It most certainly is a matter of political will! You seem to think that 10,000 Border Patrol Agents is a lot? There are just short of 40,000 cops in New York City. I think our 6000 miles of border deserve a protective force of at least that size particularly since it is clear that the current force is woefully inadequate.
Since 9/11, the TSA went from 0 to 44,000 baggage screeners in 4 short years. In that same period, the Administration and Congress has managed to only grow the Border Patrol by maybe 1500 people. If it was possible to hire and train 44,000 baggage screeners then it should have been possible to do a little better with the Border Patrol. In a considerably shorter time period we have managed to train a 150,000 people for the Iraqi Army. Growing the Border Patrol is clearly a matter of will and we have not seen it.
I recently received a letter from my Senator saying that we only have the capability of training about 500 Border Patrol Agents per year. To me that is just a matter of will. We have military bases in mothballs; let's use them.
The President clearly lacks that will. Congress authorized 2000 agents next year and he budgeted a measly 210. You can say that is about money but he had no difficulty finding a billion dollars to send to Indonesia for the Tsunami. I don't mind helping the rest of the world but protecting America has to come first. If money is an issue how about eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts rather than increasing its budget?
I don't know what world you live in but in the real world The President doesn't authorize budgets. Congress does. try again.
If Dubya could get Congress to pay for more border agents it would be done. If your side could convince a majority of voters to defend the border it would be done. Do you ever question why pipsqueek congressmen like Tancredo are your only allies? Do you ever stop and question why if a majority of Americans want border control they keep on voting for the OBL Senators?