Thread: Fox Redefines the Role of Past Mexican Presidents

Fox Redefines the Role of Past Mexican Presidents
By Allan Wall
Monday, October 1, 2007

Vicente Fox stepped down as president of Mexico ten months ago, but he is not going away. For good or bad, the former president continues to be a frequent subject of the Mexican media.

Mexico has a long tradition of former presidents keeping a low profile. It goes back to the 1930s, when President Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940) had former president Plutarco Elias Calles escorted out of Mexico for attempting to control his presidency.

During the years of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) state, former presidents kept a very low profile and would often leave the country.

That’s not the case with Vicente Fox.

Fox had promised one year of silence after leaving the presidency. But considering Fox’s personality, and his habit of speaking his mind even when it wasn’t prudent, that might’ve been too much to ask. Within a few days of Felipe Calderon having taken office, Fox was already talking to reporters.

Fox entered Mexican politics, and eventually became president, largely on the basis of his reputation as a “straight talker.â€

I remember seeing a television program with Bush and Fox when Fox first took office. Bush was riding Fox about his countrymen's proclivity for thievery. Fox acknowledged it and said he had a lot of work to do in this area....

All I thought then, was "Man, you've got your work cut out for you."

Of course, since then, all we've heard about is family values.