People who met with Mr. Obama asked the same thing. His response: Get some Republicans on board, then we’ll discuss it. The fate of immigration reform, then, hangs on its ability to win Republican votes. In today’s Washington, that’s enough to make anyone want to reach for the plug and pull it.

Fixing immigration was supposed to be different from all the other dead-end Congressional trench battles, because of one thing: bipartisan support. There was always a lot for Republicans to like: conservative arguments that reform is good for business, reunites families, bolsters national security — and pleases Latino voters…

There is one possible game changer: an immigration march in Washington planned for March 21, designed as a last-ditch try to put reform on the agenda. Nothing like 100,000 angry, frustrated, impatient marchers, representing millions of voters, to focus the Congressional and presidential mind, if it’s not too late.