Former Ally's Shift in Stance Left Haiti Leader No Recourse
By Peter Slevin and Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writers

…The U.S. government returned Aristide triumphantly to power nearly 10 years ago, and did much to manufacture the final push that drove him into exile. In the end, the Bush administration's refusal to send troops to restore order may have been as important as its message to Aristide that Haiti had no future with him in power.

Aristide ended his presidency under siege, with rebel militias vowing to overthrow him and marauding gangs transforming uncertainty into anarchy in the Haitian capital. With domestic support dropping and foreign governments working ever more solidly against him, Aristide had nowhere to turn.

U.S. efforts, combined with the work of allies, winched Aristide from office, but criticism that started before Aristide's departure grew yesterday as Haiti continued its descent into chaos. A central question was whether the Bush administration should have acted sooner and more decisively.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus accused the Bush administration of sacrificing democracy by refusing to support Aristide. Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) said Bush should have dispatched troops earlier to stop the violence. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) described Bush as "late, as usual."

Aristide is now gone, following 1991 coup leader Raoul Cedras and dictator-for-life Jean-Claude Duvalier into the ignominy of sudden exile. Yet one week earlier, a different outcome seemed possible, to Aristide and Bush's foreign policy team.