Aw, What A Shame!

Here it is, 9/11, and we still don't have a real fence along the border with Mexico to provide us with security from those pesky brown terrorists, and it's all the Democrats fault. From today's Washington Post:

The Bush administration is unlikely to complete 670 miles of border fence by year-end as required by Congress because of surging construction costs and problems acquiring private land along the border with Mexico, Homeland Security Department officials acknowledged yesterday.

The department had completed 344 miles of fencing as of Aug. 29, about half its goal, congressional investigators reported. It has yet to acquire 320 parcels of land because of delayed court proceedings and disputes with private owners, mostly in Texas, officials said.

Administration officials also contended that they are running out of money. Costs for vehicle barriers have climbed 40 percent since February, to $2.8 million a mile, and 75 percent for pedestrian fencing, to $7.5 million a mile. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials did not provide details but said the $3.5 billion Secure Border Initiative faces a $400 million cost overrun.

Like we didn't see this coming?

But here's the answer to the problems which have emerged from building a 670 mile wall (actually, two walls: one to stop cars, one to stop pedestrians): throw more money into the project's budget. That way we can still have our state-of-the-art barricade replete with "tower-mounted sensors, surveillance equipment and other technology on the border under the department's 'virtual fence' initiative."

And if the 110th Congress refuses? Well, then:

...officials this week sought to put the burden of future delays on the Democratic-led Congress, which they say must approve more money for the project.

Like we didn't see this coming, either.

Maybe somebody should remind the current administration of something Robert Frost learned decades ago: "Something there is that does not love a fence."

Morons.