The president's current contribution toward securing the border — 1,200 National Guard members — is plainly more about politics than solutions.

There is, in fact, no purely military, police or enforcement solution to this problem, unless the president proposes to send enough troops to link arm to arm at the border, 24/7. This might guarantee no entry — if combined with a solid wall of flotillas at sea and foolproof airport screening in both countries. Fortress America, in other words.

Or ...

The president and Congress could act on the reality that illegal immigration is a multifaceted problem requiring layers of solutions. And they could act as if they grasped another reality: Broken U.S. immigration policies cause illegal immigration more than do gaps in the border.

We understand the politics. There is an understandable frustration with illegal immigration. Federal inaction resulted in Arizona's new law that raises the specter of racial profiling. Other states are threatening similar laws, blunt instruments for a complex problem.

This military infusion is meant to soothe these frustrations and to the extent that it keeps the drug—related violence plaguing Mexico from spilling over, it might even be worth doing. But it can't be all this country does.

It was also intended as a nod to congressional Republicans who have emphasized security first — to get them on board for broader reform now.

It's not working, though there are plenty of congressional members on either side of the aisle who know well that only comprehensive reform — including a path to legal residency — will solve this problem.

What they need is cover in this election year and that requires leadership, from GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Minority Leader John Boehner no less than from President Barack Obama.

That, gentleman, is what solutions are made of. Not soldiers.

REPRINTED FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.