The Bush Administration will now delay for at least six months the implementation of a new rule that U.S. citizens must present a passport when crossing the U.S. border by land or sea, officials announced today.

Starting in January, land and sea travelers returning from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be allowed to present a birth certificate and driver’s license in lieu of a passport.

The modification is expected to last at least until the summer of 2008, when officials hope to require passports or similar documentation at all land and sea crossings. Are we taking bets on the summer 2008 date?

The reason? We all know the reason. The government is still back-logged trying to meet current demand for passports — as a result of the change requiring people to produce a passport when flying back from the aformentioned countries.

Most amusing comments from the a Senate hearing Tuesday on the current passport mess? Maura Harty, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, took the blame for the passport mess, saying that part of the problem was that in 2005 Hurricane Katrina reduced the capabilities of the agency’s New Orleans passport office. Right. The office in New Orleans has been up and running for more than a year.

But the best excuse was this one: She also said the agency had not expected so many Americans to actually obey the new law.

I have no comeback for that one.

I feel like one of those people who ask “Who did you vote for and why” today.

I’ve been getting a great deal of feedback from American pilots today in regard to who they voted for and why in the APA elections. And I have to say, at this point, I don’t think it looks good for incumbent President Ralph Hunter.

And, if that is the case — then, as one reader commented — American management will be the big losers. But they will be losers of their own making. Because it was American management who, as he put it, “Whacked Hunter’s legs out from under him and left him standing naked in the storm.”

I think that is a very astute observation.

Final vote count should be out this afternoon.

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For those of you with enquiring minds, apparently the exact cause of the meltdown this morning at United was a failure of the Unimatic computer system. (Hope that answers one reader’s question!)

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Late tomorrow afternoon we should know which platform of candidates will lead the Allied Pilots Association for the next three years. The APA represents the pilots at American Airlines.

To say that this is a huge election is the proverbial understatement. Whoever is elected will preside over one of the most contentious contract negotiations in the industry — the first of many such negotiations slated in the next two years.

Will Ralph Hunter manage to hang on to the President’s position?

I have talked to those on both sides over the last two weeks, and I can honestly say — this one is too close to call. I rarely say that — although I did in the recent Northwest flight attendant vote.

But this one — yep. It’s too close to call. And frankly, that’s not good for Ralph Hunter.

In the primary vote, only 58% voted of the eligible pilots voted. But Ralph only got about 1400 votes. The group of challengers to him received about 4500 total. (There were three challengers including Hill.)

It’s a pretty easy election to dissect however — as many pilots who are not happy with the current situation at American tend to blame Hunter for having been too close to management over the last three years. For them, it’s a case of “change is a good thing, no matter what it is.”  Hill is campaigning to this unhappiness by promising to be much more aggressive with management  at American.

But those on Hunter’s side believe that Lloyd Hill is a loose cannon — and not the type of person they want in the office at this particular point in time.

We’ll have the final numbers here tomorrow.

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