Obama gives ousted Honduran leader cold shoulder
You heard it here first. In yet another Obama administration reversal from an initially wrong diplomatic call, the White House has begun to give ousted Honduran President Zelaya the cold shoulder.
He is returning to Washington DC after failing to land his Hugo Chavez provided plane. However he will only be allowed to meet with Secretary of State Clinton, not President Obama. This is a major indication that Obama is rethinking his position on Honduras and allowing himself some room to move back toward the current government. Can Mr. Obama ever get it right the first time? his track record is not too good – he missed the call on the Russian invasion of Georgia, the Iranian Revolution, and now Honduras.
Check out this different tone the US government is taking now….. (AP)
In Washington, a senior U.S. official said one option under consideration was trying to forge a compromise between Zelaya, Micheletti and the Honduran military under which the ousted president would be allowed to serve out his remaining six months in office with limited and clearly defined powers.
Zelaya, in return, would pledge to drop his aspirations for a constitutional change that would allow him to run for another term, said the official, who agreed to discuss the situation only if not quoted by name because of the sensitive nature of the diplomatic exchanges.
So far, the White House has called Zelaya’s ouster “not legal,” but it has not taken any steps to punish Honduras. More than $100 million in U.S. aid would be lost if the State Department officially classifies Zelaya’s ouster a “coup,” which would trigger an automatic suspension.
More evidence stems from the classic high level leak:
Another senior U.S. administration official expressed frustration with Zelaya, saying the ousted Honduran leader rejected advice from the United States and others not to press for the constitutional change and also not to try to return to Honduras on Sunday while the situation remained volatile.
and my personal favorite from a people who will not stand a TYRANT
If he returns, Zelaya faces arrest for 18 alleged criminal acts including treason and failing to implement more than 80 laws approved by Congress since he took office in 2006.
[...] Obama gives ousted Honduran leader cold shoulder [...]