HOTEL CALIFORNIA FOR MANUEL ZELAYA?

Has the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa become Hotel California for Manuel Zelaya? Perhaps a better comparison might be the roach motel. In any case, he may be second-guessing his decision. It was obviously much easier for him to enter that embasssy than it will be for him to leave.

Yes, he caught Micheletti flat-footed by showing up in Tegucigalpa but now Micheletti knows exactly where Zelaya is and will probably descend on him rather quickly the second he steps off of sovereign Brazilian land.

The AP reported on the events surrounding Zelaya's arrival at the embassy.

Zelaya, forced out of his country at gunpoint June 28, triumphantly popped up in the capital Monday, telling captivated supporters that after three months of international exile and a secretive 15-hour cross-country journey, he was ready to lead again.

Now that it's been more than 24 hours since his arrival, I wonder if Zelaya is having an "uh-oh" moment. It's becoming clear that at best, Zelaya is a narcissist, making everything about him while showing no regard for the consequences of his actions. At worst, he's the would-be tyrant he's suspected of being. Even Hillary Clinton called his actions "reckless" when he crossed into Honduras briefly back in July. Now, as then, Micheletti appears to be the one showing restraint. Zelaya's latest stunt has enflamed tensions as well, shutting down businesses in the city and causing government resources to be focused in one tiny area (the Brazilian embassy).

The entire country was largely shut down, with almost no cars or pedestrians in the streets and few businesses open under a nearly round-the-clock curfew decreed by the interim government that ousted Zelaya in June. It accused Zelaya of sneaking back into the country Monday to create disturbances and disrupt the Nov. 29 election scheduled to pick his successor.

Now we have even further evidence that would indicate that Micheletti's government has shown respect for the rule of law while excercising controlled restraint in dealing with these situations. Despite the brazeness of Zelaya, Micheletti is honoring (for now) the sovereignty of Brazil, even after its government obviously helped exacerbate Micheletti's problems with Zelaya.

Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez said the government would not try to enter the embassy to arrest Zelaya, but he also said Honduras' interim leaders had no intention of yielding on the central point demanded by the international community: the reinstatement of Zelaya to serve out the remaining four months of his term.

Micheletti has continued his hard stance on Zelaya's fate if he returns to Honduras. He will be arrested, charged, and likely sent to prison.

Later in the day, Lopez, the foreign minister, quoted Micheletti as saying that "I will talk to anybody, anywhere, any time, including ex-president Manuel Zelaya." But Lopez said the offer did not include allowing Zelaya to serve out his presidential term or avoid arrest on a Supreme Court warrant charging the ex-leader with treason and abuse of authority.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out but unless international bodies are willing to forcibly install Manuel Zelaya, thereby showing complete disregard for the Honduran constitution, Zelaya could end up second-guessing his decision to take that piece of cheese perched on the rat trap.

Here is Hillary on July 24th, calling Zelaya "reckless" for crossing the Nicaraguan border into Honduras.



So Hillary, if venturing across the border is "reckless", what do you call sneaking in to the nation's capital under cover of darkness and finding refuge in a foreign country's embassy?

Micheletti continues to hold his ground and show true courage. Keep it up, Roberto!