7:35pm Eastern update: Here’s the cloture vote.

I’ll be guest-hosting The O’Reilly Factor tonight and tomorrow night. We’ll be covering the immigration debate wall-to-wall. Catch the show at 8pm Eastern.

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Here’s your lunchtime blood-boiler: Video of the Michael Chertoff comment I mentioned this morning.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: You know, Wolf, first, I understand there’s some people who expect anything other than capital punishment is an amnesty. The reality is the proposal here requires people who came in illegally who want to stay to pay a penalty. Like a fine. That’s a punishment. That’s not an amnesty.

Chertoff’s playing from the same demonization handbook Linsday Graham is reading from: “We’re gonna tell the bigots to shut up.”

Update: I’m told that Fox News asked Chertoff to appear tonight on The Factor to discuss the shamnesty bill. He declined. The deaf and simpatico Wolf Blitzer makes him feel more at home, I guess…

Update: The Chertoff smear underscores one of David Frum’s points:

As we have seen in both the Harriet Miers fight and the Dubai ports deal, this White House’s first instinct when faced with dissent in the ranks is to insult and abuse its strongest supporters. “Sexist”; “elitist”; “registered bigots” were some of the terms cast during the previous fights. Brace yourselves for much, much worse. This is no way to win friends and influence people. And triggering an internecine party conflict on the eve of a difficult and dangerous election is no way to re-elect a damaged incumbent party.

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