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When President Barack Obama stepped off  Air Force One in El Paso, Texas, Tuesday, one politician who was conspicuously absent was the state’s governor, Rick Perry.

The outspoken Republican stayed away from Obama’s welcoming ceremony amidst some intimations that the Democratic president was bringing politics into the way his administration authorizes aid to states facing natural disasters.

Texas has been suffering from severe drought and has been fighting wildfires that have consumed more than two million acres. While Obama has issued federal disaster declarations for many states hit by severe weather in recent weeks – tornadoes and floods have besieged much of the U.S. south – he has not done so for Texas, which has inspired some critics to question whether Obama has shunned the state because it is very strongly Republican.

meanwhile

Two specially equipped U.S. Air Force cargo planes left Colorado on Saturday to help battle wildfires in northern Mexico.

The C-130s were requested by the Mexican government and the U.S. State Department, a U.S. Northern Command spokesman said.

The planes can spray about 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in a matter of seconds from a system of pressurized tanks called Modular Aerial Fire Fighting System or MAFFS.

The MAFFS is designed for the cargo bay of a C-130.

The fires have burned about 386 square miles in Mexico near the Texas border.

so 2 million square miles burned in texas, vs. less than 400 square miles in mexico... what a dick!

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Agreed.  It certainly sounds like the President holds a bit of a grudge eh?  Of course, Alabama is a red state and he did authorize emergency funds to help us.  So I dunno what is going on.  

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I don't think there is much substance to Gov. Perry's claims.  Why?

* Other "Red" states ravaged by storms received desegnation

* The federal government has already offered Texas 26 grants to help fund extinguishing the fires
  http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2011/05/fema-texas-already-getting-maximum-help-to-fight-wildfires/

* Most of the LA and San Diego fires in California didn't result in presidential declaration of state of emergency.  The precedent may not exist.

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you're right, but the optics don't look good.