THE NERVE, THE ABSOLUTE NERVE - AT 7:50 A.M. ET:  With an approving United States standing by, disgracefully,  the Organization of American States is pressuring Honduras to take back its legally and constitutionally ousted president, despite the fact that the man faces serious charges:

(CNN) -- A delegation of foreign ministers led by the Organization of American States' secretary-general arrived Monday in Honduras in an effort to restore ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya to office.

The delegation represents seven countries, including Canada, Mexico and Argentina. The organization has demanded that Zelaya, who was ousted June 28 in a military-led coup, be allowed to return to Honduras and resume his presidency.

The United Nations and European Union also have condemned the coup and refused to recognize the provisional government led by former congressional leader Roberto Micheletti.

The delegation's visit comes two days after the Honduran Supreme Court said Zelaya would face charges of violating the constitution if he returned to the country. Under an accord suggested by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, Zelaya would have been allowed to return with diminished powers. But Micheletti had said he could not agree to the pact until the Supreme Court ruled on the matter.

COMMENT:  What is going on here?  Bad reporting, for one thing.  Zelaya, an ally of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, was not removed in a military coup.  The military did not act until ordered to do so by the country's Supreme Court.

With all the horror going on in the world, the inordinate attention being given to the fate of one Latin American fellow traveler seems odd in the extreme.  I wish as much attention were given to the fact that Fidel and his brother have ruled Cuba for almost half a century without a free election, or to the increasing power grabs by Chavez.  But in the rarefied halls of international diplomacy, that would be oh so rude.

August 25, 2009