Fascinating and important analysis, BriVT.  Your argument and the scenario you lay out not only make sense, but have major implications re: the value of having the Dems take the lead on sensible and balanced immigration reform.  It would be sweetly ironic if the one issue where Bush seems to have a relatively sane perspective would be the one in which he helps insure that the Dems win in 2008 and beyond.

And on Chris' general point, it's worth noting that the choice Americans appeared to have made in this election not only bodes well for Democratic electoral prospects, but also for a bit more sanity in the country--and potentially the world.  As we've seen, the Republican cultural supremacists aren't just wrong and ignorant, they're also pretty dangerous when they control the reins of power.