http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/3377539

Oct. 1, 2005, 11:37PM



Fox: Mexico 'advancing on all fronts'
With his 6-year presidential term winding down, he still pushes agenda
By DUDLEY ALTHAUS
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO - With his countrymen buffeted by underworld violence and his government blasted for failing to contain it, President Vicente Fox vows to defeat Mexico's murderous drug gangs.

"When you are cleaning up a cesspool, you pass through a period of violence in which things are difficult," Fox said in a wide-ranging interview with the Houston Chronicle. "But we are going to win the battle, because we are taking all the necessary measures."

Fox, whose July 2000 election ended seven decades of single-party grip on national power, has entered the twilight of his six-year presidential term. As the clock ticks, Fox, analysts and his critics are taking stock of a presidency that introduced true democracy to the country.

The assessments, not surprisingly, vary widely. But, at least publicly, Fox, 63, remains as optimistic about overcoming Mexico's myriad problems as he is about conquering gangsters.

As Fox sees it, Mexico's glass isn't merely half full: It's brimming over.

"Fortunately, we are advancing on all fronts," Fox said in the interview on his presidential plane, en route to the southeastern state of Tabasco where he inaugurated a housing project for the poor. "Democracy has permitted us to advance well."

Modern Mexican presidents traditionally have used their last years in office â€â€