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The State Department Scolds Zelaya Again
Sep 30, 2009
Obama has let the Honduran coup continue.
He's done so by not cutting off all aid to the country, and by not denouncing the coup makers strongly enough.
He's also done so by letting the State Department say things that
are either diametrically opposed to his own words or that undermine
them, in any event.
For instance, Obama called the coup a coup; Hillary Clinton has never let that word pass her lips.
Obama called for the restoration of the democratically elected
government of Manuel Zelaya. But when Zelaya first returned to
Honduras, Hillary Clinton called it "reckless and imprudent" of him.
Now, after Zelaya has taken asylum in the Brazilian embassy in
Honduras, the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States,
Lewis Anselem, just echoed Clinton by calling his move "irresponsible
and foolish."
And, with great condescension, the ambassador said Zelaya should stop "acting as though he were starring in an old movie."
Actually, what we're seeing is an old movie, and a bad one at that.
It's a movie called U.S. imperialism, and it keeps running and running
and running.
Even though Obama yelled cut earlier this year and promised a relationship of equality with Latin America.
On April 19 at the Summit of the Americas, Obama said: "At times we
sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal
partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our
relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and
common interests and shared values."
But between Obama's words and the actions of his Administration falls the shadow.
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© 2023 The Progressive
Matt Rothschild
Matt Rothschild is the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Prior to joining the Democracy Campaign at the start of 2015, Matt worked at The Progressive Magazine for 32 years. For most of those, he was the editor and publisher of The Progressive.
Obama has let the Honduran coup continue.
He's done so by not cutting off all aid to the country, and by not denouncing the coup makers strongly enough.
He's also done so by letting the State Department say things that
are either diametrically opposed to his own words or that undermine
them, in any event.
For instance, Obama called the coup a coup; Hillary Clinton has never let that word pass her lips.
Obama called for the restoration of the democratically elected
government of Manuel Zelaya. But when Zelaya first returned to
Honduras, Hillary Clinton called it "reckless and imprudent" of him.
Now, after Zelaya has taken asylum in the Brazilian embassy in
Honduras, the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States,
Lewis Anselem, just echoed Clinton by calling his move "irresponsible
and foolish."
And, with great condescension, the ambassador said Zelaya should stop "acting as though he were starring in an old movie."
Actually, what we're seeing is an old movie, and a bad one at that.
It's a movie called U.S. imperialism, and it keeps running and running
and running.
Even though Obama yelled cut earlier this year and promised a relationship of equality with Latin America.
On April 19 at the Summit of the Americas, Obama said: "At times we
sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal
partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our
relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and
common interests and shared values."
But between Obama's words and the actions of his Administration falls the shadow.
Matt Rothschild
Matt Rothschild is the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Prior to joining the Democracy Campaign at the start of 2015, Matt worked at The Progressive Magazine for 32 years. For most of those, he was the editor and publisher of The Progressive.
Obama has let the Honduran coup continue.
He's done so by not cutting off all aid to the country, and by not denouncing the coup makers strongly enough.
He's also done so by letting the State Department say things that
are either diametrically opposed to his own words or that undermine
them, in any event.
For instance, Obama called the coup a coup; Hillary Clinton has never let that word pass her lips.
Obama called for the restoration of the democratically elected
government of Manuel Zelaya. But when Zelaya first returned to
Honduras, Hillary Clinton called it "reckless and imprudent" of him.
Now, after Zelaya has taken asylum in the Brazilian embassy in
Honduras, the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States,
Lewis Anselem, just echoed Clinton by calling his move "irresponsible
and foolish."
And, with great condescension, the ambassador said Zelaya should stop "acting as though he were starring in an old movie."
Actually, what we're seeing is an old movie, and a bad one at that.
It's a movie called U.S. imperialism, and it keeps running and running
and running.
Even though Obama yelled cut earlier this year and promised a relationship of equality with Latin America.
On April 19 at the Summit of the Americas, Obama said: "At times we
sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal
partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our
relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and
common interests and shared values."
But between Obama's words and the actions of his Administration falls the shadow.
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