Phoenix, AZ – It was Gabrille Giffords who got the first word from the White
House that Obama intended to put 1,200 soldiers on the border,
and that 524 of them would be stationed in Arizona. That gave
Giffords, a Democrat facing a tough reelection bid, a chance to
get some positive publicity by announcing what the president
intended to do ahead of him actually doing it. The word was the
first of the troops would be arriving by August 1st. But Giffords
press aide C.J. Karamargin said Wednesday she can't find out
where they are.
(That is the question the congresswoman wants answered. It's the
question that people in Southeastern Arizona want answered. We
are getting calls from constituents wanting to know when the 524
Guard will be on the ground.)
But Homeland Security spokesman Matthew Chandler said August 1st
was never intended to be a deadline. In a prepared statement, he
said his agency has been clear from the beginning they would be
what he called an incremental deployment of soldiers to ensure
they're fully prepared for the mission. And Chandler said both
his agency and the Department of Defense have kept federal and
state leaders fully briefed about what's going on. For Arizona
Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.