OBAMA'S MEXICO AGENDA

Ambassador Appointment Deserves High Priority

President Barack Obama's agenda is already packed to the brim with urgent
domestic and international issues. Another item - Mexico - deserves a
place high on his list, though it's rarely been apparent from Obama's
campaign and post-election public statements that he shares our sense of
concern.

Being from Chicago, and having spent the past few years in Washington,
it's understandable why he might not have a Mexico-centric view of the
world. That could change quickly.

A comprehensive immigration reform initiative looms. Aside from Mexico's
status as America's third-largest trading partner and primary source of
illegal immigrants, it is the main conduit for illicit drugs entering our
country and the biggest customer of U.S. arms smugglers. Last year, the
rate of killings from Mexico's drug violence surpassed those in the Iraq
and Afghanistan wars. The hideous nature of these deaths - beheadings,
hangings and torture using acid - competes with the worst that al-Qaeda
and the Taliban have inflicted. It is terrorism, and it is being fueled by
thousands of U.S.-purchased weapons. Mexico's problem is our problem and
poses a national security threat of the highest degree.

The situation is too pressing for the United States to allow the U.S.
ambassador's office to remain vacant in Mexico City. The Bush
administration's ambassador, Tony Garza, left office this month. He was a
distinctive diplomat because he was conversant in Mexican affairs and
enjoyed direct access to Bush.

Obama must move quickly to designate a new ambassador to Mexico. The White
House is said to be floating the name of Federico Pena, the Clinton
administration's transportation secretary. That shouldn't stop Obama from
casting his net wider with an eye toward others who speak fluent Spanish,
know Mexico inside-out and have a demonstrably close relationship with the
president. For Mexicans, this an essential mix of ingredients.

Considering the problems the new ambassador will confront, there is
precious little time to waste putting Obama's key Mexico adviser in place.

Don't Be Lulled Into Complacency By Apparent Calm

Mexico's consul general in Texas, Enrique Hubbard Urrea, recently
suggested to us that his country has turned the corner on drug violence
and that life is returning to normal. News reports indicate that
once-violent cities, such as Nuevo Laredo, have calmed down significantly.

After a record year of violence and 5,700 deaths, any improvement in the
statistics would seem to mark welcome progress. The reality, however,
could be quite different. Last year's binge of criminality was eye-popping
by any international standard, with rampant kidnappings and a reign of
terror by drug gangs invoking the most twisted forms of carnage
imaginable. Leaders in some of the hardest-hit areas are weary and suggest
it's time to compromise. Give the drug lords their space, the thinking
goes, and they'll leave us alone.

An authoritative U.S. source says this could explain why violence is
dropping in some places. It would also explain why newspaper editors still
don't dare publish anything remotely critical of the drug lords, while
local politicians are silent about the criminals on their streets. That's
hardly victory.

The Obama administration should pay close attention because the stakes
have rarely been higher. President Felipe Calderon has deployed thousands
of soldiers and police officers in border cities. He has targeted corrupt
public figures for prosecution. There's talk of joint U.S.-Mexican
counternarcotics operations on both sides of the border, marking
unprecedented levels of cooperation.

Calderon's political opponents say the slow pace or progress means it's
time for a change. The Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which
governed Mexico for seven uninterrupted decades, is jockeying to win
control of the federal legislature and six gubernatorial seats up for
grabs in upcoming elections.

The PRI has a long history of corruption and minimal reputation for
embracing democratic principles. A combination of PRI political domination
and drug-lord rule on the streets would pose a disaster for both our
countries.

That's why it's important, despite all the other urgent issues confronting
Obama, that he pay close and constant attention to developments across the
border. When Washington lets its focus stray, Mexico pays a dear price.