More Criticism from Zuckermann

Likewise nonplussed by Calderón's declaration on Tuesday, Leo Zuckermann accuses the president of mixing the flag, the flu, and his political ends:

In the present health emergency, Calderón has now wrapped himself in the flag. He wants the population to support him. That's why he generates nationalistic sentiments that the public generally likes. Suddenly, doctors are soldiers, Mexico is battling for humanity and the discriminated-against Mexicans are received as heroes in the presidential hangar. I am almost sure that this action will serve the president to sustain and even increase his popularity in the midst of a grave economic crisis. In this sense, Calderón has now politicized the emergency. We shall see if this translates into more votes for the PAN.

Calderón also earned a comparison with Bush's famous Mission Accomplished speech, which, needless to say, is not something he (or we) should find comforting.