American Morning
Commentary: Bad idea for Honduran president to return
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/07/01/intv.casas.zamora.art.jpg caption="Former vice president of Costa Rica says Zelaya's return to Honduras would make the political situation there worse."]
Leaders from nations in North and South America are telling those behind the recent coup in Honduras to put their deposed president back in power. President José Manuel Zelaya is vowing to return. What does this mean for the future of Honduras and Central America?
Former vice president of Costa Rica and senior foreign policy fellow with the Brookings Institution, Kevin Casas-Zamora spoke to John Roberts Wednesday on CNN’s “American Morning.”
John Roberts: President Zelaya is vowing to return. Originally it was going to be tomorrow. Now it looks like he’s not going to be back until at least Saturday. But Roberto Micheletti who's assumed the presidency there says if he sets foot in Honduras, he's going to be arrested, tried and thrown in jail. He’s really playing hardball here.
Kevin Casas-Zamora: My sense is that President Zelaya's idea of returning to Honduras immediately is probably a bad idea and it’s likely to make a bad situation worse. I think that some groundwork needs to be laid out before that happens. By groundwork I mean that the return to Honduras of President Zelaya won't solve anything in and of itself. There's got to be some kind of political deal brokered before the underlying issue is tackled and the underlying issue is how to make Honduras governable. Because in the end, it was not governable when President Zelaya was in power and it is not governable now due to the immense international pressure that the new authorities in Honduras find themselves under.
John Roberts: Zelaya was seeking changes to the constitution. He was trying to write them himself. He wanted another term in power but he has pledged that he's not going to pursue that any longer. Do you think that might open the door for his return? Or is Micheletti hanging on so hard and fast to power that he's never going to even let him back in the door?
S.C. Republicans want Sanford to step down
Some Republicans are calling for South Carolina governor Mark Sanford to resign. One of his closest political allies says Sanford is "incapable of leading."
The governor now admits he's "crossed the lines" with other women, and he's admitting to more encounters with his Argentine mistress this year. The state's attorney general wants Sanford's books reviewed, to make sure the public didn't pay for his affair.
Gina Smith is the reporter with the South Carolina newspaper "The State" who first broke the story. She spoke to Kiran Chetry today on CNN's "American Morning."
Hispanic leaders want immigration reform now
President Obama got elected with a huge boost from Latino voters. Now some Hispanic leaders are demanding that the president make good on a campaign pledge to take on the politically charged issue of immigration reform.
Climate bill face-off
The Capitol has generated some of its own greenhouse gasses over the last few days in the super-heated debate on the energy bill.
It just barely passed the House after the defections of dozens of Democrats. And the House minority leader had at least one choice word to describe the bill...
Politicians' public affairs becoming predictable?
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has joined the growing list of high-powered politicians who are seemingly powerless against temptation. Are we seeing a pattern here?
CNN's Carol Costello reports.
Bennett: Sanford affair hurtful to Republican Party
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/25/bill.bennet.2.cnn.jpg caption="CNN political contributor Bill Bennett says Sanford's affair is hurtful to the GOP."]
Governor Mark Sanford was a rising Republican star before yesterday's stunning admission that he was having an affair. But does his bad behavior reflect on the Republican Party as whole? Is there a credibility issue?
Bill Bennett is a CNN political contributor and radio host of “Morning in America.” He spoke with Kiran Chetry on CNN’s “American Morning” Thursday.
Kiran Chetry: These are things people just don't want to hear about in the midst of huge domestic problems. South Carolina has a double digit unemployment rate of 12.1% right now. Governor Sanford became the face of opposition to wasteful spending. And now his constituents find they were left in the lurch. He was in South America with his girlfriend. How does that affect the credibility of conservatives?
Bill Bennett: It doesn't help in South Carolina at all obviously and it doesn't help the Republican Party. I don't know about conservatives but it sure hurts the Republican Party. It's just too much of this, too many of these. Family values are an important part of American life. The Republican Party was founded to combat, as we said in 1854, the twin relics of barbarism – slavery and polygamy. So that was a stand for family values. But it hurts the party when you have so many, if you will, defecting from the cause. Mark Sanford was regarded as a future leader, not anymore. It’s a sad and regrettable thing. Obviously it happens on both sides. But Republicans do hold these values dear. It’s part of our charter. So it's a hurtful and harmful thing, there’s no question about it.
Chetry: You're right, it does happen on both sides. The reason I'm asking about the problem is because it's been a bad few weeks for the GOP. We heard also from Nevada Senator John Ensign, he admitted to an affair. Both of them are conservatives. And both of them not afraid to inject morality into the public discussion so then the question of hypocrisy comes in. How do you maintain that credibility when there seems to a double-talk problem?
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