The Obama administration is using its brass knuckles to support Latin American thugs.
If the Obama administration were a flotilla of ships it might be sending out an SOS right about now. ObamaCare has hit the political equivalent of an iceberg. And last week the presidents international prestige was broadsided by the Scots who set free the Lockerbie bomber without the least consideration of American concerns. Mr. Obamas campaign promise of restoring common sense to budget management is sleeping with the fishes.
This administration needs a win. Or more accurately it cant bear another loss right now. Most especially it cant afford to be defeated by the government of a puny Central American country that doesnt seem to know its place in the world and dares to defy the imperial orders of Uncle Sam.
Im referring of course to Honduras which despite two months of intense pressure from Washington is still refusing to reinstate Manuel Zelaya its deposed president. Last week the administration took off the gloves and sent a message that it would use everything it has to break the neck of the Honduran democracy. Its bullying might work. But it will never be able to brag about what it has done.
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Reuters Supporters of Honduran President Roberto Micheletti (August 24.). The U.S. continues to implement punitive measures against the country.
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The most recent example of the Obama-style Good Neighbor Policy was the announcement last week that visa services for Hondurans are suspended indefinitely and that some $135 million in bilateral aid might be cut. But these are only the public examples of its hardball tactics. Much nastier stuff is going on behind the scenes practiced by a presidency that once promised the American people greater transparency and a less interventionist foreign policy.
To recap the Honduran military in June executed a Supreme Court arrest warrant against Mr. Zelaya for trying to hold a referendum on whether he should be able to run for a second term. Article 239 of the Honduran constitution states that any president who tries for a second term automatically loses the privilege of his office. By insisting that Mr. Zelaya be returned to power the U.S. is trying to force Honduras to violate its own constitution.
It is also asking Hondurans to risk the fate of Venezuela. They know how Venezuelas Hugo Chvez went from being democratically elected the first time in 1998 to making himself dictator for life. He did it by destroying his countrys institutional checks and balances. When Mr. Zelaya moved to do the same in Honduras the nation cut him off at the pass.
For Mr. Chvez Mr. Zelayas return to power is crucial. The Venezuelan is actively spreading his Marxist gospel around the region and Mr. Zelaya was his man in Tegucigalpa.
The Honduran push-back is a major setback for Caracas. Thats why Mr. Chvez has mobilized the Latin left to demand Mr. Zelayas return. Last week Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernndez joined the fray calling for Honduras to be kicked out of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta). Mr. Fernandez is a close friend of Mr. Chvez and a beneficiary of Venezuelas oil-for-obedience program in the Caribbean.
The Americas in the NewsGet the latest information in Spanish from The Wall Street Journals Americas page.
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Mr. Obama apparently wants in on this leftie-fest. He ran for president in essence against George W. Bush. Mr. Bush was unpopular in socialist circles. This administration wants to show that it can be cool with Mr. Chvez and friends.
Mr. Obamas methods are decidedly uncool. Prominent Hondurans including leading members of the business community complain that a State Department official has been pressuring them to push the interim government to accept the return of Mr. Zelaya to power.
When I asked the State Department whether it was employing such dirty tricks a spokeswoman would only say the U.S. has been encouraging all members of civil society to support the San Jose accordwhich calls for Mr. Zelaya to be restored to power. Perhaps something was lost in the translation but threats to use U.S. power against a small poor nation hardly qualify as encouragement.
Elsewhere in the region there are reports that U.S. officials have been calling Latin governments to demand that they support the U.S. position. When I asked State whether that was true a spokeswoman would not answer the question. She would only say that the U.S. is cooperating with the Organization of American States and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias to support the San Jos accord.
In other words though it wont admit to coercion it is fully engaged in arm-twisting at the OAS in order to advance its agenda.
This not only seems unfair to the Honduran democracy but it also seems to contradict an earlier U.S. position. In a letter to Sen. Richard Lugar on Aug. 4 the State Department claimed that its strategy for engagement is not based on any particular politician or individual but rather finding a resolution that best serves the Honduran people and their democratic aspirations.
A lot of Hondurans believe that the U.S. isnt using its brass knuckles to serve their democratic aspirations at all but the quite-opposite aspirations of a neighborhood thug.
