Alone, and right, on Honduras

Washington Post ^ | November 27, 2009 | Edward Schumacher-Matos

[La Lydia]

The United States finds itself pretty much alone in supporting elections to be held this Sunday in embattled Honduras. It's enough to make you wonder whether, following the unilateral misadventures under George W. Bush, we might once again be on the wrong side of history. With the exception of Panama, almost everyone else in the world maintains that the elections are illegitimate as long as the country's last elected president, Manuel Zelaya, remains deposed...

I firmly believe in multilateralism and compromise...But this is one of those times when you have to stand on principle. My bet is that the world will come around to Washington's view.

Though Zelaya was escorted out of the country at gunpoint while in his pajamas nearly five months ago, a realization has slowly spread across Latin America and Europe that this was not a standard military coup...

Latin American nations, so fearful of coups that they didn't stop to consider the facts, blundered in trying to bring the de facto government to its knees by kicking it out of the Organization of American States. When the Hondurans refused to bow to OAS pressure, the hemispheric body, led by its ham-handed secretary-general, José Miguel Insulza, was left with no negotiating leverage.

Only the United States responded with a calibrated approach, siding with the Latin American countries over how Zelaya was removed but being understanding enough to seek a mediated solution...

The elections were scheduled, the candidates were chosen and the electoral commission was appointed while Zelaya was still in office. As Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela told an OAS commission this week, "this is an election consistent with the constitutional mandate to elect the president and Congress."

What matters now is what happens on Sunday...

[La Lydia]

Calibrated approach? Bush bashing? What ever. He fails to point out how wrong our original response was.

[La Lydia]

ping

[Oldpuppymax]

Ah, the Washington Post. George must be perpetually whirling in his grave, having such thoroughly disreputable rags and corrupt, tyrannical cities bearing his name.

[Scotsman will be Free]

He’s got it about half right. The rest is typical scum blathering.

[skeeter]

More lying media revisionism. What else is new.

[BfloGuy]

The constitutionality of the president’s removal from office was all over the conservative press the following day. I guess we should be pleased that the Washington Post is realizing it several months later.

[VeniVidiVici]

Only the United States responded with a calibrated approach, siding with the Latin American countries over how Zelaya was removed but being understanding enough to seek a mediated solution. For once, bipartisanship thrives

Oh brother. Talk about alternative history written by the Fifth Column.

[Western Phil]

Only the United States responded with a calibrated approach, siding with the Latin American countries over how Zelaya was removed but being understanding enough to seek a mediated solution...

Obama's alternate universe.

[HonCitizen]

Peru will accept the election, as well as Germany and Japan.Colombian and Mexico are in process. I even heard that Canada will too. This has been said today.