Obama Extends Hands To Chavez, Ortega At Summit

President Barack Obama, left, talks to Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez,right, as El Salvador's President Tony Saca , second from right, Uruguay's President Tabare Vazquez, center, and Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, second from right listen during the group photo of the 5th Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Saturday April 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

From Yahoo News/AP:

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – President Barack Obama offered a spirit of cooperation to America's hemispheric neighbors at a summit Saturday, listening to complaints about past U.S. meddling and even reaching out to Venezuela's leftist leader.

While he worked to ease friction between the U.S. and their countries, Obama cautioned leaders at the Summit of the Americas to resist a temptation to blame all their problems on their behemoth neighbor to the north.

"I have a lot to learn and I very much look forward to listening and figuring out how we can work together more effectively," Obama said.

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My Comment: There is a considerable amount of hope and optimism that these discussions may open the door to better relations. But when words must be replaced by action .... I doubt that much will change.

Cuba is a military dictatorship that is run by a family who have confiscated the wealth and have kept it for themselves .... and they are not going to give it back. Venezuela under Chavez's brand of socialism is now just a step away from national bankruptcy coupled with an economic implosion that is occurring even though Venezuela has some of the richest oil fields in the world. Nicaragua .... Mexico .... Ecuador ..... Bolivia .... Argentina .... these are countries that have followed the same political/economic model for the past century .... and they are still poor when compared to what other Latin American nations have followed when they adopted free market and open political systems.

The convenience for all of these failed states in any U.S. relationship .... is that it has and it will be the U.S. that they will always blame for their suffering. President Obama may hope that this outreach may change these dynamics .... but having traveled extensively in the region .... I know that it will not.