[WayneS]

What kind of inebriated idiot would hatch an evil scheme such as this and then believe that, somehow, the guns could be traced to Mexican drug cartels without an electronic tracing component?

That was never the intent. The intent was only ever to be able to trace them back to U.S. gun dealers, so that new gun control laws containing "common sense" restrictions on the purchase of certain types of firearms by U.S. citizens could be introduced, passed and implemented.

[yarddog]

You are right, that is the only possible motive which makes sense.

It is also the motive which 90% of even Republican never mention.

[Owl558]

“The intent was only ever to be able to trace them back to U.S. gun dealers...”

Remember their claims at the time that the US was the main source of cartel weapons. It was all very orchastrated. They knew because they were the suppliers.