennedy, and they went into a room off the Oval Office to talk about immigration.
A month later, Senator Jon Kyl, a conservative Republican from Arizona who would become an important figure in striking the deal, began meeting with other Republicans and administration officials to explore ways to find a legislative response to an issue with potent political and humanitarian ramifications.
When those talks progressed far enough, the Republicans on March 28 invited in Democrats like Mr. Kennedy, a longtime advocate of immigration changes, and Senators Ken Salazar of Colorado and Robert Menendez of New Jersey. What followed was a series of meetings around the Capitol, typically on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, as the lawmakers, staff members, White House officials and two or three cabinet secretaries immersed themselves in immigration rules as part of unusually direct high-level negotiations.
�To take an issue and basically start from scratch and write it from the bottom up is something I haven�t seen done in a really long time,� said Candida Wolff, chief of Congressional relations for the White House.
The first big hurdle was cleared a few weeks ago when the negotiators settled on what they called the grand bargain, the main outlines of the issues they were going to address. Major elements included border security improvements and other measures that would have to be undertaken before new citizenship programs were put in place; potential legal status for millions of illegal immigrants; new visas for hundreds of thousands of temporary workers; and clearing a backlog of family applicants for residency.
Republicans also won support for a new �merit-based system of immigration,� which would give more weight to job skills and education and less to family ties. The negotiators decided to adopt a point system to evaluate the qualifications of foreign citizens seeking permission to immigrate to the United States.
No question was too small for the senators. They asked: How many points should be awarded to a refrigerator mechanic with a certificate from a community college?
The negotiations were a roller coaster ride that continued until the deal was announced Thursday, with negotiators expressing despair one day and optimism the next.
�Wednesday evening was one of the most important moments,� Mr. Kennedy said in an interview. �The mood and the atmosphere were good. You got a feeling that maybe this would all be possible. But on Thursday morning, it suddenly deteriorated again.� He told his colleagues that �it�s imperative that we announce an agreement� on Thursday afternoon, or else they could lose momentum. The announcement was made.
In some respects, the lawmakers benefited from the Congressional focus on the Iraq war as they were able to negotiate below the radar, avoiding the disclosure of every twist and turn in the talks and pressure from influential interest groups. Those involved also said the deep participation of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was vital.
The senators who put together the bill say they have their own reservations about aspects of it. And some of the regular participants, including Senators Cornyn and Menendez, have backed away from endorsing it. But those who have embraced the bill say they intend to see it through.
�We made a pact,� said Mr. Specter, who was referred to as Mr. Chairman even though Democrats control Congress. �We will stick together even on provisions we don�t like. We are a long way from home in getting this through the Senate.�
WASHINGTON, May 18 � Hours before a bipartisan deal on immigration policy was to be announced Thursday, a tenuous compromise was threatening to unravel, and tempers flared once again.
Just off the Senate floor, Senators John McCain of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas, both Republicans, exchanged sharp words, with Mr. McCain accusing his colleague of raising arcane legal issues to scuttle the deal. Mr. Cornyn retorted that he was entitled to his view and noted that Mr. McCain had spent more time campaigning for president than negotiating in recent weeks.
The senatorial dust-up, described by witnesses, was just one of the tense moments in remarkable negotiations over the last three months that resulted in this week�s accord. Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who oversaw the talks, compared them to a floating craps game, with a changing cast of characters and shifting sites.
Lawmakers and staff members who participated said passions occasionally ran high in the dozens of meetings, with Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, sometimes using his temper as a negotiating tactic. Senators who had spent hours anguishing over the smallest details had little patience for colleagues who made brief appearances to offer their views.
�New people came in and wanted to revisit the whole deal,� Mr. Specter said. �That happened all the time. It was very frustrating.�
In the end, negotiators overcame political divisions and some level of distrust to produce the agreement that will be debated in the Senate beginning next week. Lawmakers said they forged bonds partly through the telling of personal stories about their own family roots, as well as long hours spent together and the prospect that the bill might be a last chance at reaching consensus on a major national problem.
