The indespensible Mouriño replaced

Updated:  12-Nov-08.  David Agren of The (Mexico City) News provides a little more background on the new Sec. de Gob. in his comment.  I’d also recommend his analysis of the political implications of the appointment from yesterday’s The News (which appeared after I’d posted this piece).

One of my favorite political sayings comes from the supposedly indespensible French leader Charles de Gaulle: “The world’s cemetaries are full of indespensible men.”

Juan Camilo Mouriño’s ashes were interred in the Campeche Cathederal following a religious service.  This followed the official state funeral which was somewhat controversial because Felipe Calderon quoted the Bible — Matthew 5:18-12 — at a public government function.  Mexicans are extremely senstitive about even the hint of breaching the separation between Church and State.

Fernando Francisco Gómez Mont Urueta, who Felipe Calderon has named as Secretaria de Gobernacion to replace the late Juan Camilo Mouriño.

Gómez Mont is probably a good choice institutionally, and not-so-great politically.  I can find very little about the guy, other than he’s from a founding PANista family, worked as an advisor to the Zedillo Administration (the last PRI presidency).  As a federal prosecutor he worked on investigations of the Colosio assasination and the weird Ruiz Massieu murder ( Ruiz Massieu was Carlos Salinas’ ex-brother-in-law who was supposed to investigate Salinas family ties to organized crime, but ended up with his throat slashed and an obviously faked suicide note beside him).  He was also involved in criminal justice and election law reforms.

In private practice, he defended the Salinas brothers, and Rogelio Montemayor who allegedly embezelled a billion U.S. dollars from PEMEX.

Within the party, he has been a member of the Central Committee (I know that sounds Soviet, but that’s the “National Committee” for a Mexican party) and was one of his party’s representatives on the Federal Elections Commission (IFE).

The left-wing press isn’t screaming,  which makes me think there’s not much in the way of obvious baggage (as there was with the Spanish-born, oil industry-tied Mouriño for them to complain about), but he doesn’t seem to be an exciting figure, and probably is another indication of how much a blow that plane crash (now said an accident, though some explanations are as appalling as sinister.  One theory is the engine fell off — which could be spun into neglect by design.  At any rate, a lot of people aren’t buying the government line) was politically.

At this point, I can’t think of any outstanding PAN leaders, though who would have thought of the bland Secretary of Energy, Felipe Calderon at this point in the Fox Administration?