A fine question from Chris Wallace. Now that the amnesty bill’s dead, why not have the White House drop a bomb in Harry Reid’s lap by splitting off the $4.4 billion border-enforcement package and submitting it as a new bill? The left is serious about the border, right? They must be — they tell us so all the time, when they’re not telling us how tough they are on terrorism. So how about bundling some employer verification, some fencing, and some new border patrol agents and floating that one down Pennsylvania Avenue? Even if it fails, watching Harry, Teddy, and smilin’ Nancy Pelosi squirm while they try to explain why they must, regrettably, oppose the bill would make for dynamite politics. We have a tiny bit of momentum right now; why not press it?

No thanks, says Chertoff.

Exit question: Anyone else not feeling terribly depressed while reading this?