It was bad enough that we stood aside as our only hope for stopping Iran from going nuclear short of a massive aerial campaign was suppressed with bloodshed and arrests:
Internal democratic change in Iran is the only peaceful solution to stopping an Iranian bomb, three decades of Iranian-sponsored terrorism, and a Middle East arms race. When thousands risked their lives for a better Iran, a better Middle East, and a better world, we, the land of the free, simply were not with them.
I had some sympathy for the president, mind you, since we surely had to be careful about how we supported the protesters in Iran.
But our president's actions regarding Honduras are just shameful. He should have openly supported the new government and condemned Zelaya's attempt to turn himself into another Hugo Chavez. There is no need to calibrate anything--the Hondurans prevented an illegal coup from taking place and putting Honduras into the Axis of El Vil, the annoying network of anti-American Latin American states that has its sights set on becoming a junior partner to the Axis of Evil--or at least its Iran branch:
Let's be clear: Zelaya's illegal referendum was a transparent attack on democracy. It was part of his broader scheme to rewrite the Honduran constitution, lift presidential term limits, and extend his rule. These are the same tactics that have been used or proposed by populist leaders in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Ecuador. All those countries have moved away from democracy and toward a more authoritarian style of governance. Venezuela is now a near-dictatorship, with President Chávez having demolished the independent media, corrupted the judiciary, and turned the legislature into a virtual rubberstamp.
While myriad foreign leaders have denounced Zelaya's removal, Chávez has been the most vociferous. Mind you, in the early 1990s Chávez was convicted and served jail time for leading an attempted coup in Venezuela. Today, his angry response and wild threats indicate just how much is at stake in Honduras. Zelaya was a close Venezuelan ally. His ouster represents a major defeat for the "Bolivarian revolution" that Chávez has promoted in countries across the region. If Honduras's democratic institutions prevail in their efforts to block Zelaya's return, they will have scored a landmark victory over Chavismo. Governments and politicians throughout Latin America will take notice. It may become more difficult for other Chávez acolytes to subvert democracy.
But no, instead of doing the right thing--both for moral and national security reasons--President Obama sided with the thugs. Again.
So much for Hillary Clinton providing wise counsel when the phone rings at 3:00 a.m.
And so much for Vice President Biden's so-called vast knowledge of foreign affairs.
The Zelaya Affair makes me question whether anyone in this administration even understands what America's interests are, let alone has the backbone to defend them.
What a lovely friggin' year we're having so far.
UPDATE: Hondurans don't seem too appreciative of the sainted international community's interest in restoring Zelaya:
Thousands of Hondurans protested in support of democracy, the military and the Micheletti government this week in Honduras.
I'm sure our State Department will explain to the Hondurans that they just won't pass that global test with this attitude.
