JIM DEMINT REPORTS BACK FROM HONDURAS

A prime example of why John Kerry didn't want Republican Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) to travel to Honduras on a fact finding mission. If you remember, Kerry tried to blackmail DeMint by preventing the trip because DeMint was holding up ambassadorial appointments as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

It seems Mr. DeMint has written a column for the WALL STREET JOURNAL that details what he found. As suspected, Micheletti's government was further vindicated by DeMint's trip, which seems to explain Kerry's alleged blackmail attempt.

After visiting Tegucigalpa last week and meeting with a cross section of leaders from Honduras's government, business community, and civil society, I can report there is no chaos there. There is, however, chaos to spare in the Obama administration's policy toward our poor and loyal allies in Honduras.

That policy was set in a snap decision the day Mr. Zelaya was removed from office, without a full assessment of either the facts or reliable legal analysis of the constitutional provisions at issue. Three months later, it remains in force, despite mounting evidence of its moral and legal incoherence.

Calling the Obama adminstration's policy toward Honduras a "snap decision" without the "facts" is actually giving him the benefit of the doubt and a bit kind. Assuming that's all it was would likely mean another beer summit, this time with different guests. Obama would speak to the White House press corps. and tell them that he should have "calibrated" his "words differently". But unlike the fracas Obama caused domestically with his "police acted stupidly" comment, there has been no real political damage for his insistance on reinstating a would-be dictator and friend of Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, and the Castro brothers.

I found two more very revealing things in DeMint's column. One is that the only person in Tegucigalpa that he met who insisted that Zelaya was ousted via coup was the U.S. Ambassador:

In a day packed with meetings, we met only one person in Honduras who opposed Mr. Zelaya's ouster, who wishes his return, and who mystifyingly rejects the legitimacy of the November elections: U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens.

When I asked Ambassador Llorens why the U.S. government insists on labeling what appears to the entire country to be the constitutional removal of Mr. Zelaya a "coup," he urged me to read the legal opinion drafted by the State Department's top lawyer, Harold Koh. As it happens, I have asked to see Mr. Koh's report before and since my trip, but all requests to publicly disclose it have been denied.

Again, take note of the socialist tendency to withold the truth because the positions taken by socialists are so untenable, sunlight would lead to certain defeat in the debate arena.

As further illustration of my point: John Kerry (D) tries to prevent DeMint from going on a fact-finding mission to Honduras and fails. While in Honduras, DeMint asks the U.S. Ambassador why the Obama Administration insists on siding with a would-be dictator. Said Ambassador doesn't answer DeMint's question but instead directs him to a legal opinion written by another Obama appointee, Harold Koh. When DeMint attempts to obtain that legal opinion, he can't get it.

Obama is acting stupidly on Honduras.

Be sure to read DeMint's ENTIRE COLUMN.