What precisely did former President George W. Bush say about immigration reform?

Turns out not much at all.

The former president, speaking at a forum on immigration this week at his library-museum in Dallas called for a “positive” outcome in the debate but said he won’t get involved in policy specifics.

Too bad about that.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/310087-bush-calls-for-reform-but-says-he-wont-enter-immigration-debate

I was rather hoping President Bush would have something specific to add to the discussion, given that he spoke well about immigration while he served as Texas governor from 1995 until 2000 and later as president.

Bush has long thought to be on the side of true reformers, the folks who favored a “pathway to citizenship” for the 11 million individuals who are here illegally. That side of the debate already has won the first round with a decisive vote in the U.S. Senate to approve legislation that establishes that pathway while also shoring up border security.

The House of Representatives’ Republican leadership – the individuals who run that chamber – are threatening to stall it (imagine that) if they can’t get a majority of GOP members to sign on.

President Bush has been quite circumspect in his public comments since leaving the White House in January 2009. He’s refrained from criticizing his successor, Barack Obama, declaring that the president has a difficult enough job without being sniped at by those who served previously. I admire that about Bush.

However, the 43rd president has something of value to add to the specifics of the current immigration debate. I would hope he’d reconsider his reluctance to get involved and weigh in – constructively, of course.