Third-Rate Romance: What a Deal
The guy in the parking lot in his underwear is the deposed president of Honduras, who we thought would be restored to power by now - thus negating the coup d'etat and returning the country to its constitutional norm, paving the way for legitimate elections later this month. What went wrong?
Or did Michelleti and his Golpistas (coupsters) punk the Obama Administration? Some folks actually believe that the golpistas could have negotiated in good faith, regardless of their performance over the span of 4 months, and their actions since the accord was signed. I wonder if our officials pretended that the golpistas would actually do what they agreed to do?
Did Clinton punk Zelaya? He was completely upbeat and confidant that he would be reinstated soon after his telephone conference with Clinton ten days ago. Did the Secretary of State pump up his ego so he would sign on to the accord?
I'm leaving out many of the details which have led up to the collapse of the accord. I have no idea how this is going to play out. It looks to me like the golpistas will emerge from this smelling like roses, and that will encourage repeat performances in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua - and on to Boliva, Ecuador and beyond. The Right will emerge triumphant.
Zelaya pronounced the week-old agreement a "dead letter" after de facto rulers formed a new "reconciliation government" without Zelaya's participation, as the deal had required.The existentialist question is who punked who? That will be hashed out in days to come, but right now the charges are being tossed around. Did the Obama Administration abandon its former reinstate Zelaya position? It sure looks like it. If it is true, then the meaning is that the over-arching policy position, that of discouraging and preventing coup d'etats from succeeding, has been compromised for a make it go away solution to the political crisis in Honduras.
"The accord is a dead letter," Zelaya said on a Honduran radio station. "There is no sense in continuing to fool the Honduran people."
Under the accord, Zelaya and the man who replaced him, Roberto Micheletti, agreed to let the Honduran Congress vote on whether to reinstate Zelaya to office, as the international community has been demanding. But congressional leaders, who backed the coup, have yet to call a vote.
The plan also required the formation by Thursday of a temporary "unity Cabinet" with representatives of both sides.
Just before midnight Thursday, Micheletti announced a new government that did not include Zelaya or any of his supporters.
Or did Michelleti and his Golpistas (coupsters) punk the Obama Administration? Some folks actually believe that the golpistas could have negotiated in good faith, regardless of their performance over the span of 4 months, and their actions since the accord was signed. I wonder if our officials pretended that the golpistas would actually do what they agreed to do?
Did Clinton punk Zelaya? He was completely upbeat and confidant that he would be reinstated soon after his telephone conference with Clinton ten days ago. Did the Secretary of State pump up his ego so he would sign on to the accord?
I'm leaving out many of the details which have led up to the collapse of the accord. I have no idea how this is going to play out. It looks to me like the golpistas will emerge from this smelling like roses, and that will encourage repeat performances in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua - and on to Boliva, Ecuador and beyond. The Right will emerge triumphant.
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UPDATE: http://www.narconews.com/Issue61/article3917.html
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The National Resistance Front against the Coup d’Etat announces to the Honduran population and the international community:
Whereas:
1.That during 131 consecutive days of the struggle, we have pressured for a peaceful resolution to the political crisis that our country has lived resulting from the coup d’état perpetrated by the Honduran Oligarchy. In this period we have supported the initiatives that have been driven by various national and international sectors, maintaining three fundamental demands: a) the return of institutional order with the restitution of the legitimate president Manuel Zelaya Rosales, b) respect for our sovereign right to install a National Constituent Assembly that brings together the country and c) punishment for the violators of human rights.
2.That the call of the agreement Tegucigalpa-San Jose contains the priority element the return of constitutional order and literally states its purpose as “to bring back the title of the Executive Power to the state previous to the that of June 28 until the conclusion of the actual governing period, January 27, 2010”
3.That the National Congress, coauthor of the breaking of constitutional order on the June 28, is using delaying tactics, in not wanting to convene the complete assembly in order to repeal the decree that installed the de facto regime.
4.That the OEA and the government of the United States, who we consider accomplice of the military coup d’état, do not represent our interests in the definitive exit of the people involved in the coup d’état out of power.
So we resolve:
1.If today, Thursday, November 5, no later than midnight President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales is not reinstated to his position, the National Resistance Front against the Coup d’Etat will not recognize the electoral process and its results.
2.We alert all the organizations in the resistance on a national level so that in case President Zelaya is not reinstated in the established period to be ready to execute the actions of negating the farse elections.
3.We call on the international community to maintain the position that the de facto regime and the elections of November 29 are illegitimate.
We resist and we will be victorious!
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. 5 of November 2009
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The article goes on to answer the question, which many have asked, "why boycott the elections."
November 6, 2009 1:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would like to know what the republicans in congress and outside of congress have been doing down there as they have stated clearly that the intended to act against the administration's policy?
November 6, 2009 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, conservatives have claimed the narrative, sync, and completely fictionalized it to boot. You know, a right wing dictator has unconstitutionally seized power and the right wishes us to believe that he has saved democracy and the constitution. Up-is-downism. But hell, liberals have given them the narrative - on just about all the blogs I've looked at, the wingnuts rule the responses about 15 to 1. Look at my posts on Honduras here - most go over the expiration edge with low rec's and hardly any comments. The left just doesn't give a shit, and the right is happy to take up the slack. DeMint(ed) lifted the hold on Obama's appointments, so he must have got something he wanted out of the deal. It's pretty obvious what it was - far rightwing National Party candidate Pepe Lobo is slated to win the faux-election, so Honduras slips further right than it is now under the coup. The right has won in Honduras - only a popular uprising will put them down.
November 6, 2009 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
TPM isn't "the left."
November 6, 2009 9:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, it's sort of like contemplating the dimension of the center of a potter's wheel, evildoer. That point which everything spins around.
November 7, 2009 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
There's something else I've just seen that responds to your question directly, sync. It's the transcript/video of today's State Department press briefing. Here's the link: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2009/index.htm
You can choose transcript or video on this page - and "Honduras" comes up at the beginning of the briefing, so you don't have to listen to a bunch of other issues.
What I'm extrapolating from a bunch of wishy-washy doubletalk is that Clinton was in touch with DeMint, and she told him that the Administration would recognize the validity of the elections whether or not Zelaya was reinstated. Subsequently DeMint lifted his hold on the appointment of Arturo Valenzuela, and Valenzuela has been confirmed. Shannon's appointment, however, is still blocked. But Ian Kelley would not confirm this, other than saying that Clinton and DeMint had been in contact.
So DeMint got what he wanted - a smooth transition from the coup government to an ultra right wing government of Pepe Lobo. At least it looks this way - but be prepared for more surprises.
The press briefing is very good: Kelley is put under big pressure by journalists, who seem to be fed up with State's ambiguity on this issue.
November 6, 2009 6:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Union of South American nations (UNASUR) sides with the man with in his underwear (and cowboy hat).
November 6, 2009 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
As did the Rio Group. Is there a great schism developing between Latin America and the Obama Adminstration? I hope not.
November 6, 2009 8:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
why not? I hope it does. We need an independent Latin America.
November 6, 2009 9:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
"We need?" You mean like bananas?
November 7, 2009 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
No, not like bananas, like Venezuela.
November 7, 2009 11:08 AM | Reply | Permalink