Texas Governor Rick Perry calls for US troops to fight Mexico’s drug war

11-20-2010 • RawStory.com

"I think you have the same situation [in Mexico] as you had in Colombia," Perry said. "Obviously, Mexico has to approve any type of assistance that we can give them. But the fact of the matter is, these are people who are highly motivated with money. They are vicious. They are armed to the teeth. I want to see them defeated. And any means that we can to run these people off our border and to save Americans' lives we need to be engaged in." The comment was a reference to America's ongoing military engagement with Colombia, where US troops are currently stationed operating Predator drones for drug war surveillance. The agreement to station US troops in Colombia enraged neighboring Venezuela, with leftist leader Hugo Chavez insisting the US had ulterior motives for the arrangement. Still, the US has a decades-long history of coordinating military campaigns with the Colombian government. Mexico's military campaign against the drug cartels has been ongoing since 2006, leaving over 28,000 dead according to official estimates. The illicit trade of drugs over the border is estimated to be worth over $25 billion, with the vast majority of profits coming from sales of marijuana.