The Problem of the Honduran Inauguration, and the Stupidity of Claims of Zelaya's "Radicalism"

I'm a little late in getting to this, but RAJ pointed out the lack of a good solution for the impending inauguration of Porfirio Lobo in Honduras at the end of the month. Lobo is saying he should be inaugurated by the head of the legislature, which has happened regularly - so regularly, in fact, that in 2006, we got this now-amazing photograph of Roberto Micheletti giving the presidential sash to....Manuel Zelaya. And while Lobo's solution may seem like a decent idea at first, as RAJ points out, "Lobo still has this difficulty to solve: while he can duck being given the regalia of power by Micheletti, he still has to be deemed to be receiving power from the previous president," who is, of course, Micheletti. It's going to be interesting to see how the inauguration plays out, both in Honduras, and in the world more generally.

And finally, if the photo above isn't amusing enough, RAJ also found this nugget that effectively obliterates any notion that Zelaya was some crazy leftist opposed to the United States (as if this photo wasn't evidence enough that Zelaya was not some Chavez pawn):

PS: The little trip down memory lane to find a photo of the investiture of President Zelaya in 2006 also produced this interesting tidbit:

Thousands of Hondurans filled the National Stadium in Tegucigalpa, with a capacity of some 40,000 persons, to witness the passage of command from the exiting government official, Ricardo Maduro, of the National Party, to Manuel Zelaya, of the Liberal Party, both conservatives.

Pretty fascinating stuff, and makes claims by the likes of DeMint and his ilk even more ridiculous.