Mush-mouthed pols descend on the border

Joaquin Tijerina, “Official Chisme Blogger” for the Brownsville Herald writes:

Both Obama and Clinton voted in the fall of 2006 to build a border fence. It was no doubt a political calculation on their part as they fired up their presidential bids. Neither, I’m guessing, wanted to be seen as being weak on illegal immigration, so they both went against their natural political grains and voted for the construction of 370 miles of border fencing.

Now, with a Pew Hispanic Center poll showing that nearly 70 percent of Latinos oppose building additional fencing, Clinton and Obama are making like Texas border mayors in voicing their concerns about such a structure. So much so that on Monday morning, La Jefa herself, (that would be Hillary), issued a statement in response to a Sunday story that ran in The Brownsville Herald and El Nuevo Heraldo, saying the article, which detailed the cultural and economic impacts of the border fence, raised serious concerns.

“It is troubling to me that our country’s current border security plan threatens a South Texas tradition, (Charro Days), historically created to celebrate the sharing of cultures,” the Hillary Statement stated. “I believe we need to re-evaluate the border wall as it is currently being implemented.”

Esta bueno, Hill, thanks for the attention and sending the note of concern. Pero, here’s the thing, by the time you or Barack take office in January 2009, if either one of you can beat GOP bad boy John McCain, the fence is likely already going to be up. As comedian George Lopez would say, the fence is going up “right now- right now,” unless border leaders are successful in running out the clock in 2008 and convincing that pelon, Michael Chertoff of Homeland Security, to hold off a bit and work things out so a fourth of the UT-Brownsville doesn’t end up in Mexico.

Look, both Clinton and Obama are playing the panda-rama political game with us right now on the border fence. Where were they in late 2006 when we needed national political leaders of their type to stand up against the right-wing noise machine and say a border fence may work in some concentrated areas, but please don’t let it cut through the heart of American communities like Brownsville, Laredo, Eagle Pass and El Paso. Instead, they voted for the thing, quietly and with an eye toward the 2008 presidential election year cycle.

Not that the candidate for the other corporate party is any less clueless:

SAN ANTONIO (Associated Press) — GOP presidential candidate John McCain Wednesday tried to sidestep the touchy issue of a border fence as he campaigned in San Antonio.

McCain said he hopes that federal officials and Texas landowners can agree on where to put the barrier with Mexico.

The Arizona senator spoke at a town hall meeting with employees at a financial services company that caters to military personnel and retirees.

McCain was asked how he would balance the need for border security with individual property rights.

Along the Texas border, landowners fear their riverfront land will be divided or taken from them.

McCain’s first responded by joking, “This meeting is adjourned.”

McCain then promised he’d look into the issue. The Texas border with Mexico is far more populated than the border areas in Arizona.

Ho-hum… where’s the change that’s supposed to be so exciting in this overly long election?