BOGOTA ON THE BORDER

Merida Plan Is Best Answer to Mexico Drug Chaos

Buried inside the $162 billion war spending bill recently signed by
President Bush was a $465 million counter-narcotics aid package for
Mexico and Central America. That's a far cry from the full $1.6
billion that the House and Senate need to approve immediately for the
president's Merida Initiative.

Members of Congress who aren't from border-area districts might need
reminding about why this funding is so important. Drug gangs are
marauding through Mexican border cities, killing police, kidnapping
hundreds of people, shooting up streets and using terror tactics -
including beheadings and torture - to instill a sense of fear and submission.

When this type of barbarity occurs in Afghanistan or Iraq, we deploy
thousands of troops. But when it happens along our own border,
Congress inexplicably seems to regard the threat as not terribly
urgent or important. Mexican President Felipe Calderon does, however,
because he knows from Colombia's example exactly what can happen when
drug cartels gain the upper hand.

Mexico stands today where Colombia stood 10 years ago, just before the
Clinton administration launched the Plan Colombia counter-narcotics
package. Many in Congress initially opposed the plan because of
Colombia's abysmal human rights record and concerns that U.S. troops
would be dragged into Colombia's civil conflict.

Many of those concerns were legitimate. But the results, after more
than $5 billion in U.S. expenditures, are clear: Colombia now has
vastly more professional military and police forces that have pushed
drug cartels and their guerrilla allies into retreat.

Colombia's military transformation was underscored last week when
special operations troops launched a daring mission that freed 15
hostages held by the guerrillas, including three Americans and former
presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.

America's neglect and indifference allowed Colombia to reach the state
of chaos it suffered a decade ago. Will Congress watch idly as Mexico
descends further into that same abyss?

On June 10, the House approved a $1.6 billion Merida Initiative bill,
only to have it stall in the Senate. Instead of sneaking this aid in
dribs and drabs into other funding bills, now is the time to give the
Merida Initiative the full, undivided attention it deserves.