A Flip-Flop or mere Pandering?

Obama’s speech back on May 23 to the Cuban-American Founddation (CANF) in Miami contained a noticeable policy shift in his Cuba/Castro policy. We had noted previously, Obama’s skepticism of this country’s Cuban trade embargo, a skepticism which we share so it was a little surprising that no one in the media has yet to really pick up on Obama’s commitment to the status quo:

“I will maintain the embargo,” he said to cheers from CANF members. “It provides us with the leverage to present the regime with a clear choice: if you take significant steps toward democracy, beginning with the freeing of all political prisoners, we will take steps to begin normalizing relations. That’s the way to bring about real change in Cuba—through strong, smart and principled diplomacy.”

In fact, his speech that took on other subjects specific to Latin American policy, including Columbia and Hugo Chavez and Venezuela, was about as hawkish as we’ve heard. Then again, this was the decidedly anti-Castro/anti-communist CANF he was speaking to so one never knows whether the inner-Reagan in him was awakened or he was just slingin’ around the red meat. We strongly suspect the latter.

H/T: Reason.tv