Bush Assures Fox on Military at Border

El Presidente Vicente Fox must be getting a little nervous about the possibility of National Guard troops stopping his cash cows from crossing the border. He reached out and touched President Bush yesterday with his concerns:

President Bush assured Mexican President Vicente Fox on Sunday he did not intend to militarize their countries' mutual border, but was considering sending National Guard troops there to temporarily support border control efforts.

"The president made clear that the United States considers Mexico a friend and that what is being considered is not militarization of the border, but support of border patrol capabilities on a temporary basis by National Guard personnel," White House spokeswoman Maria Tamburri said, describing a telephone conversation between Bush and his Mexican counterpart.

Fox "reached out" to Bush on Sunday to relay his concerns about the plan that is under consideration, Tamburri said.

The president's speech will be very interesting. If he doesn't lead with border security (and not some guest worker program), he's not going to help his cause with the conservatives.

What I'm wondering is if there may be some type of "oops, I got that one wrong". The media has been pestering Bush for an apology for years on Iraq and any number of other issues. Could this be the time they get it?

UPDATE: AOL is running this poll question on their site:

Do you support sending National Guard troops to the Mexican border?

Though unscientific, AOL polls often pretty accurately reflect public opinion, and after over 41,000 votes, it's running 78% yes.