Following Pepe Lobo’s inauguration, Mel Zelaya left the country, but promises to return.
I’ll talk about this in today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern, and you can also read my post at Real Clear World.
Related reading:
La Gringa’s Outside interference and Honduran reaction.
Zelaya will be leaving the tin foil-lined room soon: Zelaya to leave Honduras next week says adviser
Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya will end his four-month refuge in the Brazilian embassy and leave the country next week, when his term would have ended, his closest adviser said on Thursday.Zelaya, a leftist who was ousted in a coup on June 28, accepted an agreement backed by the government of the Dominican Republic to travel to the Caribbean country, close Zelaya aide Rasel Tome told Radio Globo radio.
Introducing Son of No Sheeples: Mako Snark
Pelosi Rejects Senate Health Care Bill, meanwhile Obama Now Signals He Could Accept Limited Health Bill
What a guy: Specter tells Bachmann to “act like a lady”
Frank Gaffney writes about the Obama administration’s Dangerous Accommodations. While many credit the healthcare debate for Scott Brown’s victory, Andrew McCarthy points out It’s the Enemy, Stupid
National-security strength lifts Scott Brown.
Scott Brown went out and made the case for enhanced interrogation, for denying terrorists the rights of criminal defendants, for detaining them without trial, and for trying them by military commission. It worked. It will work for other candidates willing to get out of their Beltway bubbles.
Victor Davis Hanson on Our Philosopher-King Obama
He doesn’t mind pushing noble legislation that most people oppose. Why is that?
Why, then, does the Obama administration persist with such an apparently unpopular agenda?Like Plato’s all-knowing elite, Obama seems to feel that those he deems less informed will “suddenly” learn to appreciate his benevolent guidance once these laws are pushed through.
…
There is one other trait of this administration similar to those of utopian philosopher-kings. Our elite must have the leeway to be exempt from their own rules.
Michael Fumento asks, Why does everybody think BPA is safe but us?
John Edwards finally got around to publicly admitting he’s the father
In a written statement provided exclusively to NBC News, the former North Carolina senator and Democratic presidential candidate says he’s taking responsibility for the child, Frances Quinn Hunter
Meanwhile he shamelessly promoted his wife’s book which aimed to rehabilitate him. Saint Elizabeth and the Ego Monster, indeed.
The National Enquirer is submitting its John Edwards coverage for a Pulitzer Prize. Can’t wait for Oprah to reunite John with all his children!
BONUS
Top 10 Craziest Things Ever Said By Pat Robertson; here’s the one about spooky yoga:
Or maybe he means Yoda?
Still cooped up in the tin-foil lined room at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, deposed president Mel Zelaya celebrated Christmas in Honduras as he sang some tunes into his cell phone. Noticias 24 has a slideshow.
Zelaya had plenty of visitors. La Gringa points out,
Several articles were written about US Ambassador Hugo Llorens’ visit to Zelaya over the weekend, but only the Honduran La Prensa and El Heraldo newspapers noted that he was accompanied by Zelaya’s three Guaymuras negotiators. Maybe the others didn’t realize the significance of that.With all of Zelaya’s claims about what the Tegucigalpa Accord was “really” supposed to do (return him to office, as dutifully and erroneously reported by all of the news media outside of Honduras), no one seemed to notice that the three Zelaya negotiators never backed up his claims. They have been completely out of the public eye since the Accord was signed.
To me, that signifies that they were completely aware that there was no guarantee that Zelaya would be returned to office and that they only agreed to the congressional vote and the removal of any amnesty provision precisely because Zelaya demanded it.
For the time being, Zelaya’s stuck at the Brazilian embassy until a country offers him political assylum.
Which, by the way, the Brazilians are not about to do.
And no, he did not go to Copenhagen. Whoever organizer was who misled the public into thinking he was there, lied.
Ah, the irony, Blizzard Dumps Snow on Copenhagen as Leaders Battle Warming, or do they mean, struggle to stay warm?
