Frist’s Folly:

Specter said his Judiciary Committee wouldn't tackle immigration reform until "late this year"-a sharp contrast from his counterpart in the House, Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R.-Wis.). Sensenbrenner's bill to prohibit federal agencies from accepting driver's licenses from states that issue licenses to illegal aliens-the Real I.D. Act-won House approval by an overwhelming 261-to-161 vote last Thursday. While Sensenbrenner last week gained White House support for his bill, a new obstacle emerged: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R.-Tenn.). During his weekly press conference Tuesday, Frist made tepid remarks about Sensenbrenner's bill. "We'll see what the House does, what they propose," he said. "And I assume sometime over the course of the next several months we'll be dealing with some element of immigration. But no commitments have been made."