"There's no doubt we need to ramp up our border security, and this might be a step in the right direction," Hatch said. "But using the National Guard should be temporary, and only if we can ensure it doesn't take away from the war effort."

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, noted the president said it would be temporary and said it was a "good call" for him to discuss this possibility with governors who would deploy their units.

"I've always said that as the former governor of a border state, President Bush understands this issue better than anyone else in Washington." Bennett said. "He showed that (Monday night).

"As we address this in the Senate, I'm hoping the Senate bill will incorporate all the elements the president laid out and fill in the gaps of the House bill."

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Contributing: Zack Van Eyck

E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com; dbulkeley@desnews.com