World leaders flying into Copenhagen today to discuss a solution to global warming will first face freezing weather as a blizzard dumped 10 centimeters (4 inches) of snow on the Danish capital overnight.“Temperatures will stay low at least the next three days,” Henning Gisseloe, an official at Denmark’s Meteorological Institute, said today by telephone, forecasting more snow in coming days. “There’s a good chance of a white Christmas.”
Apparently they haven’t had a white Christmas in 14 years. Nice.
Not so nice, the reaction to Chavez’s speech: The Copenhagen, Chavista Consensus: Free Markets Kill Polar Bears
As Ron Bailey pointed out in his latest dispatch from the Copenhagen climate change conference, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave a predictably insane speech blaming capitalism for the melting if the polar ice caps and all sorts of other environmental degradation. Of course, he likely remembers that the Soviet Union and its slave states were all terrific stewards of the earth, using green technology to eliminate the kulaks and giving Andrei Sakharov fair trade chicory coffee in prison.I am not a scientist, don’t pretend to be a scientist, and defer to Bailey on all things science related, but am I allowed to be more than slightly troubled that those formulating policy on such matters appear to be barking mad?
Oh yes, indeed. So many despots, so little time!
Be that as it may — and even though there is still a lot of bickering over the hand-outs … er, budget — this city is about to be descended upon by some 115 world leaders. One of them, Hugo Chavez, is already here, evidently to great acclaim. I missed his speech yesterday (somehow I’m not on the invite list), but I will take one for the team today and go hear Chavez speak off campus at a place called Valby Hallen. He won’t be alone. Accompanying him on the program are Raul Castro, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Eva Morales of Bolivia, the Foreign Minister of Ecuador and the recently deposed president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya. (Wasn’t he supposed to be in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa?) Anyway, it’s a veritable rogue’s gallery of the Latin American left.
I really want to know how Zelaya managed to get out of the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, but I digress.
European Carbon Credit Trading System Plagued by Fraud, which may explain the appeal from the tyrants: it is yet more root-cause corruption.
Meanwhile, the Russians are piping in, with yet another inconvenient truth,
Climategate goes SERIAL: now the Russians confirm that UK climate scientists manipulated data to exaggerate global warming
What the Russians are suggesting here, in other words, is that the entire global temperature record used by the IPCC to inform world government policy is a crock.
But fret not, The Obama administration is making a last-gasp effort to put together a deal in Copenhagen, with Hillary promising $100 million billion right off the bat. As if it wasn’t a big enough zoo, Nancy Pelosi is leading a large delegation on at least two Air Force jets to Copenhagen.
Can’t wait to find out what Lady M will be wearing to the blizzard…
UPDATE
Lord Monckton reports on Pachauri’s eye opening Copenhagen presentation, and manages to slice, dice, chop and fillet Pachauri’s list of errors. More on Pachauri at EU Referendum.
And,
Chavez-hagen!
Post re-edited to include an omission.
Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean – a day late due to several work and family related reasons. Thank you for your patience.
LATIN AMERICA
The FARC and the ‘Peace Community’
Drug lords finding safe haven in Bolivia
BRAZIL
Muslim numbers soar in Latin America’s Islamic resurgence
Via Instapundit, Impotent futurism: the design of Allende’s cyber-utopian boondoggle
Free As In Beer: Cybernetic Science Fictions from Greg Borenstein on Vimeo.
