You go to “war” with the supporters you have

David Frum provides an analysis of the politics of the immigration deal from the Republican standpoint. Frum’s bleak assessment is mostly on target, I think. However, I disagree with his statement that the deal has wounded all three top-tier candidates for the Republican nomination.
Frum says the deal hurts Romney because “it has added one more flip-flop to his already too lengthy list of reversals.” But this is crunch time, and Republican voters with strong feelings on this issue will look favorably on any prominent figure who steps forward now in vigorous opposition to the Bush-Kennedy-McCain deal.
If there were a first-tier candidate with a better past record on the immigration issue, the Senate compromise would help that candidate more, and if Fred Thompson enters and has such a record (which I question), so much the better for him. In the meantime, Romney is a beneficiary.
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