Some question Mexican leader's public alignment with military

Troops' growing role in combating drug cartels triggers concern
12:00 AM CST on Tuesday, January 16, 2007
By LAURENCE ILIFF / The Dallas Morning News
Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AP

MEXICO CITY – Felipe Calderón's first major act as president was to send in the army – after drug traffickers in Michoacán state, after corrupt police in the border city of Tijuana, after pot growers and hired assassins in and around sandy Acapulco.

In a nation where civilian leaders have mostly kept the military at arm's length, Mr. Calderón has embraced it, inviting generals to media events and lavishing praise on the armed services, which have effectively replaced the police as the nation's bulwark against the growing power of drug cartels.

Then Mr. Calderón donned an olive green jacket and matching cap with the five stars of the commander-in-chief, sparking derision by his critics but also serious concerns about the military's growing public role and what that could mean for Mexico's young democracy.

"The images of President Felipe Calderón dressed in a [military] uniform, wearing a cap with five stars and the national seal ... cannot be an accident nor be ignored. It's a symptom of something serious," wrote political commentator Carmen Aristegui.