Fox falls short on tall pledges

Few substantial gains have been made in the fight against crime, corruption, and reform of the justice system. Though Fox's government has extradited hundreds of criminals caught in Mexico and made a few high-profile arrests, several well-heeled suspects have escaped justice, prompting critics to say Fox has failed to break a tradition of impunity for the rich and powerful.

Fox counters that many were expecting widespread instability, economic crisis, and even violence when he took over from the PRI. Instead, Mexico has remained stable, and there hasn't been a wild devaluation of the peso or an implosion of the banking system as seen in 1994 soon after his predecessor, Ernesto Zedillo, took office. "Let's not forget that we had 71 years behind us of authoritarian government," said Fox. "To have the position [we have] and the advances we have [made] during these 12 months, I think is excellent."

But it's hard to placate disgruntled Mexicans with talk of how much worse things could have been. In fact, analysts say Fox's main problem is that the positive changes have been less tangible to average people than the new problems.

In key steps toward strengthening democracy, Fox has passed constitutional reform that takes power away from his executive office, and encouraged the lively debates in Congress even though it effectively blocked several of his key policy initiatives. Inflation has been stemmed, federal reserves are higher than ever before, and many investment analysts say Mexico may be set for a stronger rebound than the US when world markets eventually pick up.

But on other fronts, analysts say, it looks like Mexico's president bit off more than he could chew. "A leader should be judged on his vision and the implementation of that vision," says James Jones, the former US ambassador to Mexico. "For his vision Fox gets an A+. His implementation gets a C."

Mr. Jones and others argue that Fox needs to narrow his goals if he wants to produce some concrete policy wins.

Fox says a recent deal with other parties will help move forward key legislative objectives, and he promises that his fight against corruption is about to pick up in pace. He said pending reforms to the educational and healthcare systems will help Mexicans see how he is moving the country forward. Fox even expects his immigration deal to bear fruit early next year, saying documenting illegal workers in the US is more important now security concerns are heightened.

Some Mexicans appear ready to give Fox the benefit of the doubt. They say he has brought a new spirit of openness that gives them more confidence in the idea of democracy itself.

"All this complaining, it is just politics," says Fransisco Torres Garcia, a Mexico City taxi driver. "Fox is a good person who wants to help the people. And at least he's the first president we actually chose for ourselves."

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