Huge Surprise

The 100-day deadline for the implementation of security reforms and subsequent improvement in the lives of Mexicans (sorry for the wordiness of that prepositional phrase, but it's only a reflection of the lack of direction behind the deadline itself) has now expired, and wouldn't you know it, 92 percent of Mexicans say life isn't any better. Shocking. I don't want to question the good faith of anyone who was pushing the countdown, but was any other result possible?

Felipe Calderón offered a report indicating a light drop in the number of kidnappings (which is a dubious figure, because so many kidnappings are never reported to the authorities) in the past 100 days, as well as the arrest of 272 kidnappers and the takedown of 52 kidnapping syndicates.