Our federal government has no higher duty than the defense of the United States. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., plans to tack onto a crucial national defense bill a measure that would put potentially millions of illegal aliens on an undeserved path to U.S. citizenship.
He is doing so because he knows it will be hard for Republicans to vote against necessary defense spending. His amnesty bill would have little chance of passing if it had to stand on its own merits, without being attached to vital defense legislation.
The amnesty measure may be a political ploy. Reid is in a tight race for re-election, and he apparently hopes to boost his popularity among some Hispanic voters.
But a defense bill should not be about amnesty for illegals, and lawmakers should reject this ploy.