Obama offers Cuba 'new beginning'

[El Presidente]

Obama offers Cuba 'new beginning

http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2011/05/17/31..._beginning.html

Agence France-Presse. May 17, 2011. President Barack Obama seized on an extraordinary overture from Cuba to

propose talks aimed at breaking the half-century hostility born between Washington and Havana during the Cold War. He told a Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.

He told a Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday that he wanted to establish "a new beginning" with Cuba that would recognize past U.S. "errors," but require reciprocal gestures from the communist island.

The conciliatory language raised the prospect of the United States considering ending to its 47-year-old embargo on Cuba.

Several other leaders at the summit - including those from Argentina, Nicaragua and Belize - voiced a general consensus in Latin America that the embargo should be scrapped and Cuba readmitted into regional bodies.

The summit was to get into full swing yesterday. The three-day gathering of 34 countries in the Americas - all, in fact, except Cuba - was meant to address common energy, environmental and public security challenges in a succession of plenary sessions. But an unexpected gesture of conciliation by Obama towards Cuba on the first day overshadowed those issues.

"I am prepared to have my administration engage with the Cuban government on a wide range of issues - from drugs to migration and economic issues to human rights, free speech and democratic reform," the U.S. president said.

The proposal came after a surprise overture from Cuban President Raul Castro, who on Thursday said he now stood ready to discuss "everything" with Washington - including specifically the hot-button issues of human rights, press freedom and political prisoners.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Cuba's closest and most vocal ally, offered an opportunity for another gesture of conciliation at the summit, briefly shaking hands with Obama late Friday.

Yesterday's summit group photo and working sessions were to afford more interaction between Obama and Latin American counterparts.

Obama was meeting face to face with counterparts from South America, including more fervent critics of the United States such as Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Evo Morales of Bolivia. Obama has received a warmer welcome than that given Bush at the last Americas summit, in Argentina in 2005.

[Puros Y Vino]

Wow. Interesting development. So, are the floodgates about to open? Should I prepurchase 10 years worth of cigars before the "legal" Cuban cigar market for Americans launches? Prez, can I get a loan?

[mykeuva]

I hope it happens, but I won't hold my breath....

There always seems to be talk of lifting the embargo, only for the sentiment to disappear from the news without even a whimper.

Hopefully this time it's different, but I'll believe it when I see it....

[fbiguy]

I can't imagine any drastic changes before the 2012 election. Not while Obama has a shot at winning a second term anyhow. If it appears that he can't win, I could see something hastily passed. Otherwise I would be willing to bet this is just posturing so that in the event there is a second term, it could be presented as a win-win economic boost type situation.

And I want to be second in line for a loan!

Cheers,

Kevin

[mbrody]

Wow. Lots of what ifs...

[benjaminbbush]

Funny, as socialist and left leaning as the American media is, they have not reported this AT ALL. And not due to other more pressing matters, either. That tells me that even they are afraid of the pushback on this issue.

IMHO, i think that this is just one more "apologize" tour that this president is so famous for and also it is a "promise" tour that he is becoming increasingly famous for.

All in all, i agree with mykeuva, nothing will happen until after the 2012 unless he loses, then something will be hastily done to scuttle the ship before he is ushered out.

On another line of thought, I love how he openly shakes hands with Hugo Chavez and openly makes overtures toward Cuba but doesn't have the time for disasters happening at home (Texas fires, Mississippi Flood, the U.S. Debt ceiling, etc.)

I need a drink!

[Scdalak]

Potentially bad news for Cuban Cigar Suppliers to the States everywhere........ However dont hold your breath.....

[tmac77]

Wow. Interesting development. So, are the floodgates about to open? Should I prepurchase 10 years worth of cigars before the "legal" Cuban cigar market for Americans launches? Prez, can I get a loan?

Just transfer two boxes of each to my online Czar locker. I will pay my account when Ken pays his.

[thechenman]

Sadly...nothing will come of this. It's all political posturing...

[BobKincaid]

This story, while interesting, has a lot of negatives. For starters, it'll get that foaming-at-the-mouth Cuban ex-pat community in South Florida all ginned up, and they're just no fun when they're in riot mode. They tend to vote hard right-wing, so this will be yet another phoney-baloney "Obama-is-a-socialist-kenyan-muslin-with-a-deep-seated-hatred-of-colonial-white-people" meme. Just in time for election season!

