The Republican senator stunned both Democrats and the GOP alike by introducing an immigration bill that bypasses others now being debated. Bighearted guy that he is, Frist left out a guest-worker provision–which many conservatives view as amnesty for undocumented workers. (But which even Bush supported….)

Check out Truthdig’s Marc Cooper to strip away the myths surrounding this hotly debated issue.

Frustrated by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s slow progress on politically sensitive immigration legislation, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) introduced his own bill last night to secure the nation’s borders and crack down on illegal immigration.

Frist’s bill would go directly to the full Senate. But he said he would allow Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to substitute a committee bill if Specter’s panel could approve one March 27. Otherwise, the majority leader will stick to a strict, two-week schedule to finish work on what he conceded would be “as challenging a bill as any we’ll have to address this year.”

The majority leader’s power move stunned committee Republicans and Democrats, who have been struggling for three weeks to reach agreement on a comprehensive immigration bill. Specter said he objected to the maneuver.

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