Despite Mr. Obama's promises that the stimulus plan would be transparent and free of politics, the government is handing out $720 million for border upgrades under a process that is both secretive and susceptible to political influence. This allowed low-priority projects such as the checkpoint in Whitetail, Mont., to skip ahead of more pressing concerns, according to documents revealed to the Associated Press.
It wasn't supposed to be that way. In 2004, Congress ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create a list, updated annually, of the most important repairs needed at checkpoints nationwide. But the Obama administration continued a Bush administration practice of considering other, more subjective factors when deciding which projects get money.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/27/border-funding-susceptible-to-politics/
Eileen Sullivan and Matt Apuzzo -- Associated Press