�It was like waiting for a baby to be born,� said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, about the negotiations. �On occasion, it was like being in mediation with a divorced couple. It was like being at camp with your buddies. It was feeling like a part of history.�
As difficult as the negotiations were, they might ultimately seem tame compared with the fight the authors of the plan now face. Before the language of the bill was even published, the proposal � a major domestic objective of the Bush administration � was under attack from the right for allowing illegal immigrants to earn citizenship and from the left for dividing families. The offices of the negotiators were under siege from critics who had the phones ringing endlessly.
�It is real easy to demagogue this thing, and some people probably won�t be able to help themselves,� said Senator Mel Martinez, Republican of Florida and another key participant in the talks. �We are going to have to stick together on the fundamentals of this agreement.�
The talks had their genesis in last year�s failure on immigration after House Republicans essentially chose to ignore a bill passed by the Senate that conservatives derided as amnesty since it would have allowed some of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States to remain and eventually qualify to be citizens.
President Bush helped plant the seeds of this year�s negotiations on Jan. 8, at a White House event celebrating the fifth anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act. Mr. Bush pulled aside Senator Kennedy, and they went into a room off the Oval Office to talk about immigration.
A month later, Senator Jon Kyl, a conservative Republican from Arizona who would become an important figure in striking the deal, began meeting with other Republicans and administration officials to explore ways to find a legislative response to an issue with potent political and humanitarian ramifications.
When those talks progressed far enough, the Republicans on March 28 invited in Democrats like Mr. Kennedy, a longtime advocate of immigration changes, and Senators Ken Salazar of Colorado and Robert Menendez of New Jersey. What followed was a series of meetings around the Capitol, typically on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, as the lawmakers, staff members, White House officials and two or three cabinet secretaries immersed themselves in immigration rules as part of unusually direct high-level negotiations.
�To take an issue and basically start from scratch and write it from the bottom up is something I haven�t seen done in a really long time,� said Candida Wolff, chief of Congressional relations for the White House.
The first big hurdle was cleared a few weeks ago when the negotiators settled on what they called the grand bargain, the main outlines of the issues they were going to address. Major elements included border security improvements and other measures that would have to be undertaken before new citizenship programs were put in place; potential legal status for millions of illegal immigrants; new visas for hundreds of thousands of temporary workers; and clearing a backlog of family applicants for residency.
Republicans also won support for a new �merit-based system of immigration,� which would give more weight to job skills and education and less to family ties. The negotiators decided to adopt a point system to evaluate the qualifications of foreign citizens seeking permission to immigrate to the United States.
No question was too small for the senators. They asked: How many points should be awarded to a refrigerator mechanic with a certificate from a community college?
The negotiations were a roller coaster ride that continued until the deal was announced Thursday, with negotiators expressing despair one day and optimism the next.
�Wednesday evening was one of the most important moments,� Mr. Kennedy said in an interview. �The mood and the atmosphere were good. You got a feeling that maybe this would all be possible. But on Thursday morning, it suddenly deteriorated again.� He told his colleagues that �it�s imperative that we announce an agreement� on Thursday afternoon, or else they could lose momentum. The announcement was made.
In some respects, the lawmakers benefited from the Congressional focus on the Iraq war as they were able to negotiate below the radar, avoiding the disclosure of every twist and turn in the talks and pressure from influential interest groups. Those involved also said the deep participation of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was vital.
The senators who put together the bill say they have their own reservations about aspects of it. And some of the regular participants, including Senators Cornyn and Menendez, have backed away from endorsing it. But those who have embraced the bill say they intend to see it through.
�We made a pact,� said Mr. Specter, who was referred to as Mr. Chairman even though Democrats control Congress. �We will stick together even on provisions we don�t like. We are a long way from home in getting this through the Senate.�
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