DRUG DENIAL

U.S., Mexico Must Start by Dealing With Root Causes

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke some truths the other day
that may be difficult for many Americans to hear. Clinton
acknowledged that our drug habits and the ready availability of guns
in this country are implicated in the escalating drug violence scarring Mexico.

And so they are. Getting out of denial about this could be our first
step toward tamping down the narco-terror that threatens to spill
over into this country.

Focusing on our own piece in this is not to ignore Mexico's role in
the worsening situation. Not at all. The corruptibility of that
country's police and bureaucracy contribute enormously to the
mindless brutality. In 2009, the term drug war is no longer
metaphorical. Innocent lives are being lost on all sides.

Clinton was right to summarize things unflinchingly. "We have
accepted that this is a co-responsibility," she said on her visit
last week to Mexico. "We see it as a responsibility to help the
Mexican government and people defeat an enemy."

Victory will only come if both governments are willing to address
root causes. For the Mexicans, that means cleaning up a legal and
policing system that is still susceptible to the influence of la
mordida, "the bite" taken by public officials in exchange for favors
large and small.

On this side of the border, the day is coming when the country must
look seriously at ways to rein in the multibillion-dollar market that
enriches the drug lords while filling American prisons with inmates.
This means reassessing the generation-long national drug war, and
should include debate on the merits and pitfalls of legalization of
drugs. It must also feature a reasoned discussion on better
controlling the flow of automatic weapons across the border.

Surely by now, people in both countries have had enough of finger pointing.

What's the old saying? Be careful: When you point your finger at
someone else you have three fingers pointing back at yourself. When
it comes to drug traffic, that's achingly true for both Mexico and
the United States.