If this story DOES make it to the ForProfit corporate-owned media, I'll expect it to be played on places like Fox as "Socialist Obama shakes hands with Socialist Chavez. Socialism coming soon- hide your granny and buy gold now" and the right-wing, fresh off its latest fake birth certificate non-story will get up in arms. More sideshow divisions for a country whose politics seem to have been reduced to nothing but sideshows.

Sometimes I question Barack Obama's good sense. This is the kind of thing which, if done, is best done in a second term.

Please pardon my cynicism. It's been hard-earned.

[Dbone]

Cigars aside, this could dramatically increase the quality of life for the Cuban people.

Pres, for some reason the link changed to:

http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2011/05/17/31..._beginning.html

[CaptainQuintero]

Hey at least there now is a reason emerging for why the Monte Open was made!

I don't know the tobacco advertising laws in the US but if they are the same as Europe then I think it would be hard for Habanos to kill a lot of the views about CC. I've lost count of the number of average folks in the US I have spoken to and when I have mentioned CC they pull a face and tell me 'you know the real reason they are illegal is because they contain marijuana'.

Could be good news for us though, higher production so Habanos have more money to wield to develop their products.

[jedipastor]

Ending the Embargo is the right thing for the US to do for the Cuban people, most agree on that. But it hasn't happened yet because a move to do so will guarantee the Presidental Candidate's loss of the State of Florida (a very valuable state). As such, Obama wouldn't dream of moving to end the Embargo now.

Post-election ... it's a possibility, though I'm not convinced Obama has the personality to make that kind of a risky move. Bush Jr. had that kind of personality (to do what he thought was right, screw what everyone else thought), and had the US not gotten bogged-down in two expensive wars during his administration, it was on his list of things to consider during his 2nd term.

I think that if the spin doctors can make a good case for positive economic benefit for the US, the public opinion would swing towards ending the Embargo, regardless of Florida (again, post-election). The US economy is not getting better right now, regardless of what certian people want to think. Unemployment is the worst its' been in many years (I don't mean the so-called "official" numbers, I mean people who don't have jobs but want one), and gas is at it's highest price ever.

[cigcars]

*I'm so tired of getting my hopes up in seeing the end of this embargo, only to see both or all sides dash it back down again, 'til as can proverbially be said, "I'll believe it when it's open trade with all items; animal, vegetable, and mineral." It's not so much about just "cigars" as is our passion here, but to be able to openly trade in Cuban rum, Cuban sugar, and Cuban coffee, as well as exchange and advantage of the medical systems combining together to complement each other in both ability and resources. The stubborn pigheadedness of those elements in leadership and party affiliations to keep this going against all reason and common sense just reminds of an old saying I came across awhile back; "It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live by them."

[Chaki]

IMHO, i think that this is just one more "apologize" tour that this president is so famous for and also it is a "promise" tour that he is becoming increasingly famous for.

On another line of thought, I love how he openly shakes hands with Hugo Chavez and openly makes overtures toward Cuba but doesn't have the time for disasters happening at home (Texas fires, Mississippi Flood, the U.S. Debt ceiling, etc.)

I need a drink!

I think this President did a pretty good "apologize" tour with Bin Laden...I would have thought that gave him enough credentials to shake hands with whoever he wants to without being suspected of being soft.

As for the U.S. debt ceiling, only Congress has the power to do anything about it, not the White House.

I need a drink as well. Cheers!

[gigabyte056]

I think this President did a pretty good "apologize" tour with Bin Laden...I would have thought that gave him enough credentials to shake hands with whoever he wants to without being suspected of being soft.

As for the U.S. debt ceiling, only Congress has the power to do anything about it, not the White House.

I need a drink as well. Cheers!

Not to get in between, and since I am not a US citizen this is hardly my quarrel but come on, Obama didn't get Bin Laden on his own.

When the data was there and there was a possibility to get him I honestly think that even Trump or even his daughter would have approved it, there is just too much to gain, I am sure they would have wanted to do it later towards the election but I guess they got the info too early...

