To the original point of this thread, taking out the cartels is very complicated. I have done a good deal of research into this topic, and here are a few issues. First, we helped establish them. They served as the go-between us and the contras. Yes, the war on drugs guy, Ronald Reagan, is one of the biggest people to be blamed for the cartels. The second issue we have is that when you go to war with the cartels, you are going to war with Mexico. The cartels own the place. Third, you will create a power vacuum by taking them out. Taking out the current cartel network only opens the door to worse people taking their place. If you really want to take them out, we need to legalize drugs in the USA. Until we have that conversation, military action is not necessary.