Boehner says 'never mind' on immigration
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
John King and a panel of top political reporters look at the prospects for immigration reform in an election year on "Inside Politics " on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Washington (CNN) -- Whatever you think of his politics, House Speaker John Boehner has a great sense of humor. So perhaps he won't mind the question framed this way: What happened, in the course of just one week, to make Speaker Boehner the Miss Emily Litella of immigration reform?
(If I have lost you already, take a moment and search the Web to understand the reference -- you won't regret it.)
"Never mind," was the trademark closing line of a character the late Gilda Radner made famous as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." And "never mind," is what Speaker Boehner might just as well have said Thursday when he all but declared the immigration reform legislative debate dead for 2014.
"Listen, there's widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws," Boehner told reporters, suggesting White House executive actions to change provisions of the health care law had many conservatives worried the administration wouldn't feel bound by any immigration legislation passed by Congress.
Citing that trust deficit, the Speaker added: "It's going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes."
There is without a doubt deep mistrust of the Obama White House in the Republican congressional ranks.
But is that mistrust any greater than just a week ago? Of course not, and it was just a week ago that the same Speaker Boehner said this of the same immigration debate:
"This problem has been around for at least the last 15 years, it's been turned into a political football. I think it's unfair, so I think it's time to deal with it."
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