Predators aren't magic, of course. They require a network on the ground of allies and informants to make sure we don't precisely strike the wrong people. If I'm not mistaken, it looks like we are doing just that:
The U.S. military has begun to work closely with Mexico's armed forces, sharing information and training soldiers in an expanding effort to help that country battle its violent drug cartels, according to U.S. and Mexican officials.
U.S. military officials have been hesitant to discuss publicly their growing ties with Mexico, for fear of triggering a backlash among a Mexican public wary of interference. But current and former officials say the U.S. military has instructed hundreds of Mexican officers in the past two years in subjects such as how to plan military operations, use intelligence to hunt traffickers and observe human rights. ...
U.S. officials emphasize that the military assistance is part of a government-wide effort to assist Mexico on security. U.S. law enforcement agencies have also dramatically increased their cooperation with their Mexican counterparts, even embedding U.S. intelligence specialists in a Mexican command center. ...
Alarmed by the soaring drug violence, some U.S. lawmakers are urging the Pentagon and intelligence community to do more to help Mexico. "These might include new ways to jointly deploy aviation, surveillance and intelligence assets," Sen. Richard G. Lugar (Ind.), the senior Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a recent speech.
Helping the Mexican government this way doesn't automatically lead to our armed predators directly intervening in the warfare. Ideally, Mexico will use our help to do the job on their own. But it is a path that could branch out if Mexico can't cope and if our two countries can agree to the ground rules for direct armed support.
