He just likes dictators, and aspires to join their ranks as one himself.

Here is a good synopsis of the events leading up to June 28.

Bill Blizzard on July 13, 2009 at 12:12 AM

Considering that you’re the only Zelaya supporter here, (if anybody is still on this thread), why don’t you tell us what’s so good about it?

Unfortunately, the Obama administration didn’t bother to get the facts

Still operating under the misguided concept that this administration actually cares about the facts.

02:11pm
Declaraciones. El presidente depuesto, Manuel Zelaya, aseguró a un medio venezolano que volverá a Honduras “en cualquier momento” porque las autoridades “no pueden impedirlo”.

TRANSLATION:

4:11pm EST
Declarations. Deposed President, Manuel Zelaya, has assured Venezuelan media that he will be back in Honduras “at any moment” because the authorities “cannot stop him”.

12:52pm
Amenazas. Chávez amenazó nuevamente a las autoridades y jefes militares. “A estos generales golpistas les queda poco tiempo”, dijo desde Venezuela.

TRANSLATION:
2:52pm EST

Threats. Chavez again threatened the Honduran Government and military leadership. “These coup plotting generals have very little time left” he said from Venezuela.

11:07am
Sin apoyo. El gobierno de Estados Unidos no apoyaría la reelección de José Miguel Insulza como secretario general de la OEA por su postura sobre la reincorporación de Cuba al organismo, según un diario chileno.
TRANSLATION:
1:07pm EST
No support. The U.S. Government will not support the reelection of Jose Miguel Insulza to be secretary general of the OAS because of his support for Cuban reintgration into the organization, according to a chilean newspaper.

http://www.elheraldo.hn/

Chavez is calling on Obama to show his support for Zelaya by removing U.S. troops from Palmerola Soto Cano Airbase in Honduras. “Only by showing his solidarity in this way can Obama prove he is seeking better relations with Latin America…”

http://www.elheraldo.hn/Especiales/Honduras%20en%20contra%20de%20la%20ilegalidad%20del%2024%20de%20junio%20de%202009/Ediciones/2009/07/12/Noticias/Chavez-pide-sacar-tropas-de-Palmerola

According to the Honduran constitution, a person who advocates for the removal of the single term limit for president, loses their citizenship.
MarkTheGreat on July 12, 2009 at 2:31 PM

This is a part of the world where dictatorship is the norm, rather than the exception.

Barak Hussein Obama just whitewashed the most blatantly non-democratic act in recent history in Iran. And now he’s attempting to overturn the constitution of a country in the western hemisphere, and install a dictator.

The possibility that this ever-growing string of “coincidences” could simply be a case of innocent (albeit massive) incompetence no longer exists. Something will have to be done. And I don’t know if the Republic can survive four more years of this.

It’s one thing to remove the President from power, and another to exile him without him having had his day in court.

unclesmrgol on July 12, 2009 at 1:44 PM

What is that, some galactic law that all nations must subscribe to? Do you have a pamphlet with the rest of galactic law that all nations must abide by? I seem to have lost my old copy.

Not much for national sovereignty, are you? When the galaxy dictates .. all must follow.

Don’t most countries (US excepted) expell non-citizens when they are caught?

Ed is right. It’s one thing to remove the President from power, and another to exile him without him having had his day in court.

unclesmrgol on July 12, 2009 at 1:44 PM

Do they have a prison capable of holding him in the face of mob riots? Would it have been better if the military had been forced to either retreat and let the mob overrun the prison or else be faced with countless deaths as they fired on the mob? Would it have been preferable for Honduras if there had been headlines about the hundreds dead or Zelaya having been freed by and in charge of a mob inside of Honduras’ borders during the most tumultuous period right after his arrest?

Would bumper stickers and t-shirts in western nations declaring, “FREE ZELAYA!”, have been preferable to a powerless roving ex-dictator wannabe?

No, Ed was wrong.

IceCold on July 12, 2009 at 1:23 PM

Ed is right. It’s one thing to remove the President from power, and another to exile him without him having had his day in court.

As the Times puts it:

Ignoring an appeals court ruling that again declared the June 28 vote illegal, Zelaya announced that the army would help with the election by distributing and collecting ballot boxes.

This threw the army command into turmoil: It was being tasked to carry out an operation that had been judged illegal.

On Thursday, June 25, troops deployed throughout the capital as Congress met to depose Zelaya. Politicians, including Micheletti, worked to put together the legal and constitutional cover to remove a president who was breaking the law.

Our linkfest taking you to weblogs of varying opinions where diverse writers give you their best takes on issues and events.
If You Think Sarah Palin Is Considering Leaving Politics then think again. For more on the “mystery of Sarah Palin”…

Ed and AP have good instincts, but the particulars of foreign policy issues trip them up fairly regularly (AP much more than Ed). And to his credit Ed will sometimes dip into the comments and respond substantively, whereas my limited knowledge of AP’s responses are that he mostly just says the equivalent of “well then don’t come here and read my stuff”, or, IOW, “shut up, he explained”.

This whole Honduran affair nicely illustrates the key elements in our ongoing national train-wreck. Sad to say I see no signs of hope for improvement on any front – whatever the thrill some may derive from the astonishing phenomenon of actual negative press or GOP comments re Bambi and his latest embarrassing stumbles.

Martinez is being too soft here — he’s still looking at the current government as being unacceptable.

Count to 10 on July 12, 2009 at 10:03 AM

I thought it seemed extremely strange that Martinez would be opposed to Zelaya. As RNC Chairman, he actually blamed Republicans’ standing in the way of communist expansion in the lower Americas for why Latinos don’t vote for Republicans in the US. He said it on a radio show during a visit in some Central American country while he was RNC Chairman. I can’t find a thing about that incident on the internet today, even searching for my own comments about it at the time.

Anyhow, Martinez didn’t sign the DeMint letter to Clinton that 17 Republicans signed.

Martinez is being too soft here — he’s still looking at the current government as being unacceptable.

Count to 10 on July 12, 2009 at 10:03 AM

Meh. Baby steps. Martinez is a Rino. Applaud him for at least spelling out the truth of what went down.

Senator Mel Martinez on Honduras
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7z3IWco1Us&feature=channel

Senator Coburn Defends Rule of Law in Honduras
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRGCkac8FlU&feature=channel

Senator DeMint on Honduras
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjiKvUJXpm8&feature=channel

elduende on July 11, 2009 at 9:04 PM

Martinez is being too soft here — he’s still looking at the current government as being unacceptable.

So basically you are making a case for malice or ideology.

therightscoop on July 11, 2009 at 10:12 PM

What do you mean, “or”? It’s got to be both.