How long with Mexico’s “surge” last?

U.S. media is reporting on the 60% approval rating Felipe Calderón received in a recent El Universal poll. Less reported was that only 35% of those surveyed support using the military to put down the cartels. 

Patrick Corcoran writes for Mexidata.info:

When discussing the violence, people like American Ambassador to Mexico Antonio Garza painted an anarchic picture of a corrupt Mexico, without saying that the violence was a result of actions that the Americans supported. A Mexican could be forgiven for seeing the United States as a fair-weather friend. If drug violence in Mexico gets worse, will Garza temper his remarks with support for Calderon and acknowledgement that he was in favor of the unsuccessful drug operations? Probably not.  A basic problem with the war on drugs is that no one knows what to do. There is no combination of steps, no Washington Consensus — however maligned — that provides the strategy to fighting drugs. Calderon can relentlessly pursue druglords to all ends of Mexico, but why would any of us expect this to be anything more than the latest hard jerk in an endless tug-of-war between the government and the cartels. Regardless of changes in tactics — whether in Mexico, Colombia, or the United States — what has always remained constant is the easy availability and low price of drugs in the United States. We can defeat a cartel, but we cannot defeat the cartels.