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Obama hopes to send Mexico a ‘strong signal’

Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 12:52 PM
Filed Under:

By Scott Foster, NBC News White House producer

MEXICO CITY –  On his second international trip in two weeks, President Barack Obama is visiting the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere: Mexico City.

It’s a bustling, crowded urban center of over 20 million people known for YouTube worthy traffic jams, spontaneous street protests and high crime.

Mexican security forces decked out in full combat gear and armed with heavy machine guns have been posted throughout the city and many streets have been blocked off for Obama’s two-day visit beginning Thursday afternoon. 

Image: Mexican Federal policemen patrol around the Presidente Intercontinental hotel
Daniel Aguilar / Reuters
Mexican Federal policemen patrol around the Presidente Intercontinental hotel on Wednesday, ahead of President Barack Obama's visit.     

While the city boasts many important cultural and historical sites, including more museums than any other city in the world, it’s a chaotic place that makes moving a head of state enormously challenging.

Over the past century, visits by American presidents to Mexico City have been relatively rare; instead most have travelled for meetings with Mexican leaders in safer and more pristine resort locales.

In fact, according to USA Today, out of the previous 29 U.S. presidential trips south of the border, only five have come here: Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton.

Why is Obama coming to Mexico City then?

White House officials said they chose the capital out of respect and solidarity with Mexican President Felipe Calderon for what they call his "courageous steps" taking on the rampant violence carried out by drug trafficking organizations.

VIDEO: Calderon: 'Absolutely not' losing war on drugs

"It was obviously designed that way to send a very strong signal to President Calderon that we admire – the president admires his work," White House National Security Council Denis McDonough told reporters before the trip.

While the economy, energy and the climate will be key themes during the U.S.-Mexico meeting, that issue of tackling drug violence is expected to be a key point of discussion.

Calderon will likely press Obama on the thorny subject of the significant flow of assault weapons continuing to come from the U.S. across the border into Mexico.

Those weapons, bought legally in the U.S., have increasingly wound up in the hands of cartels behind the exploding drug related violence in this country.

Mexico City has been hit particularly hard by that violence, making it a fitting backdrop for Obama’s first trip to one of our closest neighbors.

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Much to his credit, we now have a President who has taken a positive step early in his administration to address the disasters affecting both Mexico and the U.S., and others.  

With that said, we also need to address the question of why all too many people in the U.S. are so unhappy that they need cocaine, heroine and a host of other illegal drugs.  And, don't forget that with all the  veterans returning from our neo-imperialist foreign adventures, we are now getting a new crop of addicts. There must be some serious problems in our culture/society that are beyond the solutions posed by Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" rhetoric, for which she received gushing fountains of praise.

Ray Manhattan, Kansas (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 2:11 PM)

If Obama is ask about gun coming from us to Mexico, he should tell him we stop the gun trafic. The us will post the army on the boarders of the us and stop everything going arcoss and all so stop all the mexicans coming to the US.

randy vire clarksville arkansasw (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 2:23 PM)

It seems to me that both leaders;although as well meaning as they may be, have missed the real-point! If they both will just spend the time and money to close the BORDER to such free-movement (in both directions) the drugs as well as the weapons will therefore be nullified! It's really time to do it! Now is the time for both our leaders to STAND-UP!MICHAEL----SAN DIEGO,CAL.

MICHAEL HOLLADAY, SAN DIEGO, CAL. (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 2:37 PM)

Notice how the media keeps stressing the problem of so-called assault weapons being legal to buy in the US?
By over-inflating the problem they and the socialists in power are trying to build a case to ban the legal ownership of guns by American citizens.

Clifford McAllister (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 2:54 PM)

Hmmm.....get us people to stop using drugs, and stop the smuggling of contraband in both directions....
How long have we waged the "War on Drugs"????? to no avail. And do we not remember the bitter lessons of prohibition?? I agree we need to better control our borders, but I don't think that will happen in my lifetime.

