Here is the latest proof that the elected Republican leaders in Washington are cut from the same cloth as the opposition.  Speaker John Boehner hired a new immigration policy director.  Presumably, the Republican House leader would hire someone who will push an alternative policy to the Democrat’s insatiable quest for amnesty, right?

Wrong.

Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, is taking on a new and formidable immigration policy director, a sign that he could be more serious about passing immigration legislation than his critics suggest.

Rebecca Tallent, who currently serves as director of immigration policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, will join Boehner’s staff on Wednesday. Before joining the BPC, Tallent held several senior staff positions with Sen. John McCain, including chief of staff.

During her time with McCain, she helped the Arizona Republican draft a handful of immigration overhaul measures, including the last big push McCain made with the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., in 2007. In 2008, she was a policy adviser on McCain’s presidential campaign. Before working for McCain, she worked for former Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., a longtime advocate of overhauling the immigration system who was involved in immigration efforts before he retired in 2006. [Roll Call]

Let this seep in for a moment.  The most important immigration policy staffer on the Republican side not only shares the views of the opposition, but actually worked to craft the very legislation they seek to pass as Obama’s crowning achievement.

Remember, immigration is just one issue.  This happens across the board on the Republican side.  One can only imagine the bold contrast of the GOP leadership’s top healthcare policy staffers.

This is exactly what I meant about the need for a choice, not an echo, as the opposition party.

On paper, the establishment seems to have a rationale defense of their position.  After all, they only control one branch of government.  What more can they do?

But when you scrutinize their actions carefully it becomes apparent that there is no desire to ever fight the Democrats with equal and opposing force.  Their staffers, donors, and lobbyists are all cut from the same cloth.  We witnessed this dynamic quite vividly when Eric Cantor’s former chief of staff worked on the Terry McAuliffe campaign.

It’s not easy to go on offense with control of just one branch of government.  But we can start by not scoring points for the other team.