DRUG TALKS: PRESIDENTS MUST SHOW RESOLVE

We've obviously reached the stage where only the highest of
government leaders -- presidents themselves -- can loosen the drug
cartels' hold on the people of Mexico and the United States.

Little, if anything, else has worked going on four decades now.

It was good, then, that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama met with
Mexico President Felipe Calderon on Monday and discussed what can be
mutual plans to fight the cartels. What's left to see, however, is
just how far these two powerful heads of state are willing to go.

We've already committed to send Mexico more than $1 billion in money
and technology to fight the drug cartels. Mexico has sent its army
into battle against these military-style gangs that now control
entire cities, including Juarez. The money and technology aren't
working and the army is not strong enough to take back control of cities.

U.S. citizens buy and use the illegal drugs, and sell sophisticated
weaponry to the drug cartels.

Drug cartels produce the drugs and reap the billions and billions of
dollars U.S. citizens pay to purchase the drugs.

There is no doubt the issue is complicated and the drug business is
interwoven into both our societies. It's interwoven into
manufacturing, usage and the business enterprises that knowingly or
unknowingly have drug money in their systems.

Calderon has made fighting the cartels his chief initiative as
president of Mexico. But his army has only pushed cartels around from
one haven to another.

On our side, we've been fighting to keep our children and adults off
illegal drugs since President Nixon officially declared the "war on
drugs" in the 1970s. "Just say no" is a common phrase we use to
educate against illegal drug use.

Now we need a "just say yes" when it comes to a mutual game plan
orchestrated by two presidents.

How much do the two presidents want to end illegal drugs, the
existence of the powerful drug cartels and the multitude of
gangland-style killings that have the good people of Mexico hiding in
fear and many people in the U.S. empowering the cartels by using
their products?

How much?

And how far are they willing to go to stop it?