A Dispatch From Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico, December 4 -- What does 4 million pesos (roughly US$400,000) get you in Mexican politics? Today, at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, it bought the ruling National Action Party (PAN) candidate - Felipe Calderon - quite a send off on his way to July 2, 2006, the date Mexico will choose its next president.

The festivities amounted to the formal nomination of Calderon as the PAN candidate in next July's election, and the possible successor to Vicente Fox who over five years ago wrested the presidency from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the history-altering election of 2000.

The 2006 election, which only weeks ago seemed to be a fait accompli in favor of the left of center Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) candidate, ex-Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador or AMLO, as he is known, has instead become an intriguing race with all three major party candidates, including the PRI's Roberto Madrazo, all polling within 12 points of one another.

Just around 11 a.m. today, almost 20,000 people packed into the Palacio de los Deportes to witness the "toma de protesta," or formal acceptance of the nomination of Calderon by the PAN. The setting, a venue built for the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 and, from afar, similar in look to the Epcot Center was fully prepared for the day's festivities. Hundreds of party loyalists donned blue, white and orange (the colors of the PAN) hats and t-shirts and distributed noisemakers of all types; party paraphernalia even made it to the refreshments with volunteers gladly handing out Felipe Calderon bottled water.

The inside of the "Palacio" was fully adorned in Calderon and PAN banners, signs and a seemingly never ending blend of blue, white and orange. To the front, the site of the formal ceremony, was a u-shaped stage with several dozen black leather chairs that were eventually occupied by a melange of supporters that ranged from most of President Fox's cabinet secretaries to PAN governors to actors to soccer stars and even a race car driver, who received one of the loudest ovations of the day. The stage included a runway that projected out midway onto the floor of the "Palacio" with only a podium at its terminus; not unlike the set up used during last year's GOP convention in New York.

The formal acceptance was scheduled for 12 p.m. which left almost an hour to fill after the gates opened, and fill it they did: Four massive screens played endless loops of Calderon videos while two "masters of ceremony" fired up the crowd from the stage with cheers that alternated between calls to the Mexican states to shout -- the State of Veracruz won this informal contest with a contingency of drummers and scantily clad dancing girls - and chants of "Felipe." Yet, it was the never-out-of-style "ola" (wave) that really pushed people to fever pitch and moved the event closer to its awaited moment.

At 11:50 a.m. the final piece of "filler" began; the lights dimmed and all four big screens projected the requisite video biography of the candidate. It was a pleasant piece that emphasized family and Calderon's connection and career in his party, including stints as a congressman, party president and energy secretary in the Fox government. The video was not long and stopped right before noon and ceded to the announcer, who, doing his best Mexican Michael Buffer, proclaimed the arrival of Calderon and his wife.

Calderon and his wife meandered down from the middle of the building to the front of the stage and methodically greeted the VIP's on stage, with Calderon welcoming many of the guests in traditional Mexican fashion with "un abrazo," or hug. Finally, he reached his seat in the front and the PAN party president then launched into a fiery speech that ended with Calderon alongside at the front of the stage. Moments later, with a simple "Si, protesto," Felipe Calderon was the PAN candidate for the presidency.

Calderon did not disappoint his supporters with his acceptance speech. In his opening, he firmly announced that not only will he be the PAN candidate, but he will be the next president of Mexico. Moving purposely through a speech that had several well-received applause lines, Calderon reiterated his stump speech of a Mexico with a future, a winning Mexico. One of the loudest applause lines during the speech was a not so subtle plea that Mexico not return to the past and to a system that he noted both of his opponents had served at the highest levels of government.

Calderon ended his remarks robustly by saying that the Mexico of the caricature -- the Mexican dozed off under a tree with his sombrero over his eyes -- was to be left behind for good, and together they would create a winning Mexico. With that, it began to snow blue, orange and white confetti and three separate balloon drops - not without the typical problems -- caused kids throughout the crowd to scurry for a balloon to take home -- or pop!

Eventually, the crowd gradually filed out but not before they had made it quite clear they didn't want to relinquish the presidency.