MEGAN MCARDLE LOOKS AT ELECTORAL FUNNY-BUSINESS IN MEXICO: Mexico is overdue for real democracy, but I don’t really know what to do about it; I suspect that the availability of easy immigration to the United States has tended to serve as a safety valve, discouraging the development of strong pro-democracy forces within Mexico. Which doesn’t mean that we should close the border to foster Mexican democracy, it just means that the situation is especially complicated.

Mexican-border issues aren’t something I know about (I haven’t even read Victor Davis Hanson’s book on the subject) but here’s a thought: If, as people like Hugh Hewitt believe, illegal immigration is the Achilles’ heel of the current GOP coalition, and if economic and political conditions in Mexico are a major spur to illegal immigration, then it would seem smart for the Bush Administration to promote honest politics — which tend to go hand-in-hand with economic prosperity — across the border. If they’re working on that, I haven’t seen much sign of it, but as I say this isn’t one of my issues.