Running out the clock in Honduras

Machetera (translating from a Cuban source) posts a document supposedly from the Honduran Defense Ministry, listing Roberto Micheletti as a member of the Cali drug cartel.  Cuban exile blogger Babalu, citing an obscure Catalan website  claims there is proof that the Zelaya government had computers already set to rig  the non-binding referendum.   Both sides are reduced to saying the other guys are bigger crooks than their guys.

Babalu, by the way, also includes a post on why the late Walter Cronkite was a commie… which makes me think the de facto regime is not really hoping to sway world opinion, but only to continue preaching to the  converted:   an A.P. wire story appearing early Tuesday morning reports that the de facto regime is dispatching “lobbyists” to bolster their case, based on those old chestnuts, anti-communism and free-trade.

Which may be all that’s needed.

While the Zelaya government was willing to “negotiate” with the de facto regime to at least allow the President to return to his country have been rejected out of hand.  The United States keeps saying “we really, really mean it this time” every time the negotiations stall, but it appears that the whole point of the exercise is to keep stalling for time, until the legitimate government finds itself forced to accept some sort of compromise that will prevent any radical constitutional or social change from taking effect.

As of now, the “really, really, really mean it” threat is from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is is warning the de facto regime that there will be “consequences” if negotiations break down.  The nature of these “consequences” — whiile Honduran military personnel continue training at U.S. bases — a 180 million dollars in various aid programs that “might” be in jeopardy if negotiations do not continue seem to be  more likely to starve  Zelaya supporters into submission (or driving them into rebellion) than anything else.

At last report, the latest negotiating deadline was Wednesday… by which point maybe the U.S. will  really, really, really, really demand somebody do something … or call a ti  me out… or …