THE BORDER REPORT

Looking at Homeland Sec. Michael Chertoff's somewhat amusing "tough shit if you don't like, you'll get over it" statement this afternoon, I have to ask, why are our elected officials surprised at the latest border wall endeavors? Democrat Gabrielle Giffords sent a letter out to the press this afternoon blasting the Homeland Security Department for sneaking in another 100 miles of wall in Arizona without consulting her or anyone else on the project. I don't know what Raul Grijalva's office had to say, but I'm guessing the response is predictable. But honestly, is anyone really surprised by any of this? Because the reaction du jour seems to be shock and rage. We've faced this kind of boondoggle planning since 2005 when the REAL ID plan laid out Homeland's right to shine over some 35 environmental rules prohibiting the border. On a sidenote, last week, a National Guard unit stationed along the Nogales border got to witness border desmadres firsthand when a guy was executed right across the line from their observation post. No word yet on whether the Guard retreated from that one. But I'm guessing those troops would have liked a nice fat wall put up before the hit went down.

-- Michel Marizco