Whole house fans generally speaking are a bad idea. They waste energy by sending conditioned air into the atmosphere and suck in humid (obviously not applicable in a desert) outdoor air. They also leak conditioned air.
There are more and less sensible ways to use them for sure.
"Waste" air conditioning... why would anyone run their air conditioner and a whole house fan? This criticism makes little sense to me.
They aren't really great for humid environments, but if you have no AC, and no way to fight humidity anyway you're probably better off with fans in the window and inside.