A Decade Late And A Peso Short

In a press release from four Latin American ex-presidents, Patricio Aylwin, from Chile; Armando Calderón, from El Salvador; Luis Alberto Lacalle, from Uruguay; y Luis Alberto Monge, from Costa Rica, pledged solidarity with the Cuban people and regret that the communist government of Cuba has not adhered to an agreement it signed in 1996 in the Viña del Mar declaration that guarantees democracy, freedom and human rights.

The four urged that the Ibero-American summit which took place this weekend in Montevideo, Uruguay demand that Cuba submit a plan outlining reforms to guarantee freedom and human rights including free and multiparty elections.

Now I appreciate the kind gesture, but now? Why didn’t these gentlemen make the same demands back in 1997 when it became clear that the tyrant from Havana wasn’t going to honor any agreement? Once you’re not in power it becomes a lot easier to shoot your mouth off a la Jimmy Carter, but it really isn’t any different than me calling for the same thing here on this blog. The time to confront the bully was ten years ago. The time to defend the human rights of Cubans was then. When they were in power and Castro wasn’t on his death bed.

This year's Ibero-American Summit's big news: Condemnation of the US for its plans to build a fence in its southern border with Mexico.

THANKS, GUYS!

We'll hear about your regrets about Cuban dissidents in 2016.