CUBA
Via The Corner, Cuba detains contractor for U.S. government
American was handing out mobile phones, laptops to activists
ECUADOR
Ecuador: Correa Announces Restructuring Of Central Bank
Ecuador media moves create waves
GUATEMALA
Aunque no renazca de sus cenizas
HONDURAS
Alas, I will *not* be asking how to say in Spanish…
Opinion: On Hondura’s Vote – by Otto Reich
MEXICO
Cartels stealing Mexican oil
PANAMA
Nice-looking eggplants
PARAGUAY
Paraguay’s president
Loose-lipped Lugo: Giving offence and receiving it
VENEZUELA
Banking in Venezuela
Fall of the Boligarchs: Hugo Chávez cracks down on allies
Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Mugabe Will Speak at UN Junk Science Summit
Venezuela: Bank Nationalizations
Purga política detrás de ofensiva contra banqueros
Venezuela: Agents Raid Brokerage Firm
Police commit 20 percent of Venezuela crimes—minister
Venezuelan government takes over farms
Cooling Hugo Chavez
DIALÉCTICA DE LA GUERRA CIVIL (claves para evitarla…)
The week’s posts and podcasts:
The Tehran-Caracas Nuclear Axis
The Venezuelan banks takeover: 15 Minutes on Latin America
Curly, Larry and Moe at Copenhagen Climate Talks next week
Orquesta Kef: Entry denied
Blogburst/blogacción: Free Darsi Ferrer NOW!
Honduras: Zelaya may be heading to Mexico? UPDATE: Nope.
Venezuela’s new Continental Bolivarian Movement: 15 Minutes on Latin America
Venezuela: “Thousands of Russian missiles” coming
The Panama Canal expands: 15 Minutes on Latin America
La Gringa, last night:
Proceso Digital, an online Honduran newspaper, reports that Mel Zelaya has requested a ’salvoconducto’ (safe conduct) and may be leaving for Mexico in the next hours. Radio Globo reported earlier in the day that they had information that Zelaya was making arrangements to leave the country.
…
Update 10:00: Enrique Flores Lanza, former Minister of the Presidency (who also has charges against him for withdrawing L.40 million in cash from the national bank two days before the proposed June 28 poll), has confirmed to Telesur that Zelaya has not asked for political asylum. The Mexican Chancellor confirmed that Zelaya does not have political asylum in Mexico. Political asylum would prevent Zelaya from political activities and apparently his intent was to do some last minute campaigning with foreign governments to try to return to office. As mentioned above, he’s now talking about negotiating a new agreement of some sort. Please! He’s violated every clause of every agreement so far.
This morning Noticias 24 reports that Mexico had requested safeconduct for Zelaya to travel to Mexico as a guest. The Honduran government denied the request, instead insisting that Zelaya would be allowed to leave if Mexico grants him assylum – which Zelaya has refused.
The NYT says, Fate of Ex-Honduran Leader Is in Doubt
In an interview with the Mexican TV network Televisa, Mr. Zelaya said that the de facto government had placed a “denigrating” condition on his departure from Honduras, offering him safe passage out of the embassy only if he would seek political asylum. He added that he has not asked for political asylum.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that
Mexico’s foreign ministry, in an e-mailed statement, said it was acting upon a request from Zelaya
Apparently, Zelaya wants to head to Cuba by way of Mexico,
Zelaya, speaking earlier on Venezuela’s Telesur television channel, said he wanted to visit several countries in his role as the Central American country’s elected leader. He would not confirm earlier comments to Telesur by his chief of staff, Enrique Flores Lanza, that he was seeking to travel with his family to Mexico and then Cuba to attend a summit of the Venezuelan-led Alba trade bloc.
But then, maybe not.
Either way,
Honduran authorities denied Mexico’s request because it did not meet the legal requirements for granting safe-conduct to political asylum seekers, Rene Zepeda, a spokesman for the acting government, said in comments broadcast on Telesur.
As of now, Manuel Zelaya exile move from Honduras ‘postponed’
As Drudge says, developing…
UPDATE, 4PM Eastern
Noticias 24: Mexican government states there is no possibility of granting Zelaya asylum, since Zelaya himself turned it down. The Mexican government had sent an airplane last night to Honduras, where the plane was denied permission to land and had to land in El Salvador instead.
For the time being, then, Zelaya remains in the tin-foil lined room at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.
Today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern,
The Honduran Congress will not reinstate Mel Zelaya, and what that means to the Obama administration.
