Statement by Sen. Kerry on Honduras on 6/26/09 (before coup)

[beachmom]

http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=315139

06/26/2009

Chairman Kerry's Statement on Honduras Escalating Constitutional Crisis



WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry (D-MA) today expressed concern about the growing tension in Honduras over an unofficial vote, scheduled for Sunday, intended to build public support for rewriting the Honduran Constitution.

“America values its longstanding partnership with Honduras, but a push to rewrite the constitution over the objections of Honduras's top court, legislature, attorney general, and military is deeply disturbing,” said Chairman Kerry. “The people of Honduras deserve a democratic process that is legal, fair and transparent. I applaud the Organization of American States (OAS), consistent with its commitment to fully respect members’ sovereignty, for calling an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis in Honduras.”

This seems to be aimed at the President. He was clearly in the wrong here. But then deposing him may have been wrong, too.

Thing is, I know from a friend of mine who was in Latin America, that Chavez has been screwing around in other Latin American countries, spreading a lot of oil money around to get his guys in. So, I just think this Honduras situation is complicated. Probably both sides are in the wrong.

Do any of you know what is going on?

[YvonneCa]

1. Not really. I posted this in GD yesterday in response...

...to a really bizarre post:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5946351&mesg_id=5946538


I decided not to take karynnj's advice to repost...it seemed better to just let it sink. ;)

[beachmom]

2. I think Kerry was right. Andrew Sullivan has been covering the issue

linking to several people, but I tend to believe this Honduran blogger:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/blogging-the-coup.html

of course everyone is making him (the President) out to be a martyr. He's not. Really, people have to remember that this man had rejected the orders of Congress and the SUPREME COURT to stop his survey and had ignored them. The man was outside the law. Again, the coup was bad, but probably the only way out. This man was NOT blameless. Stop making him look like a martyr and a hero.

A ton of links here:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/honduras-is-not-iran-ctd.html#more

Ending with a quote from the Brookings Institution I tend to agree with:

An illegal referendum has met an illegal military intervention, with the avowed intention of protecting the constitution. Moreover, as has been so often the case, this intervention has been called for and celebrated by Zelaya’s civilian opponents. For the past week, the Honduran Congress has waxed lyrical about the armed forces as the guarantors of the constitution, a disturbing notion in Latin America. When we hear that, we can expect the worst. And the worst has happened. At the very least, we are witnessing in Honduras the return of the sad role of the military as the ultimate referee in the political conflicts amongst the civilian leadership, a huge step back in the consolidation of democracy.

[YvonneCa]

3. I agree. And I also like...

...that he calls for working with other countries through established organizations for that purpose. I am liking very much that the OAS, the UN, NATO, etc.are back in 'vogue.':)

[karynnj]

4. That was actually BLM's advice which I agreed with

Given when the statement was made, Kerry's position was very reasonable. I was mainly agreeing with her that the badly translated article - with its ghosts of stolen elections - be deleted. But, just letting it drop was better, given that, by then, the coup had happened.

Today's NYT article on Honduras speaks of Obama's position clashing with the ghosts of past policies.

We do not want to go back to a dark past,” Mr. Obama said, in which military coups override elections. “We always want to stand with democracy,” he added.

The crisis in Honduras, where members of the country’s military abruptly awakened President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday and forced him out of the country in his bedclothes, is pitting Mr. Obama against the ghosts of past American foreign policy in Latin America.

The United States has a history of backing rival political factions and instigating coups in the region, and administration officials have found themselves on the defensive in recent days, dismissing repeated allegations by President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela that the C.I.A. may have had a hand in the president’s removal.

This is the type of change in policy that I hoped we would get with a President Kerry, who was on record against aiding the Contras in their coup. This has to be a good moment for him - having a President he helped elect really changing from the policies Kerry has fought against for decades.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/world/americas/30honduras.html?_r=1&hp

The NYT article posted here - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3945862

[YvonneCa]

5. You are right....

...:)

[beachmom]

6. Al Giordano reports on the latest. Whatever flaws the President had, this is ridiculous:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/2/749078/-Honduras-Coup-Congress-Cancels-Five-Basic-Liberties

Despite the best efforts of what I call "the Oligarch Diaspora" to flood the Internet with near identical messages that the Honduran coup "is not a coup" and that was a "constitutional succession" (cough, cough) dressed in the blue-and-white flag of Honduran democracy, the coup regime bared its fangs today. And like any vampire, it's coming out at nightfall.

The same Congress that, after the military had kidnapped, beaten and dumped President Manuel Zelaya in Costa Rica, had declared one of its own, Roberto Micheletti as the coup "president" today passed an emergency law stripping Hondurans of the following rights from the country's constitution:

1. The right to protest.

2. Freedom in one's home from unwarranted search, seizure and arrest.

3. Freedom of association.

4. Guarantees of rights of due process while under arrest.

5. Freedom of transit in the country.

[beachmom]

7. Newsflash: Al Giordano thinks Kerry has "egg on his face", lol:

I inquired and got an answer:

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2009/7/2/0645/48131/236#c236

Egg on His Face (2+ / 0-)


This wouldn't be the first time my friend John overshot regarding events in Latin America. (Oh, the stories I could tell!)

But he kind of set a trap for himself by applauding the OAS, because now he's gonna have to follow its lead, which is what he and all US officials should do.

The Field.

by The Field on Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 08:00:12 AM PDT

< Parent | Reply to This | RecommendHide >

I respect Al, so, um .... there it is. But it also should be known, he has gotten things wrong from time to time.

[karynnj]

8. But that comment makes no sense

as he goes on to say that letting OAS lead and the US following is the right course. Not to mention, anything recommended before the coup is not something that has to hold true after it. (though in this case, it clearly is better than the US doing anything unilaterally - especially with our School of America history).

I have tried to figure out what he meant. Kerry is to the left of everyone in the administration, thus closer to Al - and I think the NYT got it right that Obama has shifted policy in the direction that Al should have wanted. Neither side here is on the side of the angels. What I don't get there is that as posters spoke of the President's low approval ratings and the fact that the legal system denied a referendum, why the opponents resorted to a coup.

I respect Al as well, and our policy has been so bad, his erring on the other side is not all that bad.