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Perry suggests US military role in Mexico drug war
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44746428/ns/politics-decision_2012/#.Tomo_nLNm2Y
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry said on Saturday he would get the U.S. military involved in Mexico's war with drug cartels, in comments likely to upset the Mexican government.
The remarks appear to be a new misstatement on foreign policy by Perry, the Texas governor who is struggling to hold on to the mantle of frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Perry said that as president he would work with Mexico in the same way that the United States has worked with Colombia to combat drug cartels.
"The way that we were able to stop the drug cartels in Colombia was with a coordinated effort," he said in a campaign speech in New Hampshire. "It may take our military" working with the Mexican government to win Mexico's drug war, he said.
The U.S. military has advisers in Colombia who are involved mainly in training, logistical support and intelligence backup for the Colombian armed forces as they fight cocaine traffickers and leftist guerrillas.
But there are no U.S. armed forces in Mexico fighting the drug war and Mexico strongly opposes any U.S. military involvement in its territory, although it has received more than $1 billion in U.S. aid to take on the cartels.
More than 42,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug feuds since President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006.
Perry, one of two main Republican contenders to take on President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, has stumbled before on foreign issues. He gave a rambling answer during a debate between candidates last month to a question about what he would do as president if the Taliban got hold of nuclear weapons.
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry said on Saturday he would get the U.S. military involved in Mexico's war with drug cartels, in comments likely to upset the Mexican government.
The remarks appear to be a new misstatement on foreign policy by Perry, the Texas governor who is struggling to hold on to the mantle of frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Perry said that as president he would work with Mexico in the same way that the United States has worked with Colombia to combat drug cartels.
"The way that we were able to stop the drug cartels in Colombia was with a coordinated effort," he said in a campaign speech in New Hampshire. "It may take our military" working with the Mexican government to win Mexico's drug war, he said.
The U.S. military has advisers in Colombia who are involved mainly in training, logistical support and intelligence backup for the Colombian armed forces as they fight cocaine traffickers and leftist guerrillas.
But there are no U.S. armed forces in Mexico fighting the drug war and Mexico strongly opposes any U.S. military involvement in its territory, although it has received more than $1 billion in U.S. aid to take on the cartels.
More than 42,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug feuds since President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006.
Perry, one of two main Republican contenders to take on President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, has stumbled before on foreign issues. He gave a rambling answer during a debate between candidates last month to a question about what he would do as president if the Taliban got hold of nuclear weapons.
I detest drug abuse and I don't want to give the wrong impression.
I have lost a family member to drugs - overdose. And I'm sure we have all lost friends as a result of drugs. I simply do not believe that the criminalization of drugs is a sensible, let alone effective, approach to this problem.
The people who are the staunchest adversaries of de-criminalization are the ones who have a vested financial interest. The prison guards, the police, the DEA, the FBI, the local, state and federal prosecutors - the people who make money as a result of criminalization. I think the costs don't warrant the huge expenditures we continue to make fighting this insane "war on drugs".
Maybe it's like Obama and the economy. We don't know how much worse things would be if..........
I have lost a family member to drugs - overdose. And I'm sure we have all lost friends as a result of drugs. I simply do not believe that the criminalization of drugs is a sensible, let alone effective, approach to this problem.
The people who are the staunchest adversaries of de-criminalization are the ones who have a vested financial interest. The prison guards, the police, the DEA, the FBI, the local, state and federal prosecutors - the people who make money as a result of criminalization. I think the costs don't warrant the huge expenditures we continue to make fighting this insane "war on drugs".
Maybe it's like Obama and the economy. We don't know how much worse things would be if..........
I agree with every one of your expectations. I think it is a good start.
I have always been rather conservative but now stand a lot closer to the middle these days. In regards to a smaller government.... I believe that government is a necessity but with things like this, they can't help but trip all over themselves trying to figure out who is in charge and who is doing what.
I'd imagine that in an effort of this magnitude, we'd probably have the DEA, BATF, and the military involved..... immediately I think of the recent 'fast and furious" debacle. Everyone is pointing their fingers at another guy, or another department..... it is too much.
There has to be a way to streamline an endeavor like this. I think we need to close the gaps in accountability.
I have always been rather conservative but now stand a lot closer to the middle these days. In regards to a smaller government.... I believe that government is a necessity but with things like this, they can't help but trip all over themselves trying to figure out who is in charge and who is doing what.
I'd imagine that in an effort of this magnitude, we'd probably have the DEA, BATF, and the military involved..... immediately I think of the recent 'fast and furious" debacle. Everyone is pointing their fingers at another guy, or another department..... it is too much.
There has to be a way to streamline an endeavor like this. I think we need to close the gaps in accountability.
She even pimped out her daughter at local malls in exchange for drugs. Legalize them. Then all these practices stop overnight.
I used to be against legalizing them and that was before I was for it. I seriously think legalizing them might be the only answer at this point. It is scary to wonder what if tho,
I lost a daughter in law to drugs that she paid for by using the rent and food money and when that ran out the thugs were coming to the house for their money. Legalize em I say.
I lost a daughter in law to drugs that she paid for by using the rent and food money and when that ran out the thugs were coming to the house for their money. Legalize em I say.
