The United States boosted ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya on Tuesday when President Barack Obama called for his reinstatement even though he had opposed U.S. policies.
Zelaya, a leftist toppled in a June 28 coup that has isolated the Central American state, was to meet U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.
The meeting will signal the Obama administration's support for Zelaya, who was ousted in a dispute over presidential term limits.
Hillary claimed her superior judgment with a call at 3:00 am? Shoot, I don't trust her to get the call at three in the afternoon. We're backing thugs against democrats. And if the thugs win with our backing, do you really think they'll do anything but continue to screw us over and seek to harm us? Feh! And if the Hondurans defeat Zelaya and defens their rule of law, I won't blame the Hondurans for thinking less of us. One more friend tossed under the bus as we seek to befriend our enemies.
The Hondurans need to keep repeating the facts until enough of the world finally comprehends that Zelaya is no democrat and no friend of freedom and rule of law:
Defying international pressure, caretaker President Roberto Micheletti, appointed by Honduran lawmakers after the coup, insisted the ousted leader was legally removed.
The interim government, which thwarted Zelaya's attempt to return on Sunday by blocking his plane from landing, says the ouster was a constitutional transition carried out by the army and supported by the Supreme Court because Zelaya had illegally tried to organize a vote on changing presidential term limits.
"I am confident Secretary Clinton will recognize the rule of law is the reason we are here and that Mr. Zelaya should account for his unconstitutional position," Micheletti said in a national broadcast on Monday.
A commission of Honduran private sector representatives flew to Washington on Monday to seek trade guarantees and argue for the interim government.
I'm glad Micheletti is confident. He'll need it to weather this storm:
Hondurans have good cause for calling on divine intervention: Reason has gone AWOL in places like Turtle Bay and Foggy Bottom. Ruling the debate on Mr. Zelaya's behavior is Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez, who is now the reigning international authority on "democracy."
Mr. Chávez is demanding that Mr. Zelaya be reinstated and is even threatening to overthrow the new Honduran president, Roberto Micheletti. He's leading the charge from the Organization of American States (OAS). The United Nations and the Obama administration are falling in line.
Is this insane? You bet. We have fallen through the looking glass and it's time to review how hemispheric relations came to such a sad state.
But Micheletti can, I think, preserve his country's democracy if Hondurans are steadfast in defending their rule of law.
