In yesterday’s Impromptus, I wrote about the National Endowment for Democracy and its honoring of five Cuban democracy activists. Blessings on NED for that (and for everything else). The Washington Post has two interesting items today. There is an editorial called “A Dissident Deflected: Why doesn’t President Obama have time for Cuba’s pro-democracy opposition?” There is also a news article, which begins,

Five Cuban dissidents who have collectively spent decades in jail for their pro-democracy activities were given a top award by the National Endowment for Democracy last night. But, unlike in past years, their representative was not invited to the White House, organizers said.
Carl Gershman, president of the endowment, said the organization asked two weeks ago whether President Obama could meet with Bertha Antúnez, the sister of one of the dissidents, who was picking up the award on their behalf. Gershman said he never got a response. It was the first time in five years that the president had not met with the winner of the Democracy Award, according to the endowment, which is funded by Congress.

A great many Americans are “proud of their country again” because Obama is president. A strange phenomenon, as I see it.