With elections next year, the U.S. faces the possibility that its next door neighbor, Mexico, may elect a Saguaro Chavez – bringing a far-left regime like Hugo Chavez’s of Venezuela right to our border. In which case, we will empathize more than ever with Colombia, but might not have much time for it. Because given the scope of already existing problems with Mexico (the border, the aliens, the drugs, the weak Mexican economy, the peso), their multiplication with a far-left regime whose leading candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a free-spending mayor of Mexico City, is almost too much to think of. CIA chief Porter Goss has called Mexico, along with Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Bolivia one of the most potentially unstable countries in the hemisphere.

Or we might just see an ok guy elected, merely labelled a leftist, perfectly reasonable, understands costs and benefits, not a rabid anti-American, no oil alliance with Chavez, serious about doing the right thing and lifting Mexico out of poverty in a way that doesn’t involve buying people off with free goodies in the name of class resentment, but focuses instead on creating opportunity and bringing those shut-out-of-the-system into the system. In other words, a Democrat, or another Lula of Brasil. Most of these guys elected president on a left ticket turn out this way in Latam these days, so it’s perfectly possible.

Officially, the U.S. has said that it can work with whoever gets elected in Mexico – which might be either a statement of surrender or else just the reality. In either case, we can’t tell quite what they mean just now, so I will start to watch it myself.

I don’t have an opinion on Lopez Obrador yet, but I believe it’s going to get important as a potential revolution. So we need to start watching Mexico.

I have compiled a list of Mexican blogs, and I invite anyone who’s got other Mexican blogs to recommend to please leave a note in the comments section. English or Spanish.

Here is what I have located so far that looks pretty good:

Rolvlog – political commentary from Mexico – he’s got a link to Barcepundit so he must be good.

Mexico desde Fuera – political commentary on Mexico from the Bronx. Friends with Rolvlog. Probably good.

GoLeech – political commentary with a few diversions – this one leans left, but seems to stay on topic, might be stuff to learn.

La Hora Cosmica – political commentary, journalist. Probably leans left but some of these guys are really well informed, will read him with interest.

Chilanga Banda this one looks like social commentary, probably interesting.

Will keep an eye on these and look for other blogs to see what they can tell us about the coming story from Mexico. Be sure to share any I have missed, I feel I have just scratched the surface so far.