September 05, 2009

Why Is Obama Bullying Honduras? Does He Hope to Emulate their Ex-President?

Background: Ex-President of Honduras, Zelaya, tried to overthrow his country's Constitution, and got thrown out of the government. From Miguel A. Estrada, writing in the LA Times:

Honduras' non-coup
Under the country's Constitution, the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya was legal.

Honduras, the tiny Central American nation, had a change of leaders on June 28. The country's military arrested President Manuel Zelaya -- in his pajamas, he says -- and put him on a plane bound for Costa Rica. A new president, Roberto Micheletti, was appointed. Led by Cuba and Venezuela (Sudan and North Korea were not immediately available), the international community swiftly condemned this "coup."

Something clearly has gone awry with the rule of law in Honduras -- but it is not necessarily what you think. Begin with Zelaya's arrest. The Supreme Court of Honduras, as it turns out, had ordered the military to arrest Zelaya two days earlier. A second order (issued on the same day) authorized the military to enter Zelaya's home to execute the arrest. These orders were issued at the urgent request of the country's attorney general. All the relevant legal documents can be accessed (in Spanish) on the Supreme Court's website. They make for interesting reading.

What you'll learn is that the Honduran Constitution may be amended in any way except three. No amendment can ever change (1) the country's borders, (2) the rules that limit a president to a single four-year term and (3) the requirement that presidential administrations must "succeed one another" in a "republican form of government."

So why is Obama supporting Zelaya, who tried to overthrow his own country's Constitution?

From Hugh Hewitt:

Dramatic And Dark Turn As Obama Stands More Firmly Against The Honduran People And Their Duly Elected Government

Posted by: Jude at 2:25 PM

Just can't find an excuse for this stunning rebuke of democracy. Hugh asked me yesterday about how this might compare to the last days of Nixon. Well, imagine that foreign countries were pressuring the U.S. to return Nixon to power after his resignation in the face of impeachment. Just imagine that and then realize that Obama is demanding the same of the Hondurans. He is insisting that they follow the San Jose Accord, conveniently drafted in Costa Rica under another president interested in extending his term extra-constitutionally, and put Zalaya back into power - or else the U.S. may not recognize the legitimate results of November's scheduled elections in Honduras!

Wow. Talk about keeping your enemies close. At Patterico they put it bluntly: "This goes against everything America stands for in the world: Free elections, democracy, and the rule of law. The Obama Administration was willing to work with Ahmadinejad in Iran despite credible evidence the election had been fixed, but now it’s willing to negate a democratic election before it’s even held? This is wrong."

Update: Powerline suggests a protest in front of their Embassy, since complaining to the Zalaya supporters there would be kind of like, oh, complaining to the Trial Lawyers about malpractice abuse...
Update II: National Review calls on Obama to Stop Bullying Honduras.

Is it possible that Obama hopes to emulate Zelaya?

From Rush Limbaugh, on Beck:

My first hour yesterday was chronicaling how this man [Obama] is systematically our ability to gather intelligence to protect ourselves against an attack. He is purposely, using his attorney general to make the United States the villain of the world. And I'm gonna tell you, folks, from the bottom of my heart, I am uncomfortable thinking and saying these things about a man who's been elected President of the United States. It is terribly upsetting and disconcerting. And I wish I didn't think it. And I wish I didn't have to say it. But there's no way to sugar coat it. This is not politics as usual. This is not left versus right. This is not Republican versus Democrat. This is statism, totalitarianism versus freedom. And if these people are allowed to go where they want to go, unchecked, then some people, a lot of people, I don't think half the country but close, will wake up one day and find, "My God, what the hell happened?" Because this is not what they voted for. They had no intention of this. They thought they were getting something entirely different.

It appears possible that Obama wants to undermine U.S. national security to the point where we have another 9-11, and then a) declare marital law and b) call a halt to all further U.S. Presidential elections so that he can remain in power.

If Obama tries something like this here, he will suffer the same fate that Zelaya did in Honduras.