It is reported on the Drudge Report this afternoon that the recently ailing Cuban dictator is now in grave condition, which I assume means the end of the longest reigning government of the 21st century is finally at hand. I reported here two weeks ago that I had heard from "a little bird" from Foggy Bottom that in anticipation of Castro's imminent death the US is working around the clock to negotiate an end to the trade embargo that we have had with the island nation 50 miles off the coast of Florida for decades. The negotiations were broached by Raul Castro, who appears to be far less antagonistic and anti-American than his stubborn brother. I wonder if an announcement is imminent from the Bush Administration, which needs to do something to take the focus off of its most recent announcement of a final offensive in Iran. However, there are many strategic victories that can be won in the first days after Castro's death that will give the US an immediate advantage over Castro's self-appointed successor in the war against the capitalist destruction of modern Communism, Hugo Chavez.
The first thing the US should do is immediately, if not preemptively, drop the travel embargo to the island paradise. Not only will this allow the huge Cuban diaspora in the US return to its country and reclaim their long isolated families and histories, but it will offer a quick and cheap getaway from the recently frigid weather in the middle of the country. Also, we should offer publicly a rapid path to citizenship for any Cubans who wish to emigrate and join their families here in the US, a policy which should also be extended to all American emigrants from the new government of Raul Castro. These, along with a far-reaching bi-lateral trade agreement will do wonders for the future of US and Cuban relations, and could serve as a uniting issue in a Congress (and really a country) which is divided bitterly.
The first thing the US should do is immediately, if not preemptively, drop the travel embargo to the island paradise. Not only will this allow the huge Cuban diaspora in the US return to its country and reclaim their long isolated families and histories, but it will offer a quick and cheap getaway from the recently frigid weather in the middle of the country. Also, we should offer publicly a rapid path to citizenship for any Cubans who wish to emigrate and join their families here in the US, a policy which should also be extended to all American emigrants from the new government of Raul Castro. These, along with a far-reaching bi-lateral trade agreement will do wonders for the future of US and Cuban relations, and could serve as a uniting issue in a Congress (and really a country) which is divided bitterly.
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