Jerry Brito

Change MIA in Obama’s Cuba policy

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Last week, on Cuba’s independence day, Barrack Obama spoke to the Cuban American National Foundation in Miami and outlined his Cuba policy. Sadly, he gave up an opportunity to strike out for real change.

Obama criticized John McCain for supporting the status quo Cuba policy:

Now I know what the easy thing is to do for American politicians. Every four years, they come down to Miami, they talk tough, they go back to Washington, and nothing changes in Cuba. That’s what John McCain did the other day. He joined the parade of politicians who make the same empty promises year after year, decade after decade.

Unfortunately, Obama took the easy road as well. “There are no better ambassadors for freedom than Cuban Americans,” he said. “That’s why I will immediately allow unlimited family travel and remittances to the island.” This is helpful, but it only gets us back to what was policy before 2004. If Obama believes that Americans are the best ambassadors for freedom, then why not lift the travel ban on all American citizens?

Obama also said he would keep in place the 50-year-old embargo that is the centerpiece of the U.S.’s failed Cuba policy. The fact that it has been around for so long without any appreciable result shows that it does not work. A truly courageous move for change would have been to call for its repeal. Obama is a really inspiring guy, but on specifics he’s beginning to show he’s just more of the same.

UPDATE: A commenter points me to Obama’s previous stance on the embargo. See for yourself. All I can hope is that he will do the right thing in office.