I've read a lot of commentary on last night's debate and, so far, nobody has commented on something Ron DeSantis said in passing, without special emphasis. He was asked if, as president, he would use the military special forces to stop drugs coming across the southern border; sending troops into Mexico to stop the cartels? With no hesitation, DeSantis said he would do so right away.
We don't know who the next president of Mexico will be but I am certain the incumbent, Lopez-Obrador, would view US troops in Mexico as an act of war. He has even played down the power of the cartels, I suppose thinking them primarily a US problem as well as a major source of foreign exchange for Mexico.
There are good reasons the US hasn't militarily invaded Mexico since 1916 when we chased Pancho Villa back there after he raided US territory. Chasing horseback invaders back to their base is a whole different matter than trying to sort out which Mexicans are pistoleros for the cartel.
However corrupt and ineffective the Mexican government may be, it is theirs to live with and enjoy. Invading Mexico might break the government, and the Pottery Barn rule applies: if you break it, you own it. We certainly don't want to own Mexico.
Later ... Here someone at The Hill writes in support of the position I've outlined above.
Later still … At CNN someone finally gets around to questioning this DeSantis assertion, with a few more details.
