March 7, 2009
Posted: March 7th, 2009 07:00 PM ET

From

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama and Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke by telephone Saturday morning about how the U.S. military can assist Mexico with growing violence by drug cartels - underscoring the growing concern with which the U.S. views the situation, according to a U.S. military official.

The president initiated the call within hours of Mullen returning to the U.S. from a visit to Mexico City to talk to top military officials there.

"The president was eager to get the chairman's observations on what he found out," the official told CNN.

Filed under: Mexico • President Obama


James A.   March 8th, 2009 12:18 am ET

Here is an idea: Instead of building a physical barrier along the Mexican border that only hinders the movement of wildlife, how about a series of high-flying tethered balloons that can keep surveillance equipment aloft indefinitely and cover a large area?

LUV Canada   March 7th, 2009 11:41 pm ET

Has the president also become the commander in chief for mexico too

JOHN   March 7th, 2009 11:12 pm ET

WE AMERICANS ALWAYS CRITICIZE KILLINGS IN DARFUR, SOMALIA AND TIBET.

WHY DON’T WE OPENLY CONDEMN KILLINGS IN MEXICO BY DRUG CARTERLS?

BECAUSE WE HAVE 5 MILLION HISPANIC VOTERS.

goggle earth girl   March 7th, 2009 10:59 pm ET

Good fences make good neighbors.

Diane Dagenais Turbide   March 7th, 2009 10:54 pm ET

Stimulus raises State sovereignty issues! Typical political narrow view of the role of any State and elected officials.
When an elected body does not serve and protect its constituency he or she looses the privelege of making final decisions for the well being of its constituency. This type of complaint from elected officials sounds the same as a poor person who claims sovereignty of his street corner...well guess what no one is giving anymore to any poor. So if someone offers help, just take it!

Sean, Santa Barbara   March 7th, 2009 10:53 pm ET

Wow, just wow. On every news site there has been negative stories about Israel... i.e. the EU made a report that they are actively annexing East J' Slem. There are only two news organizations who didn't cover it, or barely covered it. Fox and you CNN. Tell your zionist bosses that they're not fooling anyone, tell your master that they can't protect Israel forever, they will have to pay for the crimes that they committ. So will you CNN for not covering things negative of Israel.

Diane Dagenais Turbide   March 7th, 2009 10:43 pm ET

This situation really seems to be at a loss from government and security forces in power in Mexico and deserves our full attention,

Do The Limp, Obsequious, Crack-licking Rushpublicans Have A Boehner Over Limbaugh Yet?   March 7th, 2009 10:28 pm ET

Now this is something an extra-long, cost-prohibitive fence serving a symbolic purpose only would fix, right? And the conservatives have the nerve to complain about wasteful spending?

phoenix86   March 7th, 2009 9:49 pm ET

He's not going to surrender to Mexico too!

S Callahan   March 7th, 2009 9:32 pm ET

Glad you have your eyes on this..I have family down there and want them safe!

David   March 7th, 2009 9:27 pm ET

The best thing the US could do to end the violence of the drug cartels is to end the so-called war on drugs. Remove the economic incentives, and the cartels will disappear. The unfortunate truth is that the black market for drugs, created by their prohibition, is at root cause. People have always used drugs and some always will regardless of the legality. Our desire to legislate morals has led to the economic conditions in which criminals prosper at the expense of society, and violence results.

No Hillary = No Obama   March 7th, 2009 8:40 pm ET

The Mexican criminals have infiltrated this country and drug activity is all over the place – how many of these illegals are conduits for the drug trade? Obama hasn't put this big problem on his agenda. Stop the illegals coming in – that's the first step to slowing the drug traffic.

Barbara-California   March 7th, 2009 8:26 pm ET

We spent a year trying to get a business up and profitable in Tijuana, my husband came home in October 2008, frustrated and extremely discouraged at a country which has so much corruption that you can't even do business there! We had taken an equity loan on our home here in the states, now we have to suffer extra payments on that until it is paid off. We are affraid for him to go back to sell his equipment and vehicle or to bring the vehicle home. Why does our commerce department not have some protection for people such as in our case?

annie - Palin 2012   March 7th, 2009 8:02 pm ET

Doesn't matter that bo is updated on it, he and his demmies won't do anything about it.

too few jobs   March 7th, 2009 7:59 pm ET

I saw a report on tv saying that we could not afford it if we didn't have illegal labor

balony, I say lets try it

why cry 'the sky is falling' all the time

we cry it with bail out of the banks, we cry it with outsourcing and illegal labor

we cry it with the downfall of the car makers

lets find out if the sky would fall

Some common sense   March 7th, 2009 7:54 pm ET

The first step in defeating the drug cartels and possibly the only step needed is to secure our southern border.

Jim   March 7th, 2009 7:50 pm ET

Bring the troops home and station them along the border. Anyone coming across is shot.....

Peter (CA)   March 7th, 2009 7:43 pm ET

Another right wing failure-the war on drugs.
It should be so simple.... can you stop demand? If not, what makes you think you can stop the supply? This ridiculous war has not only killed scores of people in Central and South America, it has now threatened the very survival of a government in Mexico.
KIllings are taking place in Birmingham, kidnappings are happening in Phoenix and Atlanta. We have to act. It's not just on our doorstep, it's in the house.

If you don't like it go back to Europe!   March 7th, 2009 7:18 pm ET

Here is one area I agree with the GOP on. We need to stuff all the Mexicans that came here illegally back into their country. Just round them up and ship them back. Sorry!

John   March 7th, 2009 7:18 pm ET

The violence from the drug trade in Mexico is alarming.

Its fueled by the market for drugs in the US.

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