National Guard Deployment To Border Likely Just For Show

As we await the address, more updates on his half-assed National Guard plan...

AP: Nat'l Guard Not Expected to Patrol Border

National Guard troops tapped for duty on the border with Mexico will not chase down illegal immigrants but instead will play behind-the-scenes roles in support of border guards, officials said Monday.

Among the tasks they are likely to perform over the coming year: training federal Border Patrol guards, building barriers near the border, improving roadways, providing support for aerial and ground surveillance, analyzing and sharing intelligence, and providing communications systems and transportation, the officials said.

The intent is to deepen the Guard's existing support for law enforcement agencies — but only temporarily...

Well that hardly seems worth the hype, now does it?

As Atrios points out, this dog-and-pony show of throwing a military photo-up toward the border is all part of new White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten's five-point plan for presidential recovery. From a recent Time profile on Bolten-

1 DEPLOY GUNS AND BADGES. This is an unabashed play to members of the conservative base who are worried about illegal immigration. Under the banner of homeland security, the White House plans to seek more funding for an extremely visible enforcement crackdown at the Mexican border, including a beefed-up force of agents patrolling on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). "It'll be more guys with guns and badges," said a proponent of the plan. "Think of the visuals. The President can go down and meet with the new recruits. He can go down to the border and meet with a bunch of guys and go ride around on an ATV." Bush has long insisted he wants a guest-worker program paired with stricter border enforcement, but House Republicans have balked at temporary legalization for immigrants, so the President's ambition of using the issue to make the party more welcoming to Hispanics may have to wait.

Once again, it's all about the elections. The actual policy and its effects are afterthoughts.

Finally, the NY Times notes that President Bush's address tonight is "his first on domestic policy from the Oval Office". Wow. President Bush has a domestic policy? Who says you can't teach an old President new tricks?

Finally, reports confirm the controversial guest-worker plan will be mentioned tonight.