What is in President Calderon's Future? Tim Johnson - McClatchy Newspapers
go to original September 10, 2012

The subject of Felipe Calderon’s post-presidency has lingered for much of the year. What will he do once he leaves office Dec. 1? How does he plan to keep his wife and three children safe from gangsters?

Calderon is on a trip to the Far East. He was in Vladivostok for an APEC forum Saturday and is in Singapore on a state visit now.

Los Pinos has sent around a transcript of a press conference Calderon gave while in Russia, and one of the questions was about his plans upon leaving office.

He responded, in part: “I have not yet decided on my future. I'm analyzing the various options presented to me. My priority is, in any case, my family, my children's education and, of course, finding the best options for developing an academic career, which is what I’ll most likely do after the presidency.”

Among Calderon’s apparent concerns for the future is whether victims of violence may come after him in court as they have done against Ernesto Zedillo, who served 1994-2000 and current teaches at Yale. On this front, Calderon (and Zedillo) got good news last week. The U.S. government believes Zedillo should enjoy immunity from prosecution.

But this is not something Calderon wants to discuss. Another reporter asked him about the Zedillo case, and Calderon said tersely: “I respect the decision of the U.S. government and the Department of State in the case of former President Ernesto Zedillo, and I have nothing more to say about it.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not important. Zedillo has wracked up huge legal bills defending himself, which the Mexican government is paying. No president wants to go broke after leaving power.

Some say Calderon is likely to take a post at the University of Texas in Austin after leaving office. When I wrote a story back in January about Calderon’s future, word also was that he might take a U.N. post relating to climate change.

We’ll know soon.

Tim Johnson is the Mexico bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers. Follow Tim on Twitter: @timjohnson4

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