Comments on: Honduras: Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right http://www.undiplomatic.net/2009/06/29/honduras-two-wrongs-dont-make-a-right/ Bringing foreign policy back, girl. Those other countries don't know how to act. Mon, 21 May 2012 19:31:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: J Thomas http://www.undiplomatic.net/2009/06/29/honduras-two-wrongs-dont-make-a-right/#comment-40482 J Thomas Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:34:27 +0000 http://www.undiplomatic.net/?p=3416#comment-40482 Zelaya thought he could win the vote or he wouldn't have tried a referendum. So, say he gets a majority who still want him for president but not a big enough majority to amend the constitution. Say the supreme court and congress find against him, but a majority of the public is still for him. What happens? Say he has 65% of the public. That's a lot. A lot of enlisted men in the army will listen to their grandmothers who like him. What happens? It may have been entirely the safest thing to get rid of him quickly. Not the right thing according to the constitution, but when it's an unprecedented situation and the constitution might be enforceable, better to act before Zelaya's majority gets organised. If they truly thought that the constitution would not work properly in that circumstance, they should now amend the constitution to require something that they think actually will work. So next time they'll have a better choice available. Zelaya thought he could win the vote or he wouldn’t have tried a referendum.

So, say he gets a majority who still want him for president but not a big enough majority to amend the constitution. Say the supreme court and congress find against him, but a majority of the public is still for him. What happens?

Say he has 65% of the public. That’s a lot. A lot of enlisted men in the army will listen to their grandmothers who like him. What happens?

It may have been entirely the safest thing to get rid of him quickly. Not the right thing according to the constitution, but when it’s an unprecedented situation and the constitution might be enforceable, better to act before Zelaya’s majority gets organised.

If they truly thought that the constitution would not work properly in that circumstance, they should now amend the constitution to require something that they think actually will work. So next time they’ll have a better choice available.

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