As the original date for the Honduran elections, November 29, approaches rapidly, it’s clear that a free and fair election is impossible: The legitimate president, Manuel Zelaya, remains a near-captive in the Brazilian Embassy in the Honduran capital, military repression rages throughout the country and a leftist candidate, Carlos Reyes, is still recovering from a brutal beating by the coup government’s minions.

Yet, Obama is indicating that he is about to cave in to the U.S. far right and recognize the results of the Honduran elections.

This move would be contrary to the clear position of heads of state throughout Latin America, along with the 27-member European Union. All of them have announced that they will not recognize the results of the election if Zelaya is not first restored to office.

Since the first day of the June 28 military coup that ejected Zelaya, Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been sending mixed signals to Roberto Micheletti, the leader of the coup.

While Obama denounced the takeover as a coup, the State Department still won’t certify that it was a “military coup,” which would mandate a cut-off of aid in all forms.

Obama and Clinton suspended only a portion of U.S. humanitarian aid to Honduras in early July, then took credit again for the cutting the same funds in September. Visas to coup leaders have only been suspended piecemeal despite weeks of repression.

After almost four months of military occupation, the United States still won’t withdraw its ambassador — in contrast to almost every other country.

Honduran military officers continue to be trained by the United States at WHINSEC in Fort Benning, Ga., the former notorious School of the Americas. Aid still flows into the country through a variety of back doors.

All this helps Micheletti and the Honduran military sustain their coup. They’ve been playing a waiting game very successfully, pretending to negotiate while waiting for the clock to run out on the election date.

Now the U.S. right is rushing to their aid, declaring that Micheletti is merely upholding the Honduran constitution and elections can proceed calmly.

Meanwhile, the police and military continue to occupy the country, holding ordinary Hondurans hostage in their own homes in long wave of targeted and brutal violence.

At least 20 members of the opposition have been killed; the smallest of demonstrations are routinely teargassed; detainees are brutally beaten and raped with complete impunity.

Almost comically, Micheletti’s coup government keeps announcing repeatedly that civil liberties are being restored — and then continues to repress them.

No “free and fair election” can proceed under these conditions.

Obama needs to stop waffling immediately and firmly refuse to support the results of any election held without Zelaya’s full restoration to his presidency. Washington should immediately withdraw its ambassador, freeze the assets of the coup leaders, finally declare it a “military coup” and work swiftly to restore the deep damage it has already done to its reputation.

Dana Frank is a professor of history at the University of California at Santa Cruz and the author of a number of books, including “Bananeras: Women Transforming the Banana Unions of Latin America.” She can be reached at pmproj [at] progressive [dot] org.