Ortega Assists Honduras

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 10/27/09

[MissesBush]

If Honduras manages to preserve its democracy despite U.S. pressure to abandon it, the tiny Central American country may wind up thanking Nicaragua's Danny Ortega, of all people.

Last week, President Ortega inadvertently provided the best defense yet of the Honduran decision this summer to remove Manuel Zelaya from the presidency. Nicaragua has a one-term limit for presidents, and Mr. Ortega's term expires in 2011. However, the Nicaraguan doesn't want to leave, and so he asked the Sandinista-controlled Supreme Court to overturn the constitutional ban on his re-election.

Last week the court's constitutional panel obliged him. The Nicaraguan press reported that the vote was held before three opposition judges could reach the chamber in time for the session. Three alternative judges, all Sandinistas, took their place and the court gave Mr. Ortega the green light. Mr. Ortega has decreed that the ruling cannot be appealed.

This is classic strong-man stuff on Hugo Chávez's Venezuela model. Mr. Ortega's approval rating is in the low-30% range and he'd have a hard time winning a fair election against a united opposition. But he controls the nation's electoral council, and in the 2008 municipal races—the most important elected checks on the president—the council refused to provide a transparent accounting of the vote tally. It also blocked international and local observers, and the vote was marred by claims of widespread fraud. The international community watched all this but did nothing. And now Mr. Ortega is taking the next chavista step toward indefinite rule.

Hondurans deposed Mr. Zelaya because he was showing similar designs on changing their constitution to be able to run again and stay in power. Hondurans have to live in Mr. Ortega's neighborhood, and their action against Mr. Zelaya may well have saved them from Nicaragua's fate.

[MissesBush]

It is unfathomable to me that Obama wants to cozy up to these brutish regimes while penalizing the Hondurans who stood up to resist Chavez-like thuggery. I guess it makes more sense when you allow that the reason Obama is so determined to befriend Latin American Marxist thugs is because he is one himself...and would give anything to replicate their anti-democratic tactics here.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

It is unfathomable to me that Obama wants to cozy up to these brutish regimes

It's a combination of factors, mostly admiration and envy, I suppose. I grandson will live to see a chavista regime in America, I am sure. If Sissy Matthews were around, the tingle running up his leg would climax.

[San Jacinto]

If you are stumped at the logic of obama supporting leftist thugs—or “freedon fighters”, if you will, over a competing pro-American, pro-democracy faction (imperialist facilatators), then just remember to look through the proper prism, and obama’s logic becomes very clear.

That prism is simply WWBAD? or WWRWD?*

*What would Bill Ayers do?- What would Rev. Wright do?

[Truth29]

Carter and Obama will hail this as a triumph of a strong judiciary and the rule of law. If a despot controls the courts, so much can be done that would otherwise require jackboots.

[GodGunsGuts]

Unfathonable? He has been surrounded and mentored by hardcore communist revolutionaries his entire life. He literally knows no other way.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

And the political murders are starting.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Honduras-de-facto-leaders-nephew-murdered/articleshow/5168177.cms

TEGUCIGALPA: A nephew of Roberto Micheletti, head of the de facto regime running Honduras since a June 28 military coup, and a high-ranking army
officer were murdered in separate incidents, the National Police said.

Enzo Micheletti had disappeared several days ago and his body was found Sunday along with that of another young man in the northern town of Choloma, while Col. Concepcion Jimenez was gunned down Sunday night in front of his Tegucigalpa house, National Police spokesman Orlin Cerrato told EFE.

Police are dealing with both cases “as a matter of common violence”, Cerrato said, adding that “the investigations are covering all the necessary aspects”.

[DoughtyOne]

The Nicaraguans baffle me. They had Ortega once before and he was an ass. The U.S. helped them rid themselves of him, and years later they voted the jackass back in.

Honest to God, some people are just dumber than bricks.

Well... good luck with this Nicaraguans.

[MissesBush]

The Nicaraguans baffle me. They had Ortega once before and he was an ass. The U.S. helped them rid themselves of him, and years later they voted the jackass back in.

I guess it's sort of like how we had Jimmy Carter and he was a complete failure, then we elected Bill Clinton who wanted to socialize our healthcare which Americans rebelled against, then we elected another idiot Obama who wants to follow down the same paths of failure as Carter and Clinton.

[DoughtyOne]

Can’t argue with that can I.

People baffle me...

It would help if we had had someone on ‘our’ side last year.

IMO McCain was the worst candidate since Bush I in 1992.

Beyond that, I think he was far and away the worst nominee I’ve seen in my lifetime, as far as Conservatism is concerned.

[TopQuark]

"It would help if we had had someone on ‘our’ side last year."

If by "our" you mean conservative, I agree. If, however, you mean Repablicans, they got the candidate they wanted. There are no mistakes here; the truth is, there are very few conservatives left. Even on this forum, you have scores of people raving against Wall Street and capitalism in general. People get candidates they want.