A Tale Of Two Dictators

June 28th, 2009 at 08:59pm Mitch Mulhall 171

In the past few days, two events have influenced my thinking about the Obama Administration. The first was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for President Obama to apologize for meddling in Iran's post-election upheaval. The second was Manuel Zelaya's curiosity about the U.S. role in the Hondoran military coup that left Zelaya in Costa Rica dressed in his pajamas.

From what I can ascertain it is true President Obama wrote a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader prior to the Iranian presidential election. I do not think President Obama did so in an effort to disrupt. Notwithstanding what happened back in the 50's, to ascribe post-election unrest to U.S. involvement is as effective as inciting "Death to America" chants at Friday prayers. Nevertheless, just days ago Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for President Obama's apology for inciting protests, and today Iran's ambassador to Mexico blamed the death of Neda on the CIA.

Similarly, as news of a military coup in Honduras unfolded this morning, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya quickly questioned the role of the U.S. in the coup, a notion soon supported by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who backed his good friend Zelaya with a threat to destroy any Honduran government that succeeded Zelaya's regime. I find Chavez a political dunce, and worse, an opportunist, so excuse me if I grinned widely when Honduran Congressional Leader Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as President almost to the hour Chavez uttered his threats.

I've already seen Obama shrug off any obligation to apologize to Iran, and Secretary Clinton was quick to deny any involvement in the Honduran military coup. Still, I can't help but entertain the notion that Obama's State Department is either crazy like a fox or wholly uninvolved in any of these matters... In the final analysis, I think it will be shown that if the Iranian people manage to have their voice heard and real change occurs in Iran, Obama's efficacy as U.S. President will be just being there, in a purely Chauncey Gardner kind of way. As for Honduras, anybody's guess is Obama's.

Entry Filed under: Politics, Aspen, People