RE: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,189077,00.html

Cuba is not a threat to the US. The US has open relations with many countries that do not treat their citizens all that well at times. A continued embargo against Cuba can accomplish nothing more. Open relations could erode Fidel's hardline base.

quote:

Team Bam hopes that a new face in the White House will heal old wounds. Fat chance.

Well, certainly not with the embittered neoconservative fringe that lost the election (finally) after giving so much great policy advice over the past 8 years, and left our country in ruins even by the most generous of measures. The irony is that the "heritage foundation" seems to be intent on ensuring that the United States is left with no heritage whatsoever - and consistently recommends policies that all but ensure that will be the case.

Apparently Mr. Brooks ignored the news today, where Fidel openly approved of the relaxing of visitation to Cuba and allowing funds to be transferred.

The policy of containment w/r/t Cuba is a 50 year story of failure. And Mr. Brooks makes a pathetic attempt to make it seem like we don't selectively support other regimes with openly repressive policies, such as Isreal, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and China (for starters). It makes me wonder if those 200+ political dissidents in prison in Cuba he is referring to are the ones in GITMO - many of them haven't been charged either. The point being - it isn't like our doo-doo ain't stanky.

But Cubas leadership hasn't been as historically stupid as our own. If we really start doing business with Cuba and the financial links and dependancy Cuba has on the United States grows, then Cuba will have little incentive to anger the US diplomatically (quite unlike the US taking the miserably lousy advice of the so-called "heritage foundation" and adding Iran to the "axis of evil" after they helped us go into Afghanistan, and made it clear they wanted to resolve the problems of the past and work to re-normalize relations with the US).

Who is to say that the same policy we pursue with China (we do loads of business with them, and the government will eventually have to relax thier grip on the people and their liberties) won't work with Cuba. Or is it that that policy hasn't worked (but we like cheap labor to much to stop)? Or is it the lack of oil in Cuba that irritates Mr. Brooks so much? I supposed if there was a load of oil in Cuba there might be a lot to forgive (especially if they let American Oil companies in to take advantage of them)?

To be fair, all of the advice given to the previous administration by the "heritage foundation" that it unfortunately took turned out disastrously for the United States. Let us hope, that the new administration takes its advice from those who have a better track record than "disaster".

Yeah, Cuba was a national security failure for ALL administrations. Kennedy got ****ed off when he was embarrassed and it continued on.

The mafia is still wanting to recoup a bunch of its money and the politicians are still waiting on their payoffs that they lost from the mafia.

For Pete's sake, we deal with China everyday and they practically own the whole US! China is culturally cracking from the inside and Cuba would too. What's the difference?

The only problem with a free Cuba is that I would no longer have cheap cigars, cheap rum, or cheap company...

It's too late to re-write history, Ghostwriter. Finally, some cheaper prices on Cuban stogies, ya just gotta love that! I'll be drinking in Havana soon, finally a place to party without blowhard neocons... don't worry I'll send ya postcard

It was not just the Mafia that lost money when Cuba 'nationalized' so many pieces of property there. In fact, they probably were not even the biggest losers.

As for 'Fidel openly approved of the relaxing of visitation to Cuba and allowing funds to be transferred', why shouldn't he - that is money flowing INTO Cuba, and propping up his dictatorship.

And for the socialists that want to normalize relations with Cuba so they can get away from the necons - enjoy the trip. In fact, I hope you enjoy it so much you stay there, not my idea of paradise so you can have it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 21246220,

212: You've earned the crown of circular reasoning. Our largest trading partner is China. Are we upset that China retook Shanghai? Hong Kong? Get it? Is China a true democratic republic? No, exactly.

What you've established is that you're locked into the past. The wealthy Cuban exiles, to read wealthy, lost nearly 50 YEARS AGO. Guess what? Just like all the Westerners who lost out in Shanghai, same-same in Cuba.

Besides, Cuba is doing fine without your tourist dollar, Canadians, etc enjoy vacationing there. So get over yourself, they just don't care. Finally, you wouldn't know if it were a paradise because of these nut job kooky viewpoints that have tainted our policies, to include DEFENDING a nut job Cuban exile who blew up a passenger flight, and yet we refused to extradite him. So much for a real war against terror.