EDITORIAL - George W. Bush may come out of Midland, Texas, but his roots are in Kennebunkport, Maine, and the old wealth, country club society of the Northeast.

Nothing wrong with that in principle, but a problem for Republican politicians, even successful ones such as Bush, who come from that area or have that background.

In general, these people are ?moderate? Republicans and even though some may move rightward on some issues, as Bush has done on taxes and judges, in their hearts they are still ?moderates? on some or most social issues.

Bush is no exception.

Their problem is this. They think that because conservative Republicans have helped elect them once in the hope that they are helping elect a fellow conservative, that they will continue to support them regardless of how far left they may move on issues that are generally anathema to conservative voters.

It appears that Bush, like his father before him, shares this belief. He is a big spender. His ?compassionate conservatism? is merely another phrase for ?big government conservatism,.? big government not only in terms of spending but in terms of usurping functions that rightly belong to the states.

While his domestic policies have made many conservatives uneasy most have continued to support him, largely because of the way he has handled the terrorism threat, but also because they have no place else to go, no one else to support.

However, this week that may have changed.

Nothing Bush has said, done, or proposed in his three years as president has riled and upset conservatives as much as has his proposal to grant a sort of amnesty to those 10 to 14 million aliens, mostly Mexicans, who are in this country illegally.

Conservatives for the most part are not anti-immigration but they want immigration to be controlled, they want their borders guarded and they want those who immigrate here to do so legally. They are opposed to rewarding those who sneak into the United States, procure social security cards illegally, and take full advantage of the rights and privileges supposedly reserved to American citizens.

The president apparently has no problem with illegal immigration or immigrants. He comes close to favoring open borders.

And he has conservatives madder than they?ve been since his father signed the infamous tax increase legislation back in l990.

The president?s proposal may be merely a political ploy designed to win the votes of Mexican Americans and the friendship of Mexico?s president, Vicente Fox.

And he may never propose legislation to support his proposal and even if he does it likely will not pass, which may be his hope.

However, with his speech he has done two things, both bad. First, his proposal at the very least will be seen by Mexicans as an invitation to come here anyway they can because this administration will shut its eyes to illegal immigrants.

Second, while, like country club Republicans, of which he is not supposed to be one, he seems to have judged that conservatives will grudgingly accept his latest ?in your teeth? proposal because they have no place else to go.

If that is the case he, like his father before him, is wrong. Conservatives do have some place else to go when they get mad enough. It is called ?home.?

This president came within an ace of not being elected in 2000. It wouldn?t take very many stay-at-home conservatives to reverse that result in 2004, unless, which is doubtful, he were to pick up a big batch of new Mexican votes.

There is a rule in politics that while one should move to broaden his base, he should not abandon it in the hopes of creating a new and larger one.

At this particular moment the president seems to have forgotten that. It is to be hoped that one of his bright political people will remind him.