There are a few holes in his argument, but, overall, I agree -- to have the best higher educational system in the world, we need the best students.

While we noted the initial significant drop in foreign graduate student enrollment here on disjointed almost a year ago, these more recent articles in more mainstream media might actually get someone's attention.. it's a lot more effective when put like:
"The dirty little secret about America's scientific edge is that it's largely produced by foreigners and immigrants."

Gizmo, I am in a similar situation as you. My girlfriend is here from Japan on a student/working visa which expires in April. She has already been denied once for an E2 visa. Her company considered doing an H1-B but as you mentioned, the deadline and cutoff happened already in October. She could apply for next year in a couple months but wouldn't get any result until next October... well after her current visa expires.

As a domestic scientist (;) I am personally committed to leaving this country if my foreign (relatively speaking) girlfriend can't stay. (Course, I'll probably leave even if she can...)

But we can also disconnect the H1-Bs for a moment from the drop in student visas... even if we have legitimate reasons for dropping the number of H1-Bs to a fraction of their tech boom high, they don't necessarily apply to limiting the number of foreign students doing awesome research here.

I'm sure Richard Florida has something to say about the effects of a nation making itself less attractive to the foreign creative class.

Also, how does this country deal with the cognitive dissonance of being told to and wanting to hate everything foreign, worldly, or cosmopolitan, and at the same time having to consider that they are very much dependent on an influx of foreign ideas and the brains that come up with them and the people that contain the brains... and the cultures that produce the people we are unable to produce.

I would very seriously consider leaving the US if my boyfriend cant stay here. Its just so frustrating. I didnt hear any of our presidential candidates talk about this issue for fear of offending the folks that balk at the idea that foreigners provide the majority of our skilled labor. Its fact. People need to swallow their pride and get over it.

Heck, i might have to move overseas anyawy if tech leaves the US. Im not interested in working in a factory or a mcdonalds.

FYI here is yet another article regarding visa problems impacting the US:

Tight visa rules hurt US business

I was at a conference last year where many middle eastern students had to have their work presented for them because they were denied visas to re-enter the US. The conference was in Canada.