The Obama administration is using its brass knuckles to support Latin American thugs.
If the Obama administration were a flotilla of ships it might be sending out an SOS right about now. ObamaCare has hit the political equivalent of an iceberg. And last week the presidents international prestige was broadsided by the Scots who set free the Lockerbie bomber without the least consideration of American concerns. Mr. Obamas campaign promise of restoring common sense to budget management is sleeping with the fishes.
This administration needs a win. Or more accurately it cant bear another loss right now. Most especially it cant afford to be defeated by the government of a puny Central American country that doesnt seem to know its place in the world and dares to defy the imperial orders of Uncle Sam.
Im referring of course to Honduras which despite two months of intense pressure from Washington is still refusing to reinstate Manuel Zelaya its deposed president. Last week the administration took off the gloves and sent a message that it would use everything it has to break the neck of the Honduran democracy. Its bullying might work. But it will never be able to brag about what it has done.
View Full Image
Reuters Supporters of Honduran President Roberto Micheletti (August 24.). The U.S. continues to implement punitive measures against the country.
.
The most recent example of the Obama-style Good Neighbor Policy was the announcement last week that visa services for Hondurans are suspended indefinitely and that some $135 million in bilateral aid might be cut. But these are only the public examples of its hardball tactics. Much nastier stuff is going on behind the scenes practiced by a presidency that once promised the American people greater transparency and a less interventionist foreign policy.
To recap the Honduran military in June executed a Supreme Court arrest warrant against Mr. Zelaya for trying to hold a referendum on whether he should be able to run for a second term. Article 239 of the Honduran constitution states that any president who tries for a second term automatically loses the privilege of his office. By insisting that Mr. Zelaya be returned to power the U.S. is trying to force Honduras to violate its own constitution.
It is also asking Hondurans to risk the fate of Venezuela. They know how Venezuelas Hugo Chvez went from being democratically elected the first time in 1998 to making himself dictator for life. He did it by destroying his countrys institutional checks and balances. When Mr. Zelaya moved to do the same in Honduras the nation cut him off at the pass.
For Mr. Chvez Mr. Zelayas return to power is crucial. The Venezuelan is actively spreading his Marxist gospel around the region and Mr. Zelaya was his man in Tegucigalpa.
The Honduran push-back is a major setback for Caracas. Thats why Mr. Chvez has mobilized the Latin left to demand Mr. Zelayas return. Last week Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernndez joined the fray calling for Honduras to be kicked out of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta). Mr. Fernandez is a close friend of Mr. Chvez and a beneficiary of Venezuelas oil-for-obedience program in the Caribbean.
The Americas in the NewsGet the latest information in Spanish from The Wall Street Journals Americas page.
.
Mr. Obama apparently wants in on this leftie-fest. He ran for president in essence against George W. Bush. Mr. Bush was unpopular in socialist circles. This administration wants to show that it can be cool with Mr. Chvez and friends.
Mr. Obamas methods are decidedly uncool. Prominent Hondurans including leading members of the business community complain that a State Department official has been pressuring them to push the interim government to accept the return of Mr. Zelaya to power.
When I asked the State Department whether it was employing such dirty tricks a spokeswoman would only say the U.S. has been encouraging all members of civil society to support the San Jose accordwhich calls for Mr. Zelaya to be restored to power. Perhaps something was lost in the translation but threats to use U.S. power against a small poor nation hardly qualify as encouragement.
Elsewhere in the region there are reports that U.S. officials have been calling Latin governments to demand that they support the U.S. position. When I asked State whether that was true a spokeswoman would not answer the question. She would only say that the U.S. is cooperating with the Organization of American States and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias to support the San Jos accord.
In other words though it wont admit to coercion it is fully engaged in arm-twisting at the OAS in order to advance its agenda.
This not only seems unfair to the Honduran democracy but it also seems to contradict an earlier U.S. position. In a letter to Sen. Richard Lugar on Aug. 4 the State Department claimed that its strategy for engagement is not based on any particular politician or individual but rather finding a resolution that best serves the Honduran people and their democratic aspirations.
A lot of Hondurans believe that the U.S. isnt using its brass knuckles to serve their democratic aspirations at all but the quite-opposite aspirations of a neighborhood thug.
