Obama Regime Recognizes Castroite Cuba

by JASmius



Naturally.  Only question I would have is what took him so long:

Barack Obama announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba on Wednesday and declared an end to America's "outdated approach" to the communist island in a historic shift aimed at ending a half-century of Cold War enmity.

"These fifty years have shown that isolation has not worked," Obama said in remarks from the White House. "It's time for a new approach."

Like invading and liberating Cuba, perhaps? <hopeful look>

As to the efficacy of isolation, whether or not it has "worked" is a function of what it was intended to accomplish.  It is true that isolation hasn't brought about the internal overthrow of the Castro regime, or kept it from spreading communism into South America (Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, and Ecuador come to mind).  But then the remedy to that would be to escalate above isolation to military confrontation, not diplomatic capitulation - something that we were only constrained from carrying out during the Cold War by Uncle Fidel's Soviet alliance, and which we could have effected any time in the past quarter century - and still could now.  Consequently, what O wants to "work" is something other than to bring Cuba back into the "community of nations" as a civilized republic instead of a communist fiefdom.

And it was as sneaky, transparent as several yards of lead, and lopsidedly overgenerous as you have doubtless already suspected:

Wednesday's announcement followed more than a year of secret talks between the U.S. and Cuba....

Kept secret from whom?  The American people, and particularly the Cuban expatriate community, THAT's whom.

....including clandestine meetings in Canada and the Vatican and personal involvement from Pope Francis.

Gee, there's a surprise.

Setting the stage for the diplomatic breakthrough....

Surrender.

....Cuba released American Alan Gross, who had been imprisoned for five years, and a Cuban who had spied for the U.S.

Two non-spies.

In exchange, three Cubans jailed in Florida were released by the U.S.

Three enemy spies.

But that's not all!:

Obama's plans are sweeping: He aims to expand economic ties with Cuba, open an embassy in Havana....

And let Raul Castro open one in Washington, D.C., to facilitate the Cubans' espionage activities.

....send high-ranking U.S. officials to visit and review Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

For no genuinely practical reason.

The U.S. also is easing restrictions on travel to Cuba, including for family visits, official U.S. government business and educational activities.

A pity O won't use that to attempt espionage activities down there.

But tourist travel remains banned.

Not for long.

Obama's action marked an abrupt use of U.S. executive authority. However, he cannot unilaterally end the longstanding U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, which was passed by Congress and would require action from lawmakers to overturn.

Are you kidding?  Has the AP not been paying attention the last six years?  Barack Obama can do anything he wants with his executive authority.  Not legally, of course, but he's already signed a decree putting himself above U.S. law, so ending the Cuba embargo will be no problem.

So the Castros get everything they ever wanted: economic aid, international recognition and legitimacy (I'd add the permanency of their communist regime, but after almost six decades, that's pretty much a fait accompli).  And what does the U.S. get out of this "breakthrough"?  Heck of I know.  Communist Cuba is still Communist Cuba.  They don't produce anything, so we can't buy anything from them.  They're still our enemy, so we can't negotiate for the use of any additional naval facilities or other outposts there; hell, I fully expect that surrendering Guantanamo Bay will be, if it isn't already, a part of this deal.

But King Hussein will be able to openly import Cuban cigars instead of having to keep smuggling them into the White House, and he'll be able to vacation in Havana and compare Marxist dialectics with his buddy Raul, won't he?

Exit question: What happens if - when - it comes out that the Russians and/or ChiComms have established military bases in Cuba?  More somnolent tut-tutting lectures about "international isolation"?  Or will Red Barry be too buzzed on that fine Cuban choom?