Bush Border Stunt Stumps Dems, Grumps Cons

President Bush's proposal to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the Mexico border to assist the U.S. Border patrol appears to be helping to break the Congressional logjam over immigration reform, Reuters reports.

Compromise measures appear to be moving forward, as the NG deployment gives Conservatives the political cover they need to mollify their constituents who want greater security on the southern border.

A new ABC News/USA Today poll shows that four out of five Americans think that the entire border area should be turned into a giant minefield and the 101st Airborne Division should be permanently deployed there.

Okay, I totally made that up.

But public opinion has been exceptionally strong that tightening the border is essential to national security.

Problem is, without immigration reform -- specifically a guest-worker program and some reasonable method for dealing with 11-12 million illegal immigrants, whether it be immediate amnesty or some gradual path to citizenship -- not even a massive minefield and the 101st can truly make the border secure.

Conservatives grumble that the 6,000 troops aren't nearly enough to seal the border, but they'll likely grumble their way through the legislation because nobody wins if the problem doesn't get fixed.

Dems go to 11, as usual, saying that "militarizing" the border isn't solution, but their secret fear is that Bush will succeed in pushing through the very humane and rational reform measures they give lip service to, possibly costing them the fall elections.

Parties on both sides have derided the measure as a "stunt."

Both fail to understand, apparently, that it's not a stunt if it works.