Mexican Presidential Rivals Both Claim Win in Tight Vote

WaPo reported Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Felipe Calderón each claimed victory in Mexico's presidential election late Sunday night, even though the country's electoral commission said the race was so close it might not be able to announce the winner until Wednesday.

Oh no. Hopefully it is not another Florida Recount situation, with Mexico's famed corruption mixed in.

The dramatic announcements by López Obrador and Calderón shortly before midnight in Mexico City set up what is sure to be a furiously emotional battle over voting results in a nation that had spent tens of millions of dollars to ensure a fair and efficient election. Both candidates appeared on national television within minutes after Luis Carlos Ugalde, the head of the Federal Electoral Institute, announced that the difference between the two "was too narrow" for him to call the race. López Obrador, a populist beloved by Mexico's poor, struck first, appearing before a bank of microphones and forcefully saying that "according to our information, we have won the presidency of Mexico." He said he would respect Mexico's institutions, but he also called on Mexico's institutions to respect the results. "We triumphed, we won," he said. Calderón, a free-trade booster who promised continuity with President Vicente Fox's policies, appeared on television screens across Mexico moments later.

Which would you prefer wins? Obviously if things stay the same in the US, it would be better if Calderón won, because Obrado is sure to completely destroy Mexico's economy, which is not in that good a state right now, but if we are able to resolve the border security matter here in the US, and get a good border defence situation not just planned, but implemented, whether with a 2000 mile wall, or a combination of walls, high tech, and military, then it might be better if Obrado wins, because the poor people think he is going to make things wonderful for them, and so maybe the huge number if illegals crossing the border will drop off for a while, allowing us time to get the walls, high tech, and military on the border in place, so that when the poor realize that Obrado is just screwing up their country, we will be able to stem the flow of illegals that would result.