MEXICAN DOPE WAR HEATING UP

More than 4,200 Americans have been killed in Iraq since that country
was invaded in 2003. More than 4,000 people have died this year alone
in another war, this one much closer to home.

Drug-related murders in Mexico - at more than 4,000 for the year - are
a concern north of the border. They involve a bloody trade in illegal
drugs flowing into the United States. Some killings by Mexican drug
lords have involved Americans, and some have occurred on our soil.

Last week, the U.S. government released $197 million in funds intended
to help Mexico fight the drug lords. Another $203 million is earmarked
for use by the Mexicans.

U.S. taxpayers have spent billions of dollars - $6 billion to Colombia
alone - in efforts to keep illegal drugs from reaching our shores.
Though successes in the campaign are not uncommon, the drugs keep
coming. A variety of concerns have made members of Congress leery of
simply writing blank checks to foreign governments for drug control
programs. One is potential human rights violations. Another is whether
the money will be swallowed up by corrupt officials and law
enforcement officials. The latter may be one reason why last week's
round of aid will be in the form of equipment, such as helicopters,
not cash.

Still, the possibilities for corruption are endless. Cash not spent on
police equipment because it is being provided by the United States can
go into the pockets of corrupt officials, for example.

That makes it imperative that U.S. officials monitor such aid programs
closely. If our help is being used to crack down on drug lords, more
of it should be provided.

But if it is simply feeding the machinery of corruption, funding
should be suspended.