The stakes just got a lot higher in Honduras' political standoff, said the Chicago Tribune in an editorial. President Manuel Zelaya, who was kicked out and replaced by a "rogue government" led by Roberto Micheletti in June, returned home on Monday and holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. The coup leaders are trying to "keep a lid on things by enforcing curfews and detaining demonstrators," but things "could get ugly fast" if the U.S. doesn't take a clear stand for the elected leader.
The U.S. has already chosen sides, said Mary Anastasia O'Grady in The Wall Street Journal, and that's the problem. Manuel Zelaya was removed by Honduras' Supreme Court and Congress for violations of the country's constitution. The U.S. Congressional Research Service says Zelaya's ouster was perfectly legal—but the Obama administration has emboldened Zelaya's supporters and demonstrated contempt for Honduras' independence by insisting that Zelaya be restored.
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