Once assumed to be dead, comprehensive immigration reform is back on the national agenda. That's largely the result of the dedicated work of immigrant right activists -- including many in Illinois -- who organized a massive rally on the Washington Mall in March and are holding ongoing protests following the enactment of the ruthless Arizona immigration law.

This new momentum has also caused a stir on Capitol Hill.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) previously vowed to take up a climate change bill as his next big legislative push.  He probably still will. But facing a strong electoral challenge in a heavily-Latino state, he has recently hinted that he might consider moving immigration reform instead, which triggered a furious response from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). In an excellent new post, Grist's David Roberts explains the complicated -- and extremely frustrating -- dynamics at play on Capitol Hill. "This is the U.S. Senate," he reminds us, "where matters of incredible inter-generational consequence are decided by the whims and raw electoral interests of elderly white men with enormous, fragile egos."