Amusing as it might be, the battle between Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and William F. Weld isn't likely to shed much light on the most difficult questions dividing the U.S. and Mexico.
Mexico, in fact, figures only faintly in the fisticuffs over President Clinton's effort to send Weld there as U.S. ambassador. Helms doesn't care for Weld's brand of socially moderate Republicanism, and Weld--who resigned last week as Massachusetts governor--may see a spat with Helms as his ticket to leadership of GOP centrists. Ear-biting may ensue, but it's more likely to be over the direction of the Republican Party than the course of America's relations with its troubled southern neighbor.
Which is too bad. There are plenty of tough questions to ask about Mexico, particularly relating to drugs. Five months ago, amid intense controversy, Clinton certified that Mexico was fully cooperating in the drug war--despite a corruption scandal that found its anti-drug czar on the payroll of its most powerful cocaine trafficker. Now the administration is looking at a Sept. 1 deadline for reporting to Congress on whether the Mexican government is stiffening its efforts against the Mexican drug syndicates that control two-thirds of the cocaine shipped into the U.S.
Is Mexico making progress? In Washington, the most reliable place to look for an answer is the office of Thomas A. Constantine, a New York career cop now running the Drug Enforcement Administration. During the debate over Mexican certification, Constantine distinguished himself by candidly detailing the tide of drug corruption engulfing Mexico. While most administration officials groped for roses in the thorns, Constantine said bluntly: "There is not one single law enforcement institution with whom DEA has a really trusting relationship."
Now Constantine can see some glimmers of progress. After the arrest in February of Gen. Jose de Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, Mexico's anti-drug czar, the Mexican government dismantled its drug enforcement agency and launched new, specially trained units under its attorney general. Constantine gives those efforts a cautious seal of approval--to the point where the DEA has again begun to carefully compare notes with the new Mexican units.
"There are certain units that have been developed that show promise, will, integrity and cooperation," he said. "And we have begun to share information with them."
