For a guy who loves to brag about “restoring the rule of law” from an allegedly lawless Bush administration, president Obama has done the very opposite by meddling in the political affairs of Honduras.
The president refused to “meddle” when Iranians were being gunned down in the streets of Tehran. The murderous Mullahs of the Islamo-Nazi regime in Iran were allowed to suppress demonstrators and steal an election while president Obama said nothing.
I actually thought in the beginning his measured approach to the protests was probably the right thing to do, but I think he should have become more forceful sooner. However, his Iranian response is certainly a matter for debate and many opposing views on the subject have merit.
Obama’s response to Honduras is a different matter. There is only one side to this issue and the president is clearly on the wrong side.
Unlike with Iran, it only took hours for Obama to take to the airwaves and condemn the ouster of would-be Honduran dictator Manuel Zelaya. He called the ouster “illegal” and demanded that Zelaya be put back in power.
Here’s why he was removed and why it was actually the most beautiful display of democracy ever seen in that part of the world:
President Zelaya is an ally of Hugo Chavez. Zelaya borrowed a page from the Chavez playbook in Venezuela by ordering a referendum on removing presidential term limits.
The Supreme Court of Honduras ruled the referendum unconstitutional and it was opposed by the congress and many in Zelaya’s own party. The Supreme Court said it’s flat out unconstitutional to hold such a referendum.
Zelaya didn’t give a damn what the Supreme Court said and ordered the referendum to be held anyway.
The high court then ordered the military and police not to participate in the referendum since it’s illegal. Zelaya then fired the top military chief and the defense minister when they refused to participate.
The Supreme Court reinstated both men and Zelaya promptly fired them a second time. He vowed to press on with his referendum and hold a vote Sunday.
On Sunday, just before dawn the situation came to a head. After the congress voted unanimously to remove Zelaya for “repeated violations of the constitution and the law” — the military was ordered to remove him.
He was seized from his bed with his family and placed on a plane to Costa Rica still wearing his pajamas.
The military could have taken over as they often do in that part of the world, but they did not. Immediately, the member of congress next in line to the president was sworn in. He will remain president until the next election in November.
The military removed the president in a manner consistent with Honduran law and democratic principles.
Not only is Zelaya a Marxist Chavez stooge, he’s also actively involved in trafficking cocaine to the United States.
So it’s absolutely stunning that president Obama continues to demand that Honduras reinstall a thug like Zelaya.
Is Honduras not allowed to protect their constitution? Should they just go along with Zelaya’s plan to make Honduras into another Commie dictatorship like Venezuela?
This story is not even close to being over and I think Obama will ultimately pay a heavy political price for siding with Chavez, Castro, Ortega, and the UN instead of with democracy.
I guess Obama’s reaction to this shouldn’t come as a surprise. He’s spent his entire political career breaking bread with people who think Castro is a hero.
Obama and his friends share a common ideology with leftist dictators and always have, I just didn’t expect his support for them to be so brazen.
It’s worth noting that Zelaya told the UN today that he will no longer attempt a referendum on term limits if he can come back to power.
Kudos to the Honduran government for not allowing their democracy to be turned into a dictatorship.
-Chris Jones
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