President signs Border Fence Bill

[DoctorDawg]

It's fun when we get all excited about hollow gestures intended only to wow the rubes...

THE MORNING BRIEF
By JOSEPH SCHUMAN
(The Wall Street Journal Online, Oct. 6, 2006)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1160...nce_columnists

Holes in the Border Fence
That 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexican border that was authorized by Congress last week and hailed as a primary accomplishment of the recently completed congressional session will never be built as advertised, thanks to separate legislation passed shortly after, Republican lawmakers and immigration experts tell the Washington Post. Shortly before the House and Senate recessed on Friday night, they gave the Bush administration leeway to distribute the $1.2 billion to a combination of projects beyond the physical barrier, the Post reports. "The funds may also be spent on roads, technology and 'tactical infrastructure to support the Department of Homeland Security's preferred option of a 'virtual fence,'" the Post says. Moreover, "in a late-night concession to win over wavering Republicans, GOP congressional leaders pledged in writing that Native American tribes, members of Congress, governors and local leaders would get a say in 'the exact placement' of any structure, and that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff would have the flexibility to use alternatives 'when fencing is ineffective or impractical.'"