Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland, left, joined President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at a St. Patrick's Day reception in the East Room of the White House this evening. (Photo by Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images)
by Mark Silva
A day of celebrating all that is Irish-American about America ended at the White House this evening with President Barack Obama publicly reaffirming his commitment to immigration reform.
"I am pleased that there is bipartisan progress being made,'' Obama told guests filling the East Room of the White House. "My own commitment to comprehensive immigration reform remains unwavering."
Obama was alluding to other recent guests at the White House: Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who showed the president their idea of a "blueprint'' for immigration reform that includes not only tougher border protection but also a path to citizenship for those already here.
Tonight, Obama played host to the leader of a nation whose emigrants have been central to the development of the United States, the prime minister of Ireland, Brian Cowen, at the annual St. Patrick's Day Reception in the East Room, and the two saluted the Irish-American who was elected president 50 years ago, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Obama, noting that it was a half century ago that President Kennedy was elected, also honored his brother, the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, who had been instrumental in the development of bipartisan immigration reforms. Among the invited guests: Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
At an event featuring Keltic Dreams, an after-school Irish dancing troupe from Public School 59 in the Bronx, and the City of Washington Pipe Band, the Taoiseach, speakng of the late Sen. Kennedy, said: "At times like this, we miss his enthusiastic presence."
Obama ended his own remarks with a quote from George Washington, whose portrait hangs in the East Room, which begins: "When our friendless standards were first unfurled, who were the strangers who first mustered around our staff, and when it reeled in the fight, who more brilliantly sustained it than Erin's generous sons."
. And the Taoiseach presented the president with shamrock.
(With thanks for the pool reporting of the Washington Bureau's Kim Geiger.)





Comments
I LOOK FORWARD TO THE IMMIGRATION REFORM FIGHT WITH THE RACIST REPUBLICAN TEA KLUX KLANER'S.
Anyone trying to characterize the thug Teabagger movement as anything less than a far right wing movement with large racist undertones need only view its speakers
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM-cEtUfJhI
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Posted by: HHH | March 17, 2010 10:44 PM
Why are an African-American man and two men of Irish heritage having such a good laugh !!? It is the Incompetence, the Imbecility of the Republican-Libertarian-T.Baggers and the tired frauds, with which they tried to fool America, again !!? That is what has them in stitches !!
Thank God, the American electorate saw through the Obstructionists tired, worn-out charade of greed, masquerading as patriotism !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | March 18, 2010 8:39 AM
unwavering = illegals get to vote.
Posted by: Dan C | March 18, 2010 9:15 AM
Reform starts with his aunt who here illegally in Boston and on welfare. Why not start by deporting her. But reform means to spend more money for no real results.
Posted by: senator dirksen | March 18, 2010 9:36 AM
An article on Obama's NCAA picks, now one on Obama and the Irish PM. Weighty stuff, indeed! But no mention of the latest Gallup Poll (usually Mark Silva's favorite), which shows that Obama has slipped further, with more Americans disapproving than approving of him.
At last night's dinner for radio and tv correspondents, VP Biden quipped that the media crowd was Obama's "base." Every day, the Swamp proves Biden spoke the truth....
Posted by: Bruce | March 18, 2010 9:48 AM
Bruce must be remembering that black tie dinner where Bush referred to his fellow diners as his "base".
Anyway, I guess we can look forward now to a shift in Replican rhetoric:
immigrant bashing.
Sort of hard to engage in that, though, on St. Paddy's Day, isn't it , Bruce?
Posted by: ornery | March 18, 2010 10:22 AM
Dan in the can,
Unwavering = fixing the pug mistakes
Unwavering = doing the hard tasks that the pugs refuse to do
Unwavering = getting things done in Washington
Did momma drop you on yo head? Did you not read that it was a bi-partisan effort led by Lidsey Grahm?
Also, I wish people would understand how bad typing in caps-lock reads. It does nothing to prove your points and actually has an opposite effect.
Posted by: Xcellentform | March 18, 2010 10:42 AM
Well did not take long for a loony liberal to pull the race card. They do not understand the problems illegal aliens cause. Immigration is a necessary and vital part of this country and I have no problem with immigrants they choose to come to America and become citizens. I do have a problem with illegal aliens who come across our borders and yes take jobs. I can remember a time when in the construction trades you could make a good wage and be nonunion. But now a lot of the trades in construction are getting half the wages they were when I was in them and that can be traced straight to illegal aliens. This is happen in a lot of other fields and it needs to start.
Now I will wait to be called a racist by a loony liberal. But they do not even realize that since Obama started his run for the White House they have abused the race card so much it's hard for thinking Americans to believe it anymore. They have become the little boy that cried Wolf.
There are racist in all shapes, forms, and political parties. You want to see liberal racist go to LaGrange or Western Springs IL.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | March 18, 2010 10:44 AM
Anyone who thinks illegal immigration is good for the United States has not done his or her homework. We have an immigration system, one that includes a variety of races, NOT a disproportionate number of people from one or two countries who think they can gain citizenship by simply arriving over the border, using false identification, and then DEMANDING citizenship. And, these "racist" teabaggers are the backbone of America, the Middle Class who are tired of seeing American jobs head overseas and illegal labor undercutting the U.S. workforce. Not to mention anchor babies, ESL, welfare, free emergency room care, and WIC...just to mention a few costs. And, if you still don't get it, take a look at illegal alien crime in North Carolina. www.ncfire.info. These ILLEGALS have NO problem commititng a series of crimes that taxpayers also fund. Free attorneys, jail costs, medical, dental. So, when you start to slam the Middle Class, you miss the point. It really only renders you ignorant in your arrogance.
Posted by: CapeFearFIRE | March 18, 2010 6:42 PM
Fix our broken economy Please!
I am Fed up with ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION and I object to these 15-20 Million ILLEGAL immigrants bringing in another 30-45 Million family members when they get their back door citizenship under reunification programs.
I Hope that local, State and Federal agencies arrest ILLEGAL Immigrants according to the current laws that have been ignored. Also fed up with ILLEGAL immigrants obtaining TAX paid benefits.
We need to stop ILLEGAL immigrants getting US jobs, lowering American wages and not paying taxes.
Stop ILLEGAL immigrants who use these babies to gain benefits. If the parent are illegal and have a baby in the U.S the baby should not qualify for Citizenship.
Protect American citizens from foreign nationals who use these borders to traffic drugs, crime, human transport and other illegal behavior that hurts American citizens.
ANYONE who enters ILLEGALLY should be banned from ANY future Citizenship because you know this encourages more ILLEGAL immigrants to ILLEGALLY cross into the USA.
Together we can take back America and fight back for our children’s future.
America simply cannot take on over a million plus LLEGAL immigrants a year our population growth is curving at a dangerous rate and by being politically correct we may be ignoring the destruction of America.
Please, STOP ILLEGAL immigration!
Posted by: Cindy H. | March 18, 2010 8:09 PM
It fits our needs perfectly the advantage of immigration reform on the country: Greater supply of unskilled workers, a younger workforce, and skilled workers in needed sectors. But there is also a disadvantage of immigration reform like Greater poverty, more educational cost, lower unskilled wage levels, and increased danger of terrorism. Thanks to the post!
Posted by: Immigrant kid | April 8, 2010 2:15 AM