Related reading
U.S. `disappointed’ by vote against Zelaya
U.S. officials said they were `disappointed’ with the Honduran congress’ vote against returning former President Manuel Zelaya to office.
Brazil to reconsider stance of not recognizing Honduras’ elections
Honduran Parliament to Obama: Pound sand
111 out of the 128 members of the Honduran Congress present voted against reinstating deposed president Mel Zelaya. The vote came after an all-day session where the Congress reviewed several reports from the country’s institutions, including the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, and various members of the political parties, including pro-Zelaya.
Following the vote, the Congress issued an official statement, which La Gringa translated,
“This Congress has fulfilled its responsibility under the Agreement Tegucigalpa / San José in a transparent and democratic manner. We call on all of the international community and regional bodies, including the Organization of American States, to respect our sovereignty. Having elected a new president, all Hondurans have already begun the process of national unity and reconciliation. Those seeking to continue the controversy and to perpetuate the political crisis in our country are obsessed with the past and personal agendas and not the welfare of our country,” added Ramón Velásquez Nazar, Vice President of Congress and member of the Christian Democratic Party of Honduras.
You can read the original in Spanish here.
Roberto Micheletti will remain as president until Pepe Lobo’s January inauguration. Micheletti had stepped aside during the election.
We’ll see where Zelaya decides to go next, unless the Brazilians simply love having him hanging around the tin foil-lined room.
UPDATE
Welcome, Hugh Hewitt, Red State, Moe Lane and Hot Air readers. Please visit often.
My latest article, Honduras: Pepe Lobo Wins, is up at Real Clear World. Please go read it.
Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. Today the Carnival’s dedicated to the Honduran election.
Here’s a roundup of links:
Good news from Honduras
Honduras election results in decisive win for democracy
Don’t miss Daniel’s two posts: Honduras and the US win; Chavez and Lula lose and Recognizing Honduras elections
Was the Election in Honduras a referendum on Socialism?
The tribunal say more than 60 percent of registered voters had cast ballots.
WALKBACK COMPLETE: US RECOGNIZES WINNER IN HONDURAN ELECTION
Morning Bell: A Victory for Democracy in Honduras
The Supremacy of Honduras
The Honduran vote
In-country reports from the Heritage Foundation:
Zelaya Opponent Wins Honduran Election by Large Margin
On his knees and other candidate news
Zelaya fans flames of discontent in Honduras also at This ain’t hell
Another must-read: Distorting Honduran History at the New York Times
Honduras Holds Presidential Election…Chavez And Obama Hit Hardest
The Mouse That Roared: Congratulations, Honduras
Ley seca en Honduras para elegir presidente “con ayuda de Dios”
Honduras Votes Amidst Bomb Attacks as Police Seize More Explosives
Obama Backing of Honduras Election Crimps Latin Ties
Obama and Chavez Backed Zelaya Repudiated in Honduras election
More links on Honduras, via Larwyn:
Congratulations to the Little Country That Could
Honduras Elects Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo As President
Welcome, Andrew’s readers. Please visit often.
ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION:
LATIN AMERICA
Summit of Amazon Countries Want Rich Nations to Pay Them for Global Warming
ARGENTINA
BRAZIL
If I Were Lula’s Political Rivals
A hug from Lula
Why Brazil’s president offered a red carpet to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
18,000 miles to Washington
Motorcyclist rides from Brazil in hopes of getting patent case heard
UK police settle over de Menezes shooting
CUBA
Maletines a Yoani: Te felicito, pero discrepo
That Blockheaded bloqueo means U.S. companies miss out on THIS.
Arnaldo Márquez Gil, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 11/29/09
MEXICO
Our Neighbor to the South and Do We Care?
PANAMA
The best home defense
VENEZUELA
Dubai, Greece and Venezuela, three countries, three different debt profiles
Chávez pays a ‘lightning’ visit to Raúl, Fidel after talks with a high-level Cuban mission