John Hopper, Brielle, NJ (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:13 PM)

Please do not disrepect our veterans by calling them addicts! 99.9% of these guys are the best of the best!!

Just like all conservatives are not right wing radicals.  

Abby Peterson, Houston, TX (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:15 PM)

The American citizen Clifford McAllister is taking about is MEXICAN!!

Richard, PA/NY (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:18 PM)

It is unfortunate, to say the least, that the main issue raised is related to drug violence. I am under the impression that both countries should work as acting and close partners. Actually, Mexico is the third US trading partner (US$90 billion per annum). This has taken place within 15 years or so.
Working together on issues like drug smuggling and gun trafficking will clearly benefit both countries. There are other fronts to tackle; a open agenda should be made to bind in common goals.
Hopefully a new begging may take place in the near future.

M Villalobos, Mexico City (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:22 PM)

The ATF reiterated the notion by saying that 90% OF THE GUNS THEY TRACED were from the US.  Nowhere does it say that they were not asked to trace all guns confiscated from drug trafficers.  The percentage of US guns confiscated from drug trafficers was 17% according to FOX. The many full automatic AK-47s confiscated were not submitted to the US to be traced, since they originated elsewhere.. So isn't this blatent propaganda???

John Hopper, Brielle, NJ (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:23 PM)

I think before the government of Mexico starts worrying too much about "US" gun issues, they should look at the rate of desertion from their own military who by the ways takes their weapons with them to sell on the black market.  Grenades, rocket propelled grenades, AK-47's and the like are not in fact coming from this country---they are purchased overseas.  So bottom line, clean up Mexican graft and corruption, then you can talk with us about the "problem" with weapons flowing north to south.

Craig Keyes, Albuquerque, New Mexico (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:43 PM)

I don't understand why it is such a big problem of putting our military at the border between us and Mexico. That would deffintely help protect us from drugs coming in and going out ilegally, and protect us from ilegal immigrants coming into our contry.

This would work out wonders!

Gabriel Stevens, Conroe, Texas (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:46 PM)

I think all these recent killing were set up by the goverment as an excuse to ban guns. Remember kiddys guns don't kill people, poeple kill people.

Becky TX (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:57 PM)

Looks like the Mexican Federal policemen are using the same guns they claim the drug organizations are getting from the US.  I bet they get more from the corrupt Mexican Federal policemen than the US.  Not to mention that "assault weapons" are illegal for US citizens to own.  Assault weapons are full auto which have been illegal for some time in the US.  RESEARCH PEOPLE RESEARCH!!!!

K (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:00 PM)

The so called "assault weapons" (the semi-auto civilian versions better referred to as "Sport Utility Rifles") have been available to the American public since the 60s.

In the early 90s, the left-wing elitists decided they didn't like SURs and enacted the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban, even though SURs were very rarely used in the commission of crime.

Ten years later, congress saw through all of the hyperbole (and continued lack of crime committed with SURs) and did not reinstate the '94 AWB.

Now, our southern border is wide open and the left-wing elitists thought it would be nice to give illegal aliens proper IDs, such as driver licenses.  Now they can buy firearms and send them back to their criminal cohorts in Mexico.

Once again, another "assault weapon ban" is being touted as a solution when in reality, it's border security and failure to effectively deal with illegal immigration that are the real issues (somehow, I don't think it's Joe the Plumber sending his firearms to Mexico).

Jim Hart, Manchester, NH (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:02 PM)

Maybe if Mexico would accept our offer of sending in U.S. Special forces, we could just remove the cartels for them. We have been sending Mexico money for years to stop this, but the officials took our money and then took the cartels money and just sat on the fence. People need to understand that this is a country where bribes are EXPECTED, it is part of the culture. I know this because my girlfriend is from Mexico and told me how the cops work down there.

Anynomous, anywhere, U.S. (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:11 PM)

"Significant" flow of weapons from the US?  BS!!!

