I think we now know if the Honduran coup was a blow for democracy

Conservatives has spent recent days criticizing President Obama for condemning the coup in Honduras because — they said — President Mel Zelaya was removed from office for Constitutional overreaching. It was in defense of democracy, not an attack, that the Honduran military ran the president out of the country.

The case seemed plausible until today. Al Giordano reports:

The same [Honduran] 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.

But conservatives want you to believe Obama’s criticism of Zelaya’s removal somehow makes him a disciple of Fidel Castro. Looks to me like he’s on the side of democracy.

Obama proves his hatred of democracy by opposing military coups

I’m not sure what to make of the coup in Honduras. Generally speaking, I’d say — and most people would say — that the military overthrow of a democratically elected leader is a bad thing. But American conservatives are arguing strenuously that President Mel Zelaya had defied Honduran law and thus deserved ouster. And they might have a point.

What’s ridiculous, though, is their condemnation of President Obama’s condemnation of the coup. A conservative friend of mine approvingly tweeted a link to the following nonsense.

We believe President Obama found the clarity to align himself immediately and issue a strong position statement in Honduras when he could not in Iran because doing so in Honduras meant following Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, and the growing communist movement in South America.

That’s right. Obama condemned a military coup because he loves Communism! Contemptible.

For what it’s worth, the United Nations received broad support in condemning the coup. So did the Organization of American States. Perhaps conservatives would disagree, but they can’t all be motivated by communism.

What’s more, there’s evidence that Obama’s anti-coup stance has actually short-circuited Chavez’s usual demagoguery. But you know, Obama agreed with Hugo Chavez about something, so clearly that’s proof he’s a secret Communist who hates America. Like I said: Contemptible.