19327: (Hermantin)Miami-Herald-Aristide may lose caucus support (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Fri, Feb. 27, 2004

  U.S. CONGRESS

Aristide may lose caucus support

The Congressional Black Caucus, which helped Haitian President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide weather previous political crises, is now divided about his
leadership.

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES

jcharles@herald.com


In a severe blow to his prospects of remaining in office, Haitian President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide appears to have lost the backing of the Congressional
Black Caucus that helped him weather previous political crises.

The Haitian president, who has lost half of his country to rebels in recent
weeks, now faces a group of black U.S. lawmakers divided about his
leadership. Several Black Caucus members were hoping to meet with the
embattled president in Port-au-Prince today.

''Some members are 110 percent supportive of President Aristide and for some
there is a major question mark on whether he will be able to lead from this
point on to promote democracy in Haiti,'' said Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami,
whose congressional district represents the largest voting bloc of Haitian
Americans in the country.

The caucus, one of the most influential black political groups in the
country, has issued several press releases in the past three weeks
chastising the Bush administration for not doing enough to end the latest
revolt in Haiti.

NO DEFENSE

But significantly, none of the releases defended Aristide. In 1994, a united
caucus rallied for his return to power after a military coup drove him into
exile.

On Wednesday, caucus leaders marched to the White House where they met with
President Bush, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of
State Colin Powell.

They again renewed their call for U.S. military intervention to safeguard
democracy in Haiti. Bush, who stated he was against the current violence,
declined to make any commitments.

''They are caught between a rock and a hard place,'' said Ronald Walters, a
longtime caucus observer who teaches government and politics at the
University of Maryland, College Park. ``It's one thing to champion the issue
of Haiti when it was clear you had some wind at your back with the White
House. It's another thing given the foregone conclusion this administration
is on the other side of the table.''

STILL SUPPORTIVE

But there are those within the caucus who have made no apologies for
Aristide. Led by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Aristide supporters include
fellow California Democrat Barbara Lee and Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan.

Waters is the most vocal and hard-line of the three, flying to Haiti just
last weekend to lend her support to Aristide during a violent rebellion that
seized Haiti's second largest city just hours after her arrival. She is also
the only caucus member who attended Haiti's official Jan. 1 bicentennial
celebrations.

''Aristide has done a remarkable job given what he's had to work with,''
Waters said. ``I don't split hairs. I don't try to say I support democracy
in Haiti but I don't support [Aristide]. He is the democratically elected
president.''

But even with Waters' strong support, some observers say feelings about
Aristide among caucus members have been soured by disappointment in his
ability to govern.

''There is certainly more skepticism and disillusion than ever in that
group,'' said James Morrell, an advisor to Aristide while he was in exile
and now head of a Washington, D.C. policy group, Haiti Democracy Project.

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