The fact is, that of the weapons confiscated in Mexico, less than 20% originate in the US.  The vast majority are coming from China, South America and Central America.  

The Big Brother types (including MSNBC) like to report that 90% of the weapons traced come from the US.  What they don't tell you, is that only 17% of the weapons confiscated in Mexico are traced at all (through the US Authorities such as ABTF).  The rest - over 80% - have markings indicated the originated in places other than the US, so they aren't traced here at all.

Another fine example of the Liberal Agenda attempting to delude the public.

John Mohan (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:12 PM)

You expect us to believe that drug cartels who have access to who knows how much cash and resources are wasting their time smuggling semiautomatic weapons guns accross the US border? Why would they do that? when they can get the real thing, automatic assualt weapons, from oh gee I don't know Cuba,Venesuala, Guatmala etc. The Cartels are powerful enough to threaten National Governments for heavens sake with that much clout do you really believe they are going to do that. I have no doubt guns from the US have made it across the border but 90%????? OK if thats true, rather than a blanket statement, which by the way is now becoming established "fact" in the media, prove it, run the serial numbers and registrations and find out where they're coming from and most important who is running guns to Mexico, which I'm pretty sure is a serious crime, and go after them. The far left of the Democratic party have wanted to go after our 2nd Amendmant right for years ,this is their excuse and with the media behind them it might work.

Roger Emerson, Boise ID (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:12 PM)

It seems that to some people everything is America's fault. Do we have a drug addiction problem here? Sure we do, but who entices young impressionable teenagers to start using drugs? Oh, that's right, I almost forgot, the drug dealers. Do we have guns in this country? Sure we do, last I looked the 2nd amendment allowes us to have them, but why are we responsible for the murderous violence in Mexico? Perhaps no one has heard about a street gang called MS13. They are perhaps the most violent gang in the US and their prefered method of killing is to dismember heads, arms etc. by using machetes, a sword. The fact folks is that the fence that has been partialy built is making it very difficult to get drugs across the border, and that has sparked an internal battle between competing factions of the drug cartels. You have Columbian, Peruvian and Mexican cartels all batteling for an increasingly small share of the drug money and that's why we're seeing the havoc in Mexico.

Robert Dumitrache (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:16 PM)

Oh please! 7% of some thousand of guns is NOT an "impressive amount"! Give me a break! This is just using a bad situation to get the liberal gun control agenda passed. That's probably why Obama is interested at all. So he has an excuse to take away our guns!

B. Spence, Antioch, California (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:34 PM)

FYI. These weapons that drug dealers use to fight come from the U.S, and most of them are weapons that are not available for civils, these are military only weapons...how do they get them?? uuuhmm yeah corruption in the U.S..
The good thing is that Calderon is locking up drug dealers and corrupted officials, the bad thing is that Obama is not locking up his corrupted officials, and yes there are a lot, you cant deny it Mr. Bid my position in the Government. The difference between coruption in the US and in Mexico is that Mexican corrupted officials are known, the other ones are not.
This is not Mexico's drug war problem; its "America"'s problem, its all the junkies out there, drug dealers only take the advantage for the high demnad of expenive doses of hapiness, who are the victims? Mexican people and police being killed over it.
Why do Americans consume so much drugs? America is not a Happy country? America runs on Donuts (yes from the comercial of Dunkin), anti-depresants, drugs...

Luis Jimenez, Belmont NC (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:39 PM)

It is certainly a good thing to develop a pro-active relationship with Mexico and its responsible leadership, but to blame the US for the drug cartel's use of automatic weapons is nonsense: as though such cartels couldn't acquire similar weapons elsewhere. To Ray, from Kansas, regarding your perjorative remark about Nancy Reagan, what would you have a First Lady advocate about drugs? Obviously, you're a bleeding-heart liberal/socialist who thinks we "neo-imperialist" Americans need to learn some lessons from the rest of the world. No doubt, you also think the problems of STDs and Aids can be cured if we just get enough condoms into the hands of school children; that is, right after we solve the bullsh_t problem of global warming (more at global brainwashing for your likes).

