“Chavez orchestrated Zelaya’s return”

Honduran newspaper El Heraldo’s headline states that Chávez ‘orquestó’ llegada de Zelaya
Las fuentes afirma que la embajada brasileña ofrece seguridad Manuel Zelaya, porque “el gobierno del presidente Lula está a la vanguardia de la presión para que sea devuelto al poder” Chávez ‘orchestrated’ Zelaya’s arrival
Sources state that the Brazilian embassy shelters Zelaya because “president Lula’s government is behind the pressure to return him to power”.

The article (in Spanish) quotes Brazilian government sources interviewed by Brazilian daily Estadão (link in Portuguese. My translation),

Advisors to president Luiz Inácio Lula da SIlva and Itamaraty (the Brazilian Ministry of the Exterior) stated that Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez provided the infrastructure and logistics for Manuel Zelaya’s clandestine return to Honduras. The Venezuelan leader also advised Zelaya to head to the Brazilian embassy.

According to sources at the Palácio do Planalto and at Itamaraty, Chávez decided that the Brazilian embassy was the safest for Zelaya….Chávez had told Zelaya that the embassies of Venezuela, México, Costa Rica and El Salvador, among others, could be attacked by forces of the de facto government because of the ties of the deposed president and the governments of those countries. Unlike them, the Brazilian diplomatic mission offered every safeguard to sheltering the president, since Lula’s government is at the forefront of the pressure towards Zelaya’s reinstatement. Additionally, the US government, which does not recognize the interim Honduran government, agrees with Brazil’s stance.

Chávez, while in New York, took time from visiting the UN and going to the movies to brag about Zelaya’s return trip (link in Spanish. My translation):

“It was a secret operation.”
…
Chávez explained that he called Evo Morales and told him, “we’re going to New York with Zelaya,” and the plane took off, followed by the Pentagon’s satellite, but Zelaya disappeared along the way.

“And he went on in cars’ trunks, in tractors, supported by the military, and now he is where he should be, in his country, and the coupsters have to give him back the Government. This is the democracy that ends up enduring.”

La Gringa, reporting from Tegucigalpa documents how Zelaya comes to Honduras and violence follows, including looting. Noticias 24 has photos inside the Brazilian embassy this morning, which clearly contradict Zelaya’s latest assertion – that he’s being tortured by Americans, and that Israelis are going to kill him: They’re torturing me, Honduras’ Manuel Zelaya claims
Honduras’ fallen leader told The Miami Herald he is being subjected to mind-altering gas and radiation — and that `Israeli mercenaries’ are planning to assassinate him.

It’s been 89 days since Manuel Zelaya was booted from power. He’s sleeping on chairs, and he claims his throat is sore from toxic gases and “Israeli mercenaries” are torturing him with high-frequency radiation.

“We are being threatened with death,” he said in an interview with The Miami Herald, adding that mercenaries were likely to storm the embassy where he has been holed up since Monday and assassinate him.

Of course, Zelaya’s insane statement has generated a good amount of blogger reaction:
Moe Lane

On the other hand, when it comes to this sort of thing eventually somebody decides to blame it all on the Jews. Apparently, in this case Zeleya’s got “Israeli mercenaries” going after him with sonic weapons and radiation! Spying on him with rays! Can somebody explain why we’re backing this lunatic, again? Oh, right: because the administration got caught unprepared by events, went off half-cocked, and guessed wrong: and God forbid that this administration ever admit that it’s capable of error.

Sundries Shack

If Mel Zelaya doesn’t get back in as the President of Honduras, he’s certainly qualified to be Barack Obama’s Green Czar. At least he has the crazy as a bedbug qualification locked down.

Jammie:

There is, however, one disturbing aspect to this whole story and that involves our intelligence gathering agencies. Did they not have a psychological profile of this guy and if they did, what was their assessment? Did they share the information with the State Department? Was their assessment wrong or was it ignored?

Michael Goldfarb:

Anyone who’s been following this story should have noted by now the major difference between Manuel Zelaya, the ousted former president, and Roberto Micheletti, the current president. It isn’t that Zelaya is a communist and Micheletti a liberal democrat (though that much seems clear). No, the real difference seems to be that Zelaya is a delusional megalomaniac — with the full support of the Obama administration.

Ed Morrissey

So this is the calm, rational leadership that Barack Obama envisions for Honduras! Obama much prefers a president given to tinfoil-hat conspiracy theories and knee-jerk anti-Semitism. At least this makes sense of the Van Jones appointment.

Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

We bully our friends, twist the concept of the rule of law to portray our allies as criminals, and impose sanctions and other get-tough tactics only against people who like us. A foreign policy gone mad, in which good is bad and friend is foe.

Insane.

More blog reaction:
Are you Freaking Stupid?

One more insane person associated with Obama. If it wasn’t for the fact that the US is leading a diplomatic assault on this democratic country, this would be hilarious. This is the nitwit that Obama wants put back in charge. Remember, Obama wanted us to judge him by the people he surrounds himself with.

Jennifer Rubin

Well, what say Obama and Clinton now? Perhaps it’s time for both of them to come up with a real plan, other than simply insisting on reinstating the crazy guy (and friend of Hugo Chavez), who was removed from office for violating his country’s constitution.

Andrew Ian Dodge:

When in doubt blame the Jews Israelis for whatever is happening to you.