Dole belatedly endorsed the move in a letter to conferees. But earlier this month, he tried to strong-arm his former colleagues into retaining the controversial amendment in an attempt to torpedo the immigration reform bill - one he had supported when he was in the Senate - to keep Clinton from scoring political points. That's not just hard-ball. That's irresponsible. Congressional Republicans deserve some credit for defying Dole, even if they acted out of political self-interest. The Republicans want to take an immigration bill, even a watered-down one, back home to their constituents before election time.