Close the damn border; allow for reasonable and responsible people from Mexico to come into our country; and quit hiding behind US bashing as a means for dodging real solutions!

T. James (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:47 PM)

This article is really emphasizing what is currently wrong with both of our nations.

The free movement across the borders shows that we need to completely close the border off.  With all of the technology available today, anyone who claims that the border cant be patrolled properly so drugs coming into and guns going out of the US is sadly deluding themselves.  Drugs are really big business and in todays economy they are THRIVING!!  The government can spend billions on attempting to "Save our financial system" but cant budget for proper border patrols?  With just a few of the BILLIONS that were GIVEN to AIG they could build a border monitoring system that was so secure that a rabbit couldnt sneeze without someone in multiple locations knowing about it.

The government doesnt WANT the drugs or guns to stop flowing because then they might lose out on all those bribes they rake from the people selling them.  

Guns, Drugs, they are both BIG business, and no matter how we want to look at them, that money is changing hands and flowing through the economy.  From the lowest drug dealer to the highest drug suppliers, they are using they're money to bribe officials from the lowest beat cop to the highest lawmakers.  Those bribes total out to some serious big money dollars, and we all know how our society has become focused on GREED to its finest!  Gun manufactures pay off politicians all the time to make sure they dont interfere with the business.  Normal guns are fine, but military grade weaponry should not be allowed on the open market.  There is NO legitimate reason for just anyone to be able to walk into somewhere and buy and assault rifle!  Handguns, Hunting rifles, Sport Guns, are all acceptable, and should be owned by everyone.  But Semi and Fully automatic assault weaponry should be restricted to law enforcement and the military only!

Military grade weapons have only one use, to kill other human beings!  

Anthony, Portland OR (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 4:52 PM)

As far as Americans being the problem through their consumption of drugs, I think that's a little bit of a myth.  I have lived 5 years in Mexico and I would say that drug use/abuse here is on par with American consumption.  It's just that Americans have more buying power, hence will pay more for the drugs.  It's the same with avocados here in Michoacan. An avocado farmer can sell his product here locally, but he will get a bigger profit if he exports it to the U.S. It's not really an issue of drug abuse problems in the U.S., it's the global economy and proximity of a wealthy nation to a developing nation.

Jeremy McClain (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 5:12 PM)

yeah its like 99% of guns in mexico come from us.... anyone here heard of lobbyists? if we REALLY wanted to stop the open us/mexico border we could... easily, but then we wouldnt sell as many guns, or have the cheap plentiful mexican labor. dont believe the lies look at the facts.

truth (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 5:14 PM)

It's not a border that CAN be sealed.  Not with a wall, not with an army.  The most serious problems on both sides of the border are caused by drug use in America.  We need to find a way to eliminate a subculture of drug addiction that ruins the lives not only of the users, but of so many others.

commonsense.... (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 5:29 PM)

stop the fighting  the U. S. GOV` T should buy the drugs to be packaged & prepared to sell in drugstores  , the customer swipes a special registered card & ID  The GOV`T would get its money back & then some the proceeds  

gary ,franklin , mass (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 5:38 PM)

Simple solution.  Legalize the drugs the cartels make their living selling.  No illegal drug traffic anymore.  They either have to become honest tax paying citizens, or go out of business being undercut by those who do.

Valkyrie McGill (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 6:23 PM)

Maybe Obama could take time out from kissing up and apologizing for the USA and suggest that Mexico keep more of its citizens within its own borders.

Daisy Duke, Phoenix AZ USA (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 6:24 PM)

Problem: Unlawful things and undocumented people crossing the boarder.

Solution: Close the boarder holes.

