The politics of immigration

The Senate's immigration reform bill has already caused a great deal of friction between Mitt Romney and Arizona Senator John McCain, a leading proponent of the legislation. After Romney came out against the bill, McCain promptly blasted him for flip-flopping.

Romney's tough talk against the Senate proposal -- and against illegal immigration in general -- may be playing well in some states, but two interesting pieces this week look at whether it could hurt him in Florida, a key early primary state in 2008 that he has courted aggressively.

The Miami Herald reports that Romney's position puts him at odds with GOP leaders in the state. This follows an excellent piece by ABC's Rick Klein looking at whether Romney's hard line on immigration has damaged his relationship with former Florida governor Jeb Bush, a beloved figure among many conservatives who has steered key staffers to Romney's campaign.

Immigration hasn't been nearly as radioactive on the Democratic side, but The New York Times has an interesting piece today looking at the immigration position of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who has come out against the compromise bill, though for far different reasons than conservatives have.