Tonight President Bush is expected to announce the deployment of National Guard troops at the border with Mexico, a move that is long overdue.
Now this is funny — Janet Napolitano’s campaign was quick to take credit for President Bush’s decision:
“The Governor’s office tells News 4 that Governor Napolitano has been in close contact with White House officials discussing the issue and they are making progress.”
I’m guessing that phone calls from a liberal Democrat seeking political cover for her inaction on the border were not a huge factor in the President’s decision, but who knows?
Janet Napolitano has had the authority to deploy the National Guard on the border since she took office — at least 5 million illegal crossings ago. She vetoed a legislative bill this session that provided funding for the Guard. And her main proposal on immigration was to give drivers licenses to those who are here illegally. After declaring a state of emergency last year, we are still waiting for her to do something.
No amount of taking credit for action by the President can outweigh this record of inaction.