DOWN MEXICO WAY - AT 7:53 A.M.   From the McClatchy Newspapers:

WASHINGTON — President Obama weighed in Wednesday on the escalating drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that he was looking at possibly deploying National Guard troops to contain the violence but ruled out any immediate military move.

"We're going to examine whether and if National Guard deployments would make sense and under what circumstances they would make sense," Obama said during an interview with journalists for regional papers, including a McClatchy reporter.

"I don't have a particular tipping point in mind," he said. "I think it's unacceptable if you've got drug gangs crossing our borders and killing U.S. citizens."

COMMENT:  Yeah, I would say that killing U.S. citizens would be unacceptable.  I'll go along with that. 

These quotes from the president show a flaw in this administration - an inability to zero in on a serious problem and propose a rapid, effective response.  It's oh so intellectual, almost too reasonable.  There must, in leadership, be the grand gesture, the memorable phrase.  "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"  What we get from this president, an attractive and bright man, is too much mush.

There's a crisis on our border - not a vague problem to be contemplated.

March 12, 2009