President George W. Bush is expected to announce this evening that he will deploy National Guard troops to the Mexican border to try to stop illegal immigration.

While it really is intended to provide a photo opportunity for Bush to show he is doing something, the move goes beyond his immediate political goal of trying to save GOP House seats, the real problem is it further increases the militarization of the United States.

And while he'll get the credit, it'll be the governors of the border states that are left holding the responsibility when, not if, an encounter between soldiers results in people crossing the border being harmed.