Thanks for dropping by

Oh, dear ...

Spare a thought for the delegation of US legislators who spent the weekend on a fact-finding mission to Cuba – the largest such delegation in nearly 50 years.

The visit had been described as "rare" and "historic", especially given its timing.

And sure enough, the 10 members of Congress (from both sides of the political spectrum) were careful to say all the right things during their much-publicised stay in Havana, repeatedly calling for the lifting of the US trade embargo.

To no avail.

An official request for a meeting with Raul Castro, who has been in charge now for four and a half months, was turned down by officials, as you can read here.

In polite circles, this is called a major diplomatic snub on the part of the Castro regime.