Scott Rasmussen discusses his polling results on immigration:

Most current discussion by elected officials starts with a focus on illegal aliens. For most voters, that's letting the tail wag the dog.

The best place to start is with the bigger picture where most Americans agree. We've been polling state-by-state on this issue all month and consistently find agreement on a few key points.

1. Most Americans in all states want a welcoming national immigration policy that lets our nation assimilate new people into the national melting pot. Our polls have consistently found strong support for a policy goal that welcomes everybody except criminals, national security, threats, and those who want to live off our welfare system.

2. Just as important, most Americans also want a policy that emphasizes enforcement first. They want the nation to gain control of its borders and enforce existing laws before other reforms are considered.

3. As a pragmatic step to support the first two points, most Americans want to build a barrier along the Mexican border.

Rasmussen also takes seriously the possibility of a third-party presidential candidate winning a few Southwestern states in 2008 based on the immigration issue. I wouldn't bet on that. I think it much more likely the Republican primaries will produce a candidate who endorses #1, #2, and #3 above, regardless of how he talks today.