For all of you who might have been looking to the Obama administration for an end to the mini cold war that is still being waged, some 40 years later, between the United States and Cuba, you’re out of luck. Vice President Joe Biden was in Viña del Mar, Chile last week for the “Summit of Progressive Leaders“ and announced that this is not likely to happen anytime soon. Oh, but wait, we want Cubans to be free and, uh, this IS the Summit of Progressive Leaders! That must mean we are progressive!

The U.S. has no plans to lift its trade embargo on Cuba, Vice President Joe Biden told reporters today after a heads-of-government meeting in Chile.

“We think the Cuban people should determine their own fate and that they should be able to live in freedom and with some prospect of economic prosperity,” Biden said. “But Cuba is not the biggest challenge facing the hemisphere, the biggest challenge facing the hemisphere is the economy.”

So much for change we can believe in and the promise of extending the olive branch so prominent in Obama’s campaign platform.

But hold up, wait a minute: didn’t candidate Obama call for an end to the embargo when he was campaigning? An end to it because of its “damaging effects on the Cuban people”? Candidate Obama, where art thou?

Via / Bloomberg