Hillary's Not Fooled by Insulza

According to Chile's El Mercurio newspaper, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told Chilean President Michelle Bachelet that the United States will not support José Miguel Insulza's reelection bid for Secretary General of the Organization of American States ("OAS").

Insulza is a former Foreign Minister of Chile.

The report cites Secretary Clinton's displeasure with Insulza's efforts to unconditionally reinstate Cuba in the OAS, which jeopardized the terms and effects of the 2001 Inter-American Democratic Charter, and dissatisfaction at the handling of the current crisis in Honduras.

Coincidentally, this weekend, Chile's Ambassador to Honduras, Francisco Martinez, also questioned the management of the Honduran crisis by Insulza. As a result, President Bachelet is looking to recall Ambassador Martinez to Chile.

During the June summit of the OAS, ironically celebrated in Honduras, Secretary Clinton told the Chilean delegates at the OAS summit that "the United States does not look kindly upon Insulza's reelection."

Apparently, it was also due to this mistrust that Secretary Clinton proposed Costa Rican President Oscar Arias as the lead negotiator in the Honduran crisis, purposefully sidelining Insulza.

Secretary Clinton should be commended for this decision, as the future of the OAS depends on it.

Insulza's documented praise for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and absolute impotence in dealing with the autocratic tendencies of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez leaves him with no credibility to tackle the hemisphere's most pressing political, economic and social issues.