James Jay Carafano, a homeland security analyst at the Heritage Foundation

What the Obama administration is trying to do is sending this political message, 'We're doing enforcement,' ”Carafano said. However, he said, betting on unproven technology raises the risk that it will end up "overpromising and under-delivering."

The story notes that

DHS has paid $600 million to its prime contractor, Boeing

(which is strangely silent on its web site about this interesting and historic piece of business).

Boeing is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Hmm.

Clearly what has happened here is that with a distinct lack of commitment on the part to the project of both the Bush and Obama administration, the project has been captured by a crew of Pyramid-building tech-crazed geeks and pork-hunting defense Contractors, with no interest in the actual results. Just like the Pentagon procurement process at its worst.

The nation is being badly served.

Steve’s own posting attracted a valuable comment:

The first virtual fence was a joke. Illegal aliens always carry drugs with them and are always accompanied by a few heavily armed drug cartel enforcers.

Some of the towers were partially made of wood, so the smugglers just burned them down. Others were low enough that illegals threw rocks and destroyed them. And of course, a few rounds from an AK47 through the equipment causes what the government called "problems".

No virtual fence will work unless US troops are there to protect the equipment. But then, if you are going to have troops there indefinitely...

An effective fence, armed Border Patrol, and troops on land and the Coast Guard and Navy at sea will be required. Once this is done, eliminating free schooling, welfare, free health care, and illegal hiring will solve the problem. And, this could all be done with a fraction of what we wasted on any number of banks.

If history is allowed a century from now, the inability of the country to protect itself with a suitable fence will cause utter mystification.