CARAFANO: Border security beyond bumper stickers and cowboying
By James Jay Carafano Wednesday, November 2, 2011

President Obama and the cast auditioning to replace him represent opposing caricatures of bad border security strategy. Mr. Obama, for his part, tries to look tough on border and immigration enforcement, while simultaneously signaling that he will do everything possible to ensure that illegal border crossing becomes a potential ticket to citizenship.

The president’s strategy is not only characterized by inconsistency; it is riddled with pettiness and indifference. Mr. Obama has troubled relations on both sides of the border. He has alienated key border-state governors and has - at best - an ambivalent relationship with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Meanwhile, various federal agencies dabble in the border battles with little overall central direction from the White House.

For the most part, GOP candidates for the Oval Office seem determined to stick to a myopic, bumper-sticker policy: “Secure the border.â€