Gov. Rick Perry (R., Tex.) gave Fox News's Sean Hannity the tour of his state's border President Obama recently declined to take.
Hannity sat in on a briefing from the Texas Department of Public Safety, and took a look at the border both from a chopper and by boat, accompanied by the governor.
Perry said of the intelligence from the border which Texas has provided to the administration, "All too often it has landed on deaf ears or there is just -- there is a level of ineptitude that is of great concern to me. I don't know which one it is, but the fact is the president coming to the border, when the president of the United States shows up somewhere, everyone pays attention. And that's my point to him yesterday is that this isn't about politics. It's about showing the American people that you care. That you understand. And that you have an interest in solving the problem."
After the tour, Perry sat down with Hannity to discuss his meeting with Obama and his concerns about the border.
Perry mentioned that he had asked the president, among other things, to obtain FAA approval for the use of predator drones to monitor the border.
"What did he say to that?" Hannity asked.
"I didn't get a response."
"He didn't respond to a lot of your questions, did he?" Hannity said, laughing.
"Well, again, I think that's his nature," Perry replied, "to not necessarily give an answer. But I hope he will go back. I think he's got a sharp window of time with which to deal with this."
Perry also expressed his belief that the border presents a significant threat to national security: "Other than having an economy that's not allowing us to be able to fund our military, I would suggest to you this is, if not the number one, one of the highest priorities for this country from a national security standpoint. It's making sure that this border is secure."