There had not been a military coup in Latin America for 20 years until this past June when the Honduran President-Jose Manuel Zelaya-was forced into exile in Costa Rica. The Washington Spectator claims "...a small group of (US) extremist republicans..." had a hand in the coup and did so while the Obama admin was occupied with Iraq and Afghanistan. Zeleya was moving too close to leftists in the region-Venezuela's Chavez for one-and had "...refused to privitize the state-owned phone company Hondutel". This source claims that GOP senator Jim DeMint had held up an Obama appointment to Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs for five months, causing a void in US leadership in the region. DeMint and three Florida Cuban American congressmen were thus able to "...conduct their own foreign policy..." while "...Obama (was) boxed in...". As of September, Zeleya was back in Honduras under refuge in the Brazilian Embassy. Obama is working for his return to office.
(Source: "Banana Republicans: A New Cold War in a Small Tropical Country" by Lou Dubose. The Washington Spectator Dec. 1, 2009)
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