Chris, San Diego (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 7:06 PM)

My respect for both presidents addressing this huge problem. It is a sign of the times in our world. Both countries in a lot of problems bc of drugs and weapons and violence/murders. Cooperation from both countries is needed, to put an end to the turmoil forever we need GOD. Who will be the one to end the horrible times we are living. In the meantime do your part people, do say "no" to drugs.

Mina, Dana Point, CA (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 7:38 PM)

Its not a simple thing to just close off the border to mexico both ways.  There is a significant amount of trade that to completely close the border would bog that down and catastrophically effect both countries economies.  There is not one simple solution to this problem.  It will require more people on the border to help security, reform on our 'drug war'  , and a reform on assault weapons.  As far as the weapons are concerned i'm not saying a ban, but maybe a little more accountability, like a limit on the number of purchases, or maybe ramping up the backround checks to make it just a little harder for these guns to end up down south.

David, SLC, Utah (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 8:01 PM)

This problem is very hard in Mexico, thoushands are dead for this reason and really american people is very close to this problem

A Mex, Mex. (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 9:35 PM)

Obama is on the right track by tackling these issues early in his administration.  Yes many of the weapons entering Mexico are from the U.S. but many are also coming from other places of the world.  We must do what we can on our side to tackle the problem.  Closing the border is not the solution, that would cause even more social tension and the truth is the U.S. economy benefits tremendously from Mexicans coming across the border and purchasing goods.  If not seeing Mexicans around anymore is really what people want, well, that is just not going to happen.  Everyone needs to learn to understand one another and stop pretending to be so perfect.

Ruth, Yuma, AZ (Sent Thursday, April 16, 2009 10:33 PM)

Obama needs to freshen up on his "gun control 101'  here. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a machine gun in the U.S.? If you know the answer, it's nearly impossible. Now tell me how we are the primary source of these so called "American guns"? Also did anyone notice these Mexican drug dealers are actually DRUG DEALERS!?? They have money! They will find these guns from anywhere. Also do some research as to where the guns are actually from: Russia and China. You think the U.S. is the only country that has guns? Wake up Obama. OUR country is not always the enemy.

Andrea Missoula, Montana (Sent Friday, April 17, 2009 12:45 AM)

Is time that the american government do something! The problem is that the americans are the mayor drug consumers in the world and the mexican mafia whats to  get rich whith  that. If the american government dont help the mexican governmemt will never win this war because this war is not only mexican it has to be done world wide. I read in an American news paper that 90 cents of a dollar  in the illegal drug industry stays in the us to that must show something about this problem.

Enrique Conrad Guadalajara, Mexico (Sent Friday, April 17, 2009 12:52 AM)

I'd have to agreee with Clifford McAllister... get off the idea that weapons "bought legally in the U.S" really have anything to do with this.  Wepons bought illeaglally are doing the same, but how will you track those?  This new "President" is sucking off every other country on the planet and letting our country go down the toilet.  Enough already about him!  He's not done ANYTHING to help the US of A, and you're thanking him!  I say, "Impeach obama now before he gives away anymore of the US".  Get him out of office before he does any more damage to our Country.  All you obaination followers need to wake up from your trance and really see what's being done to the US. Mr. Bush didn't hurt the image of the US.  The Democratic party, as well as the lib lefties in the Media, did that.  ANYTHING negative was put in the spot light and made into something important, no matter how insignificant it was.  YOU folks destroyed the country.  Look at the beheaddings in Iraq... you libs, with the Democrates, almost PRAISED them for killing our people.  But, splash some water on a man's face, THAT'S torture.  Flush a book down the toilet, THAT'S torture.  Make a man listen to Metallica... THAT'S torture.  I am Mexican.  The issue is not that the US needs to do more, the issue is that Mexico must start to do something.  It's a VERY rich vs VERY poor country issue.  That's were Obama is taking the United States to... just look at how he's working with Toyata, Nissan, Honda, and the European auto companies to bust the US Auto unions.  

You people make me sick...

Sadden American (Sent Friday, April 17, 2009 1:28 AM)



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