Honduras Back in the News (Not Good)

When would-be dictator Manuel Zelaya was legally removed from power back in 2009, the interim president who replaced him - Roberto Micheletti - took on the world and won. Zelaya, a Hugo Chavez stooge and leftist, attempted to permanently install himself as the president of Honduras; the congress and the military removed him because the Honduran Constitution specifically states that no president can serve more than one term. What ensued was an international crisis with all of the world's powers aligned against the interim government.

Micheletti remained in power just long enough to see elections take place a few short months later. His replacement as president, Porfirio Lobo, is making a big mistake right now in allowing Zelaya to return to Hondura - a Very BIG mistake.

Via CNS News:

An agreement signed in Colombia this week allowing the ousted former Honduran president, Manuel Zelaya, to return home and resume political activity without fear of prosecution marks “a great day” for the Honduran people, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But in the view of Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the accord sets the stage for Zelaya and his leftist ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, to further damage democracy in the small Central American country.

“Hugo Chavez’s handprints are all over this deal,” Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. “He can’t wait to have Zelaya back in Honduras so he can begin pulling the strings again and undermine that nation’s democracy.”

Clinton, by contrast, said on Monday that the U.S. “commends” the Chavez regime for its role in securing the agreement.

Micheletti's resolve in 2009 was unmatched in modern times. He did not buckle in the face of very strong international and hemispheric pressure from the U.N., the O.A.S., and the United States but in hindsight, he made one mistake. Instead of arresting Zelaya and putting him on trial, Micheletti exiled the former leader. Now Zelaya is coming back without condition. Look for Zelaya to work day and night to amend the Constitution so that he can be reinstalled.

Though Micheletti set a high standard for courage, Lobo has proved with this agreement that he doesn't meet that standard.

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