Joe Biden makes things just a little harder for EPN

The Veep's Spanish is not so good, but he's happy to be here anyway

Guadalajara -
You have to wonder who plans (and times) the visits of foreign leaders.

Vice-president Joe Biden is in Mexico City today, where he rambled on amiably in a much too long arrival speech. Later he participated in a joint press conference with key cabinet members of the PRI administration, and at this hour he's meeting privately with president Peña Nieto. Both governments have emphasized that Enrique's email account is not on the official agenda, since the PRI prez and Joe's boss already discussed that touchy issue in St. Petersburg two weeks ago (Obama promised to personally look into things).

Of course today the Veep praised the education, energy and tax reforms of the new administration, and described in glowing terms how they will benefit both Mexico and the United States in the years ahead. Guaranteed to win over the support of Andrés Manuel and Cuauhtémoc in the PEMEX debate which is just about to open . . . NOT. Mexico's Left is determined to shackle the nation to the past.

Drug war issues are another cross-out on the program schedule, and perhaps for good reason. Last May Biden told the Latin press during a Q & A session that the U.S. would "not go down the road of legalization," much as president Obama himself assured when he proclaimed to a young Mexico City audience on May 3, "drug legalization is not the answer." Since that time, the Obama administration has endorsed marijuana possession in two states for "recreational" use, giving the green light to 48 others to do likewise. That might be a bit hard to explain over coffee in Los Pinos, even for Joe Biden.

In Spanish, hypocrisy is spelled h-i-p-o-c-r-e-s-í-a. Obama's Justice Dept. takes no action against Colorado and Washington over marijuana legalization.

Apr. 24, 2013 - On eve of Obama visit to Mexico, U.S. drug czar releases "new strategy," focused on treatment and prevention
Sept. 26, 2012 - "Drug users are killing thousands of young people in the developing nations," Felipe Calderón tells United Nations

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