Consultation= Kicking the can down the road

Michael Chertoff has a way with words. In denying his Department of Homeland Security's failure to cooperate in any meaningful way with the border residents whose lives he is tearing apart and whose property he is destroying, he says this:

"...As I've made clear, we're not willing to have endless debate. We're not willing to kick the can down the road indefinitely," he continued. "We have made a commitment to the American people to get the job done, and we are going to live up to that commitment."

See! Right there in that last sentence he admits that he plans to build the wall, no matter what, because that's the commitment. To be single-minded in securing our homeland.

That is, the homeland where we screw poor people.

Kicking the can down the road indefinitely is really a pretty apt description of how activists feel under the Bush Administration. Except, maybe, we feel more like the road itself.

So, looking forward: Obama and Clinton answered some questions about the border situation during the debate in Austin, Texas last night. During the debate, the candidates were asked if they would reconsider building the border fence between the U.S. and Mexico, which is obviously a hot button issue in Texas.

Clinton used her visit to the University of Texas at Brownsville in her response. "The University of Texas at Brownsville would have part of its campus cutoff. I would have a review. I would listen to the people who live along the border, who understand what it is we need to be doing to protect our country," said Clinton.

Barack Obama had a similar response. He said, "This is an area where Senator Clinton and I almost entirely agree. I think that the key is to consult with local communities, whether it's on the commercial interests, the environmental stakes; of creating any kind of barrier."

While there is either some confusion about punctuation in the report or some confusion about what constitutes articulation on the campaign trail, neither of them sound like they would rehire Chertoff.

So, heck, there's your good news for today. You're welcome.