Both Clinton and Obama voted to authorize President Bush to build a border fence between the United States and Mexico -- but both said Thursday they would consult with leaders in border areas about where fencing is needed and where other methods could be used to secure the borders.
President BUSH: To secure our border we're doubling the size of the Border Patrol and funding new infrastructure and technology.
The Bush speech ultimately dodged the border issue, and though it did call for a Palestinian state within three years, it made clear that any progress toward that goal would have to come after the removal of Yasser Arafat and the emergence of new Palestinian leaders untainted by terrorism.
On October 3rd, Mr Fox was due to meet George Bush in Washington to offer condolences and discuss border security.
Mr Bush's plans, which involve tighter border security, a guest-worker programme and a path to citizenship for the 12m or so illegal immigrants already in America is sensible and humane.
Mr. Bush has said Syria must seal its eastern border with Iraq to prevent the aiding of insurgents there and stop its efforts to undermine the government of its western neighbor, Lebanon.
Other elements central to the negotiation that would impact middle income earners, mainly the extension of Bush era tax cuts for incomes below the border, patching the alternative minimum tax, and the potential loss in the payroll tax cut, suggest that the economic situation of the middle class as a result of the fiscal reorganization will remain the status quo at best.
FORBES: How Will The Middle Class Fare In The Battle Over The Fiscal Cliff?
According to several top conservative bloggers, Bush simply has a credibility problem when it comes to border security.
Many congressional Republicans said they supported Bush's plan to use National Guard troops at the border.
He and Bush also are expected to discuss antidrug efforts and a shared border-control program.
Mr Bush is trying to placate this group with promises of tougher border security.
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Governors of border states, meanwhile, expressed doubts about Mr Bush's plan to send the National Guard down south.
President Bush says National Guard troops will be deployed to the southern border until 6, 000 new civilian patrol agents are hired, trained, and in position.
Bush said the nation has more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol during his presidency and has sent home about 6 million people entering the United States illegally.
He and Bush also are expected to discuss anti-drug efforts and a shared border-control program.
Obama supported President Bush-backed immigration legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.
Last year, Bush endorsed a "comprehensive" immigration reform bill that would couple tighter border controls with a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for the 10 million-plus illegal immigrants now estimated to live in the United States.
Bush said the National Guard troops would fill in temporarily while the nation's Border Patrol force is expanded.
The BBC's Chris Morris in Islamabad says that cross-border co-operation was high on the agenda when Mr Zardari and Mr Bush met at the UN.
When the Republicans ran Congress they rejected liberal immigration reform that George Bush supported and instead treated hard-working immigrants as criminals by funding security fences along the border with Mexico.
Like Mr Bush, they support a proposal, drafted in the Senate with bipartisan support, which would combine tighter border security with increased legal migration and steps to regularise the status of undocumented migrants.
Bush's only foray into foreign territory during the presidential campaign was a brief stop at a Mexican border town, where he stood alongside outgoing Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo and pledged to broaden trade with Latin America.
Mr. Bush was asked to explain why he signed legislation to build a fence along the U.S. southern border, a decision that rankled Latin American leaders.
The break-up of the Arellano gang will strengthen the arguments of Mr Fox, who will play host to Mr Bush next week, that Mexico deserves to be treated as a loyal ally on matters such as migration and border security.
As governor, Bush has zero foreign policy experience, except for occasional, perfunctory meetings with Mexican officials, standard fare for any border state governor, but surely no preparation for brokering a tough agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
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