"Senate Insiders" via NRO: Bill will pass Senate w/60 Votes

LINK TO ARTICLE HERE

Likely to Win Senate Approval [Kate O'Beirne]

Maybe I've been talking to a particularly pessimistic lot, but every Senate insider I have spoken with predicts that the immigration bill will be approved by the Senate with about 60 votes. That could change depending on how amendments go. But one veteran GOP aide just noted the "extraordinary process" Majority Leader Reid is presiding over. He is "slow-walking" amendments to prevent the consideration of multiple changes. After the Memorial Day recess, the expectation is that only a very limited number of amendments will be permitted and there aren't the 41 votes necessary to insist on a more open process. There's some grousing about the Republican leadership's apparent reluctance to demand that their members be permitted to offer all their legitimate, substantive amendments.

Not very good news. But Lott supporting this bill was a huge step for the bill's passage.

One hope would have been that some amendments would be added which might erode Democrat support. But Reid seems to be managing this tightly to prevent suc as