Well, I don't think a 20 fold increase in abuse would occur but I suppose that depends on what you mean. If you're saying 20 times more narcotic users would appear overnight then I disagree with you. If you are suggesting that current drug abusers would consume 20 times more drugs then I would say it seems unlikely but I do not have a strong opinion on the issue - and I don't really care either. I do think we would need to have a very aggressive educational campaign put in place before the legalization to explain to young people that doing drugs is s very bad choice. We'd have a lot of money saved by legalization to be able to mount such a campaign
What I do expect is:
The Mexican cartels would disappear in a heartbeat.
And the Taliban and Al Qaeda revenue from the harvest of poppies would diminish very significantly immediately.
Crime associated with the illegal drug market would decrease significantly (practically disappear) as would prison costs, police costs, judicial and prosecution costs.
Revenue would increase because the drugs would be taxed.
Disease associated with dirty needles and bad drugs would decrease very significantly.
It strikes me as odd that the right wing often proclaims to be against big government and its intrusion into our private lives - we don't need the government to tell us how to behave. Yet when it comes to drugs it's a completely different story. Then we do need the government to tell how how to behave and if it doesn't then immediately everyone will start shooting up dope.
What I do expect is:
The Mexican cartels would disappear in a heartbeat.
And the Taliban and Al Qaeda revenue from the harvest of poppies would diminish very significantly immediately.
Crime associated with the illegal drug market would decrease significantly (practically disappear) as would prison costs, police costs, judicial and prosecution costs.
Revenue would increase because the drugs would be taxed.
Disease associated with dirty needles and bad drugs would decrease very significantly.
It strikes me as odd that the right wing often proclaims to be against big government and its intrusion into our private lives - we don't need the government to tell us how to behave. Yet when it comes to drugs it's a completely different story. Then we do need the government to tell how how to behave and if it doesn't then immediately everyone will start shooting up dope.
Good point Mike.
It would be a field day for addicts, that's for sure.
I think abuse would increase 20-fold, overnight.
It would be a field day for addicts, that's for sure.
I think abuse would increase 20-fold, overnight.
I doubt that but then I believe people can make the right decisions even if the wrong decision is not a crime.
As it is you can see how ell the criminal justice system is working.
If it worked that well there wouldn't be a problem with Mexican drug cartels.
We've got all the laws and yet we are the number one market for this stuff.
As it is you can see how ell the criminal justice system is working.
If it worked that well there wouldn't be a problem with Mexican drug cartels.
We've got all the laws and yet we are the number one market for this stuff.
Legalize drugs and you'll lose a generation or 2, but in my mind, it's worth it.
Legalize drugs and the cartels will disappear overnight.
"Excellent point Teko... excellent point".
I sooooo agree!
I sooooo agree!
Perry said that this would be akin to how we helped fight the drug cartels in Columbia.... Okay, fine and dandy and I do think there is a need to do something like this along our borders. The simple fact of the matter is, we helped Columbia rub out Pablo Escobar but we are still getting plenty of cocaine shipped into this country from Columbia.
I think our border and border towns need to be better controlled/patrolled, but like teko... I want to hear solutions to the real problems we have. Jobs, the economy is in the out house, fraud on every level of government perpetuating more fraud.... banking needs a rewrite.... lets work on that.
I don't care where you take the "war on drugs". America is a big market, and whether we fight it in Columbia or Mexico matters not..... drugs will be around here for a long time.
I think our border and border towns need to be better controlled/patrolled, but like teko... I want to hear solutions to the real problems we have. Jobs, the economy is in the out house, fraud on every level of government perpetuating more fraud.... banking needs a rewrite.... lets work on that.
I don't care where you take the "war on drugs". America is a big market, and whether we fight it in Columbia or Mexico matters not..... drugs will be around here for a long time.
Excellent point Teko... excellent point.
I think Perry and the others needs to be addressing our immediate needs that effect the econemy. Like the jobs jobs jobs we been waiting to hear about. This is what I want to hear from the candidates. That is the ONLY thing we are NOT hearing from them it seems.
It's not about protecting the border... it's about trying to stop the influx of illegal narcotics into this country (not to mention the rampant killing).
Think of more like a "police action" than a war.
You older folks... does that ring any bells?
Ding, ding, ding, ding... Vietnam???
Think of more like a "police action" than a war.
You older folks... does that ring any bells?
Ding, ding, ding, ding... Vietnam???
Isn't war the main reason we are in MAJOR debt! I'm all for protecting the border BUT.....
I have zero problem getting involved in Mexico's cartel issues.
They are quite obviously not able to do it by themselves, even with $1B worth of financial aid, so the next step is "boots on the ground".
I live pretty close to the Mexican border (relative to you guys), and see the drug influence down here more so that other places in the US I've visited. The drug problem here and around the US isn't just going to up and vanish like a fart in the wind... it needs to be stopped at the source.
Bring them back from Afganistan & Iraq, and deploy 1/8 of them to Mexico.
My 2 cents.
They are quite obviously not able to do it by themselves, even with $1B worth of financial aid, so the next step is "boots on the ground".
I live pretty close to the Mexican border (relative to you guys), and see the drug influence down here more so that other places in the US I've visited. The drug problem here and around the US isn't just going to up and vanish like a fart in the wind... it needs to be stopped at the source.
Bring them back from Afganistan & Iraq, and deploy 1/8 of them to Mexico.
My 2 cents.
Wouldnt that be loverly! I tell ya, just watch and see now how long it takes for someone to start talking war. War anywhere! Historically it is something done to help the econemy. Without raising taxes on the rich too. Its a win win. We will start hearing how people are messing with us, antagonizing us, dangerous for us etc. But this guy is a loose cannon. He has already shown us this.
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