In the annals of cynical political maneuvers, President Obama’s decision to postpone executive action on immigration until after the election must win some sort of prize. It’s not just the rawness of the political calculation but also the chutzpah of insisting that the decision came because acting now would have doomed long-lasting reform.

Nobody believes that, and the White House knows it. What’s more, the White House knows we know. We learned in high school that some kids get some sort of kick out of being openly brazen, daring weak-willed teachers to stop them.