Newt Gingrich: "The sympathy for the left in this administration is unending"

Newt Gingrich talks to Greta Van Susteren about the Obama administration's bizarre backing of backing leftist strongman Manuel Zelaya in Honduras.

From YouTube:

Newt Gingrich blasted the Obama Administration for backing the leftist strongman Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. The former speaker criticized the naive president for supporting an obvious criminal.

Democrats begin to change stance on Ousted Honduran President Zelaya

When Honduran President and Chavez ally Manual Zelaya was first removed from power, Democrats were outraged and called for his immediate reinstatement. A hasty meeting with Secretary of State Clinton was arranged. Now, some democrats have gone from demanding he be reinstated to pointing out he was ignoring his country’s own Supreme Court, legislature and political party.

From The Hill:

There are tentative signs from Democrats in Congress of support for the forces that removed Honduras President Manuel Zelaya from power at the end of June.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of a key House subcommittee with jurisdiction over Honduras, roundly criticized both factions at a Friday hearing. But he also stopped short of calling for Zelaya’s immediate reinstatement, which he’d done in previous statements.

While Engel said the United States and its allies in the Western Hemisphere could not tolerate what appeared to be a military coup, he said Zelaya had ignored his country’s own Supreme Court, legislature and even members of his political party when he sought to change the constitution by seeking a second term as president.

“When the entire political establishment speaks and expresses dire concerns, the President needed to listen. From everything I can see, he did not,” Engel said during the hearing of his House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

In a statement on June 29, a day after Zelaya was removed, Engel called for Zelaya’s immediate reinstatement.

“I strongly condemn the removal of President Zelaya and believe that he should be reinstated without delay,” Engel said in the statement.

Honduran military ordered to turn back Zelaya's jet

Ousted Honduran President, Manuel Zelaya, is trying to return to Honduras. The military has been told to stop him. All flights from the airport he is headed to have been suspended. This could get interesting.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) - Honduras' exiled president flew toward home in a Venezuelan jet in a high-stakes attempt to return to power on Sunday, even as the interim government ordered the military to turn away the plane.

"I am the commander of the armed forces, elected by the people, and I ask the armed forces to comply with the order to open the airport so that there is no problem in landing and embracing with my people," Manuel Zelaya said while en route. "Today I feel like I have sufficient spiritual strength, blessed with the blood of Christ, to be able to arrive there and raise the crucifix."

Interim President Roberto Micheletti refused to withdraw his order to prevent the plane from landing, and said he would not negotiate with anyone until "things return to normal."

"We will be here until the country calms down," Micheletti told a news conference. "We are the authentic representatives of the people."

Thousands of protesters descended on the airport in the Honduran capital in anticipation of the showdown, pressing against about 250 officers with riot shields as they waved Honduran flags and posters of Zelaya, chanting "Honduras! Honduras!"

Update: The military refused to let Zelaya's plane land. Instead, he landed in Nicaragua.

Obama Quickly Condemns Ouster of Chavez Crony in Honduras

President Obama was very slow to criticize Iran when they were shooting democracy protesters in the streets. However, when it comes to a crony of Obama's friend Hugo Chavez getting ousted, President Obama does not hesitate to speak out.

From the WSJ:

The U.S. and other countries condemned the coup. President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned" and called on all political actors in Honduras to "respect democratic norms." Venezuela President Hugo Chávez, a close ally of Mr. Zelaya and nemesis of the U.S., said he would consider it an ''act of war" if there were hostilities against his diplomats. "I have put the armed forces of Venezuela on alert," Mr. Chávez said.

President Obama actually tried to prevent Honduran president Manuel Zelaya from being removed from power.

From HotAir:

The Obama administration worked in recent days to prevent President Zelaya’s ouster, a senior U.S. official said. The State Department, in particular, communicated to Honduran officials on the ground that President Obama wouldn’t support any non-democratic transfer of power in the Central American country.

“We had some indication” that a move against Mr. Zelaya was a foot, said a U.S. official briefed on the diplomacy. “We made it clear it was something we didn’t support.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined Mr. Obama Sunday in criticizing the Honduran coup and calling for the restoration of the democratic process.

The latest information is that this wasn't really a military coup. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was detained by the military in compliance with a court order. Zelaya was trying to illegally change the Constitution of Honduras so he could be 'President for Life' like his buddy Chavez.