"Mexican mayors' arrests show nobody above drug war."

Here is an excerpt from Alexandra Olson's article in the Associated Press:

"Severed heads tossed in front of a car dealership. Bodies hurled off a bridge. Extortion threats against shop owners. It was no secret that this town popular with tourists for its monarch butterfly nesting grounds was in the grip of Mexico's drug trade. But even the most jaded were stunned when Zitacuaro's young, charismatic mayor was arrested this week in Mexico's biggest sweep ever against politicians with alleged cartel ties. The swift and secretive operation by federal forces netted 10 mayors and 18 other top officials in Michoacan state, escalating President Felipe Calderon's battle against cartels ahead of the July 5 national elections. The arrests sent a powerful message to Mexico's political class that no one — not even members of Calderon's own party — is safe from prosecution... The mayors are of different political stripes, including Calderon's conservative National Action Party, and the operation took place in the president's home state." Link to Full Article

Analysis: This is a bittersweet article that accomplishes a rare thing; reporting some good coming out of the Mexican drug war. I have a LOT of respect for President Calderon, and that should be obvious from many of my previous posts. This type of operation further reinforces my amazement at the lengths this man is willing to go to in order to attempt to wipe out corruption in Mexico - no small and probably an impossible task. Even though the individuals arrested were from different political parties - including Calderon's own party - accusations of plotting before the July 5th national elections are to be expected. Is Calderon immune from political scheming? I don't know; maybe, maybe not. If the officials were truly dirty - and I'm pretty confident they were - then they needed to be arrested anyway. If that benefits the President and the ruling party, I'm sure they're not going to complain. What does concern me is something I'm glad the author brought up - the challenges of successful prosecutions. I hope, for Calderon's sake, that the evidence against these individuals is ironclad. These are high-profile people, and it would be quite an embarrassment to the Calderon administration if they walked due to insufficient evidence or corruption within the judicial system (a real possibility). I imagine not all of them will serve time or receive serious punishment, but at least Calderon is sending a message that it ringing loud and clear.