Whack-a-mole: Calderon sees a drug war success

Here is Calderon's version of reality. In the case of Tijuana, he is modest, but with Ciudad Juarez, he blames the victim. 

AP Interview: Calderon sees a drug war success: "President Felipe Calderon calls Tijuana a success in his four-year-old war on drug cartels, though he is unsure that making the border city safer has reduced the flow of drugs to the United States. 


'Tijuana went from being a city seized by terror and focused only on questions of crime to a city motivated by hope and focused on being competitive,' Calderon said late Thursday. Calderon took some credit, saying authorities from different levels of government work together more closely than in other parts of the country. But he said Tijuana, which borders San Diego, sets itself apart largely by the spirit of its people.

Calderon drew a sharp contrast with Ciudad Juarez, ... He said local authorities have unfairly blamed him for the city's problems. 'In Ciudad Juarez, unfortunately, there has not been the same degree of collaboration and constructive attitude that we have found in other places, like Tijuana,' he said. 'Instead of everyone working together, they preferred the easy way out by blaming everything on the federal government and the president.'" Oct. 8, 2010