SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL

No time to waste

Americans key stakeholders in war on cartels

2:00 a.m. April 9, 2009

A SHARED WAR

A CONTINUING SERIES ON BORDER DRUG VIOLENCE

Make no mistake, the war between the Mexican government and the drug cartels is a deadly serious affair that will impact the future of the United States, whether Americans accept this fact of life or not. And so the Obama administration must treat the situation seriously by making sure the crisis has the full attention of serious people within the government.
If a recent meeting with the Union-Tribune editorial board is any indication, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has the chops to do the job.

Having served as a U.S. attorney, Arizona attorney general and Arizona governor, Napolitano knows her way around law enforcement agencies and the U.S.-Mexico border. She also knows a historic opportunity when she sees one, and she told the editorial board she's convinced that one is at hand. The fact that Mexican President Felipe Calderón is bravely leading the fight against the drug cartels gives the United States a rare chance to have a real and lasting impact on a host of issues – from drug consumption to gun trafficking to improving the relationship between Mexico and the United States.

That being the case, Napolitano knows there is no time to waste with debates, denials or disingenuousness. Instead of trying to run away from their responsibility in this crisis, Americans should accept that they are primary stakeholders in this war, and have a strong stake in Calderón's emerging victorious.

“We need to move fast,â€