Mexican President: Gangs Were "Taking Over"

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon says the
results are uneven from a crackdown on crime gangs and drug
cartels.

In an interview, Calderon says the groups were "taking over
Mexico" before he launched his offensive against them.

Calderon's comments were taped prior to his statement Wednesday that reducing poverty is now "the first priority" for his administration. But in a previously-recorded interview with the news network Televisa, Calderon made it clear he wasn't abandoning the war on drugs.

Calderon says there are some areas where Mexican law is taking hold but others, like Ciudad Juraez, where gangs continue their unheard of brutality.