That John Cornyn? The Republican from Texas? Who, as head of the NRSC, is counting on our contributions to help elect Republican senators next year? Whose most memorable contribution to the last amnesty debate was serving as a target for a nasty F-bomb attack by amnesty shill-in-chief John McCain?

Dude?

I applaud President Obama’s commitment to addressing comprehensive immigration reform this year, and stand ready to work with him to produce a product that represents the best interests of America, including respect for the rule of law, national security and economic security

I know, I know — it’s press-release boilerplate aimed at demonstrating Cornyn’s bipartisan spirit. It’s not the statement that surprises me, though, it’s his reference to “comprehensive” reform, a byword on the right for amnesty. Why go there? I don’t understand either why he’s gung ho to deal with the issue this year either rather than hold off until after the midterms in hopes that the GOP can pick up a seat or two in the interim — unless, armed with the NRSC’s projections, he thinks the odds of that happening are so long that we’re better off taking our chances now. Gulp.

Or, maybe he’s crazy like a fox. VDH on why the great Democratic hope might not be:

This year’s immigration lead-ins on the evening news are not Minutemen on the border and poor immigrants wandering the desert deprived of water by cruel Americans, but lines of Americans at job fairs, reports that the unemployed are looking for any sort of work that they can get their hands on, and a brutality and savagery right across the border every bit as disturbing as what we’ve seen on jihadist videos.

What will cause polarization is a radical Democratic drive now for de facto amnesty without border closure — at a time of rising unemployment here at home and utter chaos and violence in Mexico.

The public’s appetite for amnesty while the economy’s still comatose will almost surely be weaker than it’ll be during an economic recovery next year or the year after. Is that what Cornyn’s thinking? Or is he ready to make a play for Hispanic voters by going the full McCain route here?