Obama says coup in Honduras is illegal

[still_one]

www.reuters.com/article/us-honduras-usa-sb-idUKTRE55S5J220090629

"U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday the coup that ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was illegal and would set a "terrible precedent" of transition by military force unless it was reversed.

"We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the president of Honduras, the democratically elected president there," Obama told reporters after an Oval Office meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe."

.......

"Obama said he would work with the Organization of American States and other international institutions to restore Zelaya to power and "see if we can resolve this in a peaceful way."


"TERRIBLE PRECEDENT"

"It would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era in which we are seeing military coups as a means of political transition, rather than democratic elections," Obama said, noting the region's progress in establishing democratic traditions in the past 20 years.

Despite Obama's comments, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration was not formally designating the ouster as a military coup for now, a step that would force a cut-off of most U.S. aid to Honduras.

Under U.S. law, no aid -- other than for the promotion of democracy -- may be provided to a country whose elected head of government has been toppled in a military coup.

"We do think that this has evolved into a coup," Clinton told reporters, adding the administration was withholding that determination for now.

Asked if the United States was currently considering cutting off aid, Clinton shook her head no."

[Wilms]

1. In her memoir, Hard Choices, Clinton took credit for preventing Zelaya from returning to Honduras

In her memoir, Hard Choices, Clinton took credit for preventing Zelaya from returning to Honduras, as if it were a major victory for democracy instead the beginning of a new era of death-squad violence and repression in Honduras.

“We strategized on a plan to restore order in Honduras,” Clinton wrote, “and ensure that free and fair elections could be held quickly and legitimately, which would render the question of Zelaya moot.” In other words, rather than support the right of the elected president to serve out his term, Clinton allowed his illegal ouster to lead to an interim right-wing regime followed by elections that the Honduran oligarchs could again dominate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511466860

[Kittycat]

7. Clinton response to Honduras Coup scrubbed from

Paperbook?


Clinton's Response to Honduras Coup Scrubbed from Paperback
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/hillary-clinton-honduras-coup-memoirs_us_56e34161e4b0b25c91820a08

[Wilms]

9. Wow!

"We strategized on a plan to restore order in Honduras and ensure that free and fair elections could be held quickly and legitimately, which would render the question of Zelaya moot and give the Honduran people a chance to choose their own future," Clinton wrote.

But that paragraph -- indeed, the entire two-page discussion of the Honduran coup -- disappeared from the paperback edition. In the paperback version, the chapter on Latin America ends abruptly after a look at the debate over whether Cuba should be included in the Organization of American States.

It's a striking omission, given that Zelaya was overthrown just three weeks after Clinton's visit to Honduras for the OAS meeting at which Cuba's membership was debated, which she recounts as the penultimate anecdote of the Latin America chapter.

When asked about the edit, a Clinton spokeswoman pointed The Huffington Post to the front flap of the paperback edition, which notes generally that the text has been trimmed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-honduras-coup-memoirs_us_56e34161e4b0b25c91820a08

[IllinoisLabour]

2. Meh, every coup is illegal until it succeeds and declares itself legal

The American Revolution was illegal.

How about we leave other countries alone alone? I'm sure Obama would have kept his mouth shut about the coup if they installed a figurehead his administration liked.

[Fumesucker]

5. Treason doth never prosper

What's the reason?

For if it prosper none dare call it treason.

[Dem2]

11. I may not agree with the position either Hillary or Obama took at any particular time

But I always wondered what we were supposed to do about it? Invade Honduras?

[ljm2002]

17. Standard policy is to withhold aid in these situations...

...but the Administration and SOS Clinton chose not to withhold aid, and Clinton threw her support behind having an election rather than restoring Zelaya's Presidency. It really isn't that hard to understand.

[Dem2]

18. I still don't get the outrage

You haven't explained how the USA could have changed the outcome there. Withhold aid? How'd that work in Cuba? Who suffers when aid is withheld?

[Enrique]

3. but we supported it anyway

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2013/03/30/will-congress-act-stop-us-support-honduras-death-squad-regime

[Ken Burch]

4. You do realize this doesn't help your candidate, right?

(I assume I'm reading your avatar correctly).

[farleftlib]

6. My thought too

Although her BFF status with Kissinger seems Ok with them so I guess supporting a military coup against a democratically-elected populist was the next logical step.

[still_one]

8. It was wrong, and it continued after she left when Kerry took over

It is what it is, and the Wikileaks Revelations Showed Obama Administration had Complicity in the Coup

and no I did not support that

[JackRiddler]

10. Good for you.

[Ken Burch]

12. Ok. I respect your convictions and consistency in posting this OP, then. n/t.

[still_one]

13. It is important to understand what happened so we stop making the same errors, and unfortunately,

South America has been a receptacle for those repeated errors

[Skwmom]

16. Will we really stop? This country doesn't seem to learn from its mistakes.

[Arazi]

14. Kicked and Recced eom

[Skwmom]

15. Purpose?