On the May 24 edition of Fox News' The Big Story, just days after unveiling his “Nitwit of the Week” award, host John Gibson asserted that there was no reason why Mexico should not be able to “support [its] own people” as well as Saudi Arabia since “Mexico is the second ... largest exporter of oil to the United States, outranking even Saudi Arabia.” Gibson added: "[H]ave you noticed how Saudis live? Why can't Mexicans live like that if you've got so much oil?" But Gibson's reasoning is contradicted by several facts. First, oil is a global commodity that can be sold to any country; second, Saudi Arabia's proved oil reserves are more than 20 times greater than those of Mexico, and, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, Mexico's estimated 2005 oil revenue was less than one-sixth* of that of Saudi Arabia. Third, Mexico has a population nearly four times that of Saudi Arabia, meaning that benefits it receives from oil revenue must be dispersed among a significantly larger population.

Attempting to assess blame for illegal immigration during his “My Word” segment, Gibson asserted that "[t]he guy most responsible for us having this problem [is] Vicente Fox, el presidente of Mexico." Gibson then directed questions toward Fox:

GIBSON: First, Mr. President, don't you feel a little moronic that one in 10 Mexicans are forced to leave their home country and live in a foreign country -- the USA? Second, why is your country so corrupt it cannot support your own people? After all, Mexico is the second larger -- largest exporter of oil to the United States, outranking even Saudi Arabia. Third, President Fox, have you noticed how Saudis live? Why can't Mexicans live like that if you've got so much oil? Why aren't they beating down the doors to get out of their oil-rich country? Do you see Saudis trying to sneak into Yemen?

However, Gibson failed to comprehend that just because one country exports more oil to the United States than another does not guarantee that country will become wealthier. While the United States imports more oil from Mexico than from Saudi Arabia, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a statistical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, has found that, according to the most recent estimates, Mexico's proved oil reserves amount to approximately 13 billion barrels as opposed to Saudi Arabia's 264 billion barrels. As the EIA also noted, Saudi Arabia's estimated 2005 oil revenue rose to around $153 billion while Mexico's amounted to roughly $24 billion.

Moreover, while Mexico's gross national product (GNP) is nearly three times that of Saudi Arabia when factoring purchasing power parity (a currency conversion statistic), Mexico's population is well over 100 million compared with Saudi Arabia's 27 million. As a result, Saudi Arabia's per capita GDP -- $12,900 -- is slightly higher than Mexico's -- $10,100.

From the May 24 edition of Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson:

GIBSON: Now, it's time for “My Word.” Here we are, all of us Americans, at each other's throats about illegal immigration. You have an idea; I have an idea. Everybody's got an idea about how to fix this problem and we're all yelling at each other.

So, who is sitting on the sidelines saying nothing? The guy most responsible for us having this problem, Vicente Fox, el presidente of Mexico. And where is Vicente Fox as we speak? Leaving Salt Lake City, where he's been visiting, and heading to Sacramento for a state dinner with the governor of California, immigrant [California Gov.] Arnold Schwarzenegger [R].

Now, when President Fox was in Salt Lake City, his people -- his hombres, if you will -- put out the word, you can take his picture, you can record his remarks, but he won't be taking actual questions. The Deseret News put it this way: "No questions. No questions. No questions. No questions."

Personally, I'd take this as an insult. This guy needs to answer a bunch -- a bunch of questions, and I've got a list. Governor Schwarzenegger should ask them all or some of them right there over appetizers at the state dinner.

First, Mr. President, don't you feel a little moronic that one in 10 Mexicans are forced to leave their home country and live in a foreign country -- the USA? Second, why is your country so corrupt it cannot support your own people? After all, Mexico is the second larger -- largest exporter of oil to the United States, outranking even Saudi Arabia. Third, President Fox, have you noticed how Saudis live? Why can't Mexicans live like that if you've got so much oil? Why aren't they beating down the doors to get out of their oil-rich country? Do you see Saudis trying to sneak into Yemen?

Fourth, aren't you embarrassed that the so-called remittances from expatriate Mexicans, illegal aliens living here in America, actually dwarf income derived from selling oil to the U.S.? How can six-, eight-, $10-an-hour Mexicans send more dollars home each month than your country sells us in oil?

Isn't this a huge embarrassment to you in your country? Fifth, why don't you want Mexicans living in Mexico? Why does 40 percent of your country want to leave? Why is 20 percent willing to do it illegally? Sixth, how much money is in your bank account as you leave office? Have you been ripping off the country like virtually every presidente before you?

Seventh, two of your federal police officers were beheaded by drug lords recently and the decapitated heads stuck on a fence outside one of your government buildings as a warning to your government. Why isn't your government winning a war with simple drug thugs? Vicente Fox can get away with no questions in his country but in this country, as a source of major problem for us, these are questions he should be confronted with every time he encounters an official of any level of government here. Starting with you, Arnold. Cue the Governor please. That's “My Word.”