What we wanted to ask Fox

Deseret Morning News editorial
Published: Thursday, May 25, 2006 12:18 a.m. MDT
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President Vicente Fox of Mexico is a seasoned politician, which means he's not only adept at expressing himself but adept at using language to tap dance around issues. We suspect one reason he refused to field questions from the Utah media while in the state is that veteran journalists are seldom willing to dance along with politicians. And Fox realized he had more to lose than gain.

As that seasoned politician, Fox sees the delicacy of the moment. In the United States, the Senate is finally poised to pass the first piece of meaningful immigration legislation in decades. Meanwhile, in Mexico, Fox's own favorite to succeed him as president has been surging, giving the leftist contender, Lopez Obrador, a chase in the polls. The last thing Fox wanted to do in Utah was find himself shooting from the hip and saying something to muddy the water on both sides of the Rio Grande.

Still, if we had been allowed to ask the president some questions, we had several things that inquiring minds would like to know.

In his luncheon address here, the president talked of expanding cooperation in the field of energy production. Did he mean Mexico was finally going to "put oil on the table" — that is, allow the nation's rich petroleum reserves to become a bargaining chip in striking deals with the United States? And if not, why not? And just what did he mean by the remark?

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Second, the nations of Venezuela, Chile and Bolivia have all swung steeply to the left in recent democratic elections. Mexico is on the brink of doing the same with Obrador. Has the United States underestimated the implications of a leftist Mexican president? Are American nations across the board at a crossroads? And is the United States asleep at the switch?

As for immigration, Mexican politicians have a history of delivering memorable epic speeches on subjects, then taking little action. Is the president serious about fortifying the border on the Mexican side? And if so, what specific actions is he willing to take? Would U.S. tourists meet with 15-year-old conscripts packing AK-47s?

Those are just a few of the things we would have liked to put to the Mexican president.

But now, as they are fond of saying in Vera Cruz, "otra vez sera."

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