A united policy

There is a line in "The West Wing" that always resonated with me. "'We hold these truths to be self-evident,' they said, 'that all men are created equal.' Strange as it may seem, that was the first time in history that anyone had ever bothered to write that down. Decisions are made by those who show up."

For months, we have been a nation divided. Actually, it's been longer than that, but a certain Arizona law certainly put it into focus. Yesterday, our President stood up and tried to take a step to address that division over immigration laws. Time will tell how good his plan is and whether or not it can make it through the legislature, but at least he is trying to address the breach.

I, personally, have mixed feelings about the Arizona law. However, I don't think the content of the law is the reason we're divided, I think it's a failure of leadership. Our last three administrations — Presidents from both parties — talked about an immigration policy but never really followed through. The truth is, though we allegedly have a national policy, there has been a void in this area. And the one thing history has taught us is that someone always steps in to fill a void.

So, absent strong leadership at the national level, Arizona stepped up and clarified its position. California did the same, in a way, as have all border states. But the problem is that there is inequity in how policies are applied.

Like it or not, what the President is doing is, actually, presidential. He is trying to step up and lead the way to making a decision that the whole country can stand behind. Real leaders do the right thing, even when it isn't easy. They stand up. They make decisions.

This issue is far from over, but it is nice to see someone finally coming out, stepping up, and putting the issue to the forefront for discussion.