ATTACK ON US AGENTS CHANGES THE GAME

How will the Obama administration respond to the shootings of two
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Mexico?

The Tuesday murder of one agent and the wounding of another puts the
administration's feet to the fire as has no other incident so far in
Mexico or along the border.

The administration has skated on a number of incidents so far,
including the murder of an Arizona rancher, the killing of a Border
Patrol agent in Arizona, the shooting death of an American missionary,
the shooting death of an American jet skier on Falcon Lake, the
killings of two El Paso students in Juarez ... and who knows what we
haven't even heard about.

There's been little or no response, a seeming effort to sweep the
incidents under the rug.

We do, however, toss Mexico a billion-plus dollars in equipment and
such under the dignified name Merida Initiative to fight drug cartels.
Just like the bulk of our foreign aid money, it is wasted and some may
even go to factions unfriendly to us.

The administration's foreign-policy and diplomatic gambits with
Mexico are about as effective as the country's foreign policy in
general. U.S. foreign policy is an unfixable hash, and our
relationship with Mexico is no exception.

Having just lost Egypt, the U.S. is trying to figure out what to do
about other Middle East countries that are jumping on the "Let's Have
a Day of Rage" bandwagon.

And you have to believe that rulers in Saudi Arabia, a putative
American ally, have to be shaking in their boots and wondering if
they're next, and if so, what the United States will do _ or will not
do -- about it.

So the Middle East is going up in flames. China owns us, lock, stock
and debt. Relations with Russia are hovering around 32 degrees.

Remember the old line (somewhat adapted)?: "Nobody likes us, everybody
hates us, guess we'll go eat worms." That's pretty much our foreign
policy.

But Mexico ...

So far the U.S. government has been flailing around impotently when it
comes to taking definitive action in and with Mexico. U.S. response to
Mexico violence, even against Americans, has been little more than
tepid rhetoric.

We "condemn." We "reject." We "deplore."

But the shootings of the two ICE agents on Tuesday upped the ante. Or
should have. It had been blithely assumed that U.S. agents in Mexico
were "immune" from attack and assassination.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said of the shootings, "This is a
complete game-changer."

"They are changing the rules," he said.

McCaul said that this was a direct assault on the United States and
that we must respond "forcefully."

Don't bet on it. When have we been forceful with Mexico -- or any
other country, for that matter?

Now, no American law-enforcement officer can be considered safe in
Mexico -- and you have to think a lot of them are in-country. Also,
they cannot defend themselves, because they aren't authorized to carry
guns.

At the very least, the Obama administration should insist that U.S.
law-enforcement officers in Mexico be allowed to carry weapons for
self-defense.

As McCaul said, the game has changed. The question is, who's going to
write the rules for the new game?

Charlie Edgren is opinion-page editor for the El Paso Times.