GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Tonight: President Obama orders troops to our border with Mexico, 1,200 National Guard. Now, is that enough? Arizona Governor Brewer fired off a statement reading, in part, "Today's media report represents a very significant and important shift in the president's immigration and border security policy. My signing of senate bill 1070 has clearly ignited the talk of action in Washington for the people of Arizona and other border states." Arizona governor Brewer goes on to say, "I am anxious to hear the details that have not been disclosed of where, how and for how long additional forces will be deployed. With the accountability of this election year, I am pleased and grateful at long last, there's been a partial response from the Obama administration to my demands that Washington do its job." Now, that was Arizona Governor Brewer!

So what about Arizona's U.S. senator, John McCain? Senator McCain and Senator Kyl have demanded 6,000 troops. That's 4,800 less (SIC) than what the president is now sending.

Senator McCain joins us by phone. Good evening, Senator. And 1,200 troops -- is that enough for you, sir?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-ARIZ. (Via Telephone): Of course not. And no one (INAUDIBLE) believes that's enough, but that's a good first step. And hopefully, now that the president understands the importance of this issue, we will also get UAVs and we will get border -- more border positions built so that we can -- and give hardship pay to the border patrol that we have, and the rest of the 10-point plan that Jon Kyl and I have. But certainly, it's not nearly enough. But I've got to say it's a good first step.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, now, you say it's a good first step. You and Senator Kyl have been writing the president on multiple occasions and for quite some time. Did the president actually respond to you and say, Senator McCain, I can't give you 6,000, but I can give you 1,200, or did you just learn about this in the press?

MCCAIN: We learned about it in the press. And the interesting thing was that at the luncheon that the president came to with Republican senators, the issue came up and I discussed it with the president, including the fact that we had to secure the borders first, otherwise, we would be faced with a continuous problem of illegal immigrants. And Jon Kyl mentioned the supplemental and that we needed additional troops, and the president didn't say anything then. And a half hour afterwards, there was a statement or a press release from the administration saying they had 1,200 -- they were sending 1,200 additional. So -- and at the same time, I had an amendment on the floor, which we'll be voting on tomorrow, to fund 6,000 additional troops. Interesting -- all these are interesting coincidences.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, you call them "interesting." I call them -- to me, on the outside, it looks like it's playing around, you know, not (INAUDIBLE) Why didn't he tell you ahead of time before at the luncheon? Why didn't he mention it at the luncheon? Why isn't this sort of give-and- take -- why didn't he say to you at the luncheon, Senator McCain, I'm going to be sending 1,200, not 6,000? Why are you hearing about it from the press? This is a very -- I mean, why this way? This doesn't seem like the most overt, best way to hit head on a problem that's confronting this nation.

MCCAIN: I don't know, Greta, but I know that this is the most partisan administration that I've ever dealt with. And the fact is that they have not kept us informed on a lot of things. I'm the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. They don't inform us -- inform me on a number of issues. But it is what it is. And the fact is that Americans have finally got the message through that we need to secure our border and we need to secure our border first.

VAN SUSTEREN: There is also -- the president says he's going to ask for $500 million. What does it mean to ask for $500 million? Is he going to get the $500 million? And what's he asking to do with it?

MCCAIN: Well, he did not specify the details of that, but hopefully, it will be to complete the fence, which is not completed, as you know. It will be to purchase more UAVs so that we can better surveil the border and a lot of the beefing up of the capabilities of the border patrol that is very necessary.

VAN SUSTEREN: The 1,200 National Guard troops that are going to the border -- how is that going to be divvied up? Who gets the 1,200? How much does Arizona get? How long are they going to stay there? I mean, is -- how -- what about those important questions? Who -- and who decides that?

MCCAIN: We don't know. We haven't had the details on their proposal. It was simply -- as you reported, we were not given the details of it. But we're going to continue. We have amendments on the floor on this bill that's on the floor. I will have amendments on the defense authorization bill. And we will get the 10-point plan that Jon Kyl and I have, and then we can truly secure the border. But honestly, Greta, all I know is what you know, which was in their press release.

VAN SUSTEREN: I don't know about you, Senator, but this is such an important issue to the people of Arizona -- I've been down there I've talked to -- I've been to Mexico. We've taken our show to Mexico. We know how important it is to people and to the entire nation because it affects every country, and this sort of this whole idea of releasing it in a press release, not talking to the senators in the state who represent that state, or to the governor or making any sort of arrangement, just issuing it in a press release certainly, you know, it makes me less confident that this is truly an effort to solve a problem, rather than to do something else. I don't know.

MCCAIN: Well, we're going to have to find out. And the fact is, they didn't tell our governor nor Senator Kyl or me. But again -- and I don't mean this in any angry way. It's just it is what it is. This administration is the most partisan that I have encountered. I had an exchange with the president today about the mischaracterization by his administration of the Arizona law. And he still maintains that it could have the, quote, "potential" for abuse. And so it means to me he still hasn't been briefed or read the bill that was passed.

VAN SUSTEREN: Or -- well, he knows that every single statute in our U.S. code has the potential for abuse, has the potential...

MCCAIN: Exactly.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... for racial profiling. And -- and -- I mean, that - - that -- I mean, that is sad -- sadly but true, but that doesn't invalidate a particular statute, when people misuse it, which is something very different. Anyway...

MCCAIN: Any (INAUDIBLE) obviously...

VAN SUSTEREN: ... Senator, thank you, sir.

MCCAIN: Thank you very much, Greta.