Floods could be Calderon's triumph or undoing

Mexico's commander in chief has seen his popularity slide this year over his handling of the economy, according to a recent poll by the national daily El Universal . Some cartoonists have lampooned him for offering flood victims more time to file their income taxes when many of them have lost their homes and their livelihoods.

Yet others say Calderon has shown savvy political instincts. Unlike President George Bush, who waited nearly a week to visit New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, Calderon has visited Tabasco four times already and canceled a trip abroad. Images of Calderon filling sandbags and hugging bedraggled flood victims have filled television screens. He has promised millions in federal aid and has urged Mexicans to dig deep with private donations. Meanwhile, his popular and photogenic wife, Margarita Zavala, has been shown cradling babies and comforting seniors in shelters.

“(Calderon) has been Johnny-on-the-spot and doing all the right things,” said Mexico expert George Grayson, a professor of comparative politics at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.

Grayon also gave high marks to Tabasco's governor, Andres Grenier, in contrast to some of his corrupt predecessors. Grenier has allowed the manicured grounds of governor's mansion in Tabasco's capital of Villahermosa to be turned into a round-the-clock relief center where thousands queue daily for food and medical aid. Pavillions that once hosted parties for dignitaries now shelter hundreds of homeless.

"He's not a miracle worker, and the problems are enormous," Grayson said of Grenier, "but I think you have a governor who has a social commitment...and that's rare in Tabasco.”