No Need To Stoop To Conquer

A line from an editorial in yesterday's Wall Street Journal on the Mexican election caught my eye:

That's just one illustration of the distance Mexico has come in recent decades, culminating in Sunday's fiercely contested election in which nearly 60% of Mexico's eligible voters participated. Although final results are not in (the result will not be certified until September), Mr. Calderón's lead will be statistically hard to overcome, helped by the fact that Mexico's nonpartisan Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) oversaw what seems to have been the cleanest and most transparent poll in Latin American history.

So it turns out that poor, allegedly benighted Mexico can conduct a free and fair election after all. So far at least, Mexicans are handling their cliffhanger election at least as well as America did in 2000. Gringos such as GOP Representatives Tom Tancredo and Jim Sensenbrenner might take note.

Talk about a gratuitous shot. It was completely uncalled for and not germane in any way to the rest of the editorial. Other than opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants and favoring tougher border enforcement, what have Misters Tancredo and Sensenbrenner done to deserve such abuse?

I would expect no less from the likes of the Star Tribune editorial crew, who could effortlessly slip a gratuitous shot at President Bush into an editorial on the Minnesota fishing opener, but I hold the Journal to a much higher standard.