These family-based immigration visas, granted in the course of a petition that can take from five to 20 years, are what most Filipinos hoping to live in the United States rely mostly upon.
If Bush goes through with his plan, it will shut the door on a great number of Filipinos who believe, with sufficient reason, that the only way to improve their lives is to leave home and relocate to the United States.
This plan is the latest setback for Filipinos who, with or without that Chicago-based survey, have consistently looked up to America as both role model and savior despite increasing incidences of just being slapped around in return.
The United States does not have a policy of reciprocity for allies who do not matter in the real world where its interests are concerned. On the contrary, it will warm up even to its enemies if its interests are served well by the gesture.
The only reason why Filipinos keep looking toward America despite being officially rebuffed repeatedly is that many Americans are genuinely warm and accommodating and are in fact opposed to the official policies of their government.
However, it is not friendship and civility that matter in official ties and government policies. These are all dictated not by open minds and warm hearts but by blind calculations and cold political realities.
Bush has his own demons to contend with, especially those that have sprung up from his misguided and arrogant involvement in Iraq. To protect himself and sustain his cause, his is willing to sell down the river anything, including sentimental old ties.