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What could France's extreme-right leader and notorious xenophobe Jean-Marie Le Pen possibly have in common with a black comic whose leftist convictions and anti-racism activism once propelled him into politics with the objective of defeating a candidate from Le Pen's National Front party...
...Dieudonné's embrace of extreme rightist views contrasts with his earlier support of leftist causes. In 1997, Dieudonné staged a long-shot bid for parliament in the National Front stronghold of Dreux, with an aim to denying victory to Le Pen's candidate - a goal which was attained when mainstream leftist, centrists, and conservative parties united to form a common front. Even after that campaign, Dieudonné continued defending progressive ideals that included anti-racism, socio-economic justice for residents of France's blighted suburban housing projects, and protecting the rights of illegal immigrants in France...
...conflict with Israel's policies on Palestine - which in turn seemed to motivate his increasingly controversial comments about Jews in general. By 2007, he was seen getting friendly with his former nemesis Le Pen - at one point turning up as one of the rare minority faces at a National Front party convention. In July 2008, their common interests and outlooks had come close enough together that Le Pen confirmed rumors he'd become the godfather of one of Dieudonné's children...
...There is little that is surprising about this. It has long been Mexico's fate to make it onto the front pages of U.S. newspapers only when the news from there is bad. Pessimists could add to the drug wars the parlous state of the Mexican economy - dragged down, as it is, by its close ties to that of the U.S. Alfredo Coutino of the Dismal Scientist projected this week that Mexico could contract by 4% to 5% this year, maybe more, which would put its recession in the same bottom tier as other hard-hit economies such...
...other middle-income nations, and notwithstanding policies by its neighbor to the north that are often less than helpful (the free movement of assault rifles?), Mexico's story is one of the world's more encouraging ones over the past 20 years. You won't read that on the front pages of U.S. newspapers during Obama's brief trip, but you should...