Defending Their Own

After comments from Mauricio Fernández, mayor of the posh Monterrey suburb of San Pedro, provoked suspicion that he might have arranged for the assassination of a man (along with three companions) who'd allegedly threatened Fernández's life, Manlio Fabio Beltrones expressed concern about the matter and pointed out that the lack of success from the federal authorities has opened the door to these sorts of figures. He also said that such activity "can't be permitted, it's the completely wrong approach." That seems pretty much dead on, and also obvious at the same time. On the other hand, Santiago Creel, had a decidedly different take:

It's praiseworthy to see a mayor with such conviction and determination to do away with crime, but on the other hand also having taking very much into consideration which are the faculties of mayors, the governors, and the federal government in relation to organized crime.

It's praiseworthy that a mayor takes the bull by the horns, but on the other hand remembering that it's a federal issue.

In other words, according to Creel, Fernández is out of line not because he's taking Dirty Harry's approach to running a city, but because he's doing so as a municipal official rather than a federal one.