Bush wimps out as gangs cross our border

By James Pinkerton
Newsday.com

"In a different era the American commander in chief took seriously his constitutional oath to 'preserve, protect and defend' these United States. In 1916, after the terroristic forces of Pancho Villa crossed into American territory, President Woodrow Wilson sent John 'Black Jack' Pershing and the U.S. Army into Mexico on a punitive retaliatory expedition. That's how a country convinces outsiders that it cares about its own national sovereignty. But, in contrast to the 28th president, the 43rd president seems to be preoccupied with Iraq, not Arizona; extra U.S. troops are going to go 7,000 miles from home, even as our own homes are unguarded.

Indeed, Bush and the Democrats who now control Congress seem to agree that there should be less enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border. So in 2007 we can expect a cancelation of the once-promised border wall. We also can expect a guest-worker/slow-motion-amnesty deal. Bush and his new best friend forever, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), are eager for such a deal to show the D.C. establishment that they can work with Democrats at least some of the time - even as they seek to jam the Dems on Iraq.

But, of course, both parties in Washington are experts at the game of selling out ordinary Americans - in the name of foggy abstractions such as 'bipartisanship' and 'nation building.'

What Americans on the southwestern border need is political leadership that will stand up for them, not ignore them. And soon enough, as the immigration invasion continues, all Americans will figure out that they, too, need border protection." Read more...