Countdown to Mexico's Presidential Election

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Mexico has three major political parties, but all the attention in this year's presidential campaign has been on two candidates. One is a populist who appeals to the poor. The other a conservative free-marketeer preferred by the business elite or, as American-style negative ads would have it, a dangerous leftist against a corrupt administrator whose family got rich on government money. Andr--s Manuel L--pez Obrador of the left-leaning PRD, the Party of Democratic Revolution, and Felipe Calder--n of the PAN, the conservative National Action Party of current President Vicente Fox. Roberto Madrazo of the PRI--the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mexico for 70 years--appears to be out of the running. We hear about security, trade and immigration, and why Americans north of the border should care about an election that's just over two weeks away but still too close to call. Making News: Senate Rejects Dems' Calls for Troop Pullout from IraqAs expected, the Senate today defeated two Democratic proposals to establish timelines for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Much on the minds of both parties: elections this November and in 2008. Jim Kuhnhenn covers Congress for the Knight-Ridder newspapers.Reporter's Notebook: Ghana Moves Up at the World Cup, US Is OutFour years ago, America's team made the quarter finals of the World Cup in the best showing since 1930. This year's team had high hopes and a high ranking, but it's all over. The Black Stars of Ghana, which has never been in a World Cup before, have advanced to the second round after defeating the US team 2-to-1 today in Nuremberg, Germany. We hear more from Frank Dell'Apa, who writes for the Boston Globe and ESPN.com, and Maurice Quansah of Ghana's Graphic Sports.
Mexico has three major political parties, but all the attention in this year's presidential campaign has been on two candidates. One is a populist who appeals to the poor. The other a conservative free-marketeer preferred by the business elite or, as American-style negative ads would have it, a dangerous leftist against a corrupt administrator whose family got rich on government money. Andr--s Manuel L--pez Obrador of the left-leaning PRD, the Party of Democratic Revolution, and Felipe Calder--n of the PAN, the conservative National Action Party of current President Vicente Fox. Roberto Madrazo of the PRI--the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mexico for 70 years--appears to be out of the running. We hear about security, trade and immigration, and why Americans north of the border should care about an election that's just over two weeks away but still too close to call.
  • Making News: Senate Rejects Dems' Calls for Troop Pullout from Iraq
    As expected, the Senate today defeated two Democratic proposals to establish timelines for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Much on the minds of both parties: elections this November and in 2008. Jim Kuhnhenn covers Congress for the Knight-Ridder newspapers.
  • Reporter's Notebook: Ghana Moves Up at the World Cup, US Is Out
    Four years ago, America's team made the quarter finals of the World Cup in the best showing since 1930. This year's team had high hopes and a high ranking, but it's all over. The Black Stars of Ghana, which has never been in a World Cup before, have advanced to the second round after defeating the US team 2-to-1 today in Nuremberg, Germany. We hear more from Frank Dell'Apa, who writes for the Boston Globe and ESPN.com, and Maurice Quansah of Ghana's Graphic Sports.
The Parties and the Players in Mexico's upcoming Presidential Election:

Kerry amendment (S Amdt 4442)

Reed-Levin amendment on US policy, redeployment in Iraq (S Amdt 4320)

Kuhnhenn's article on Democrats' united front against the administration's war strategy

Mexico's government

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

FIFA 2006 World Cup of Soccer

US-Ghana match

Dell'Apa's preview of US-Ghana match

Credits

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Warren Olney