IS NEW HONDURAS GOV'T PITTING OBAMA V. CHAVEZ?

This wasn't supposed to happen. Manuel Zelaya should have been reinstated by now. He's Hugo Chavez' guy and Obama wanted him back in as president. The OAS and the UN supported Zelaya as well. Roberto Micheletti and his newly installed gov't didn't have a chance.

WRONG.

By choice or not, Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez were aligned in their support for Zelaya. Micheletti continues to stand tall and Obama appears to be backing away. But Obama didn't just back away from meddling in Honduras. He slapped Honduras' Latin American neighbors (to include Venezuela) as he did so.

Hugo Chavez has a problem with that apparently, as The Hill points out:

Venezuela has taken umbrage with President Barack Obama's Monday statements about "hypocrisy" by Latin American critics who want his administration to get tougher on Honduras.

That can't be good.

Here is part of what Obama said while in Mexico that set Chavez off:

"The same critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras are the same people who say that we're always intervening and the Yankees need to get out of Latin America. You can't have it both ways."

How can Micheletti not be emboldened by this? He knows that Obama came out forcefully in support of Zelaya and now he's pretending not to be all that interested. Translation: Obama backed down because Micheletti stood up.

Does anyone doubt for a second that Obama wouldn't be thumping his chest had Zelaya been reinstated? He loves to do that.

Thi Hill also quoted from a statement issued by the Venezuelan Ambassador to the OAS:

Roy Chaderton, Venezuelan ambassador to the Organization of American States, called Obama's "interpretation" of the situation "arbitrary and mischievous."

Fortunately for Micheletti, the truth about Zelaya is proving to be so egregious that the former is finding support in the U.S. Congress. One of those supporters is Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL), who said the following through his press secretary:

"Congressman Mack believes that at this critical time, the United States should stand with the Honduran people who seek freedom and democratic principles – not punish them for merely following their constitution and the rule of law."

The stance Obama took in support of Zelaya the day after he was removed is a stance that is aging like bad wine.

Check out the ENTIRE ARTICLE at The Hill.

h/t to Barrackaid #2