Just my 2 cents

[BobKincaid]

I think this President did a pretty good "apologize" tour with Bin Laden...I would have thought that gave him enough credentials to shake hands with whoever he wants to without being suspected of being soft.

As for the U.S. debt ceiling, only Congress has the power to do anything about it, not the White House.

I need a drink as well. Cheers!

There is an element in the U.S. for whom no amount of belicose militarism, no degree of corporate toe-sucking, no quantum of mollifying compromise will ever be enough to mitigate his one glaring, obvious character flaw, to-wit: the color of his skin.

Some examples: he was criticized shrilly for bowing to the Japanese emperor, even though there was footage of George W. Bush kissing on the King of Saudi Arabia; he was vilified for being acquanited with William Ayers even though it is undeniable that George W. Bush was a close personal friend of the Bin Laden family; he's been denounced as a "socialist" even though he pushed through an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the extremely rich; right-wingers routinely portray him and his lovely wife as an ape, even going so far as to use the disgusting N-word epithet; the Secret Service reports that threats on the President's life have gone to unprecedented levels since Obama's inauguration; the so-called "tea party" routinely refers to taking "their" country back, with numerous references to firearm-based violence.

Taken together, Chaki, President Obama will never have "enough credentials" to satisfy the old un-reconstructed Confederates who exist in far greater numbers than anyone not living here can ever fully comprehend. If he gave away free money to millionaires (oh, wait! He DID that!), they'd still call him "an anti-colonial Kenyan socialist with a deep-seated hatred of white people" (See Glenn Beck, Newt Gingrich. Rush Limbaugh, et al).

What this means is that even his most well-intended, benign policy decisions are subjected to withering scorn and race-based hatred. The same impulses would apply to any decision to relax the (amazingly stupid) Cuban embargo, which decision would be worsened exponentially by the wildly radical Cuban ex-pat community in Florida, a state he badly needs in order to be re-elected, which is the single goal of any U.S. president who has been elected the first time.

[frenchkiwi]

Funny, as socialist and left leaning as the American media is...

Ummmm... haven't heard too much advocacy for the nationalisation of means of production and exchange coming from the american media recently...

(maybe CNN Fox MSNBC et al. have subliminal socialist messages when you play'em backwards?)

[jjdolphin]

Ummmm... haven't heard too much advocacy for the nationalisation of means of production and exchange coming from the american media recently...

(maybe CNN Fox MSNBC et al. have subliminal socialist messages when you play'em backwards?)

When the government takes control of a major car company (GM), you make your economy more and more reliant on government money, bailouts and subsidies...I would say that you are on track towards the centralized control of the means of production. Not there yet, maybe never will, but the tracks are there for that 'train' to run on. And this spans 2 different White House administrations.

Interesting admissions:

"nlike you, I am not a progressive. I am not a liberal who is so afraid of the word that I had to change my name to progressive. Liberals amuse me. I am a socialist. I live to the extreme left, the extreme left of you mere liberals ..."

Lawrence O'Donnell MSNBC

No need for backwards...and he is one of the honest ones that just came out and said it.

"And guess what this liberal would be all about? This liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

congressional hearing with Oil Company execs

Is she the majority? Is this inevitable? Is she just a blip, an anomaly? Who knows. I do have to say that twenty years ago she would have been deep in her closet with these ideas and would never come out and say it. This is a different environment we live in now. We can debate all day long...and that's what makes it fun, especially with a good cigar and a sip of Green Label.

[Chaki]

Not to get in between, and since I am not a US citizen this is hardly my quarrel but come on, Obama didn't get Bin Laden on his own.

When the data was there and there was a possibility to get him I honestly think that even Trump or even his daughter would have approved it, there is just too much to gain, I am sure they would have wanted to do it later towards the election but I guess they got the info too early...

Just my 2 cents

I am not a US citizen either. And you're welcome to contribute

I did not suggest he did it on his own. I don't know who got him but I am pretty sure I know who would have missed him.

[ajgagnon]

Shame this whole left/right thing gets so polarized in the US. So much good ground is lost when all you can do is pick teams from opposite sides. In Canada, our media is often criticized for being leftist, but we also have a whole raft of right wing print rags (less so on TV) that share the same insatiable drive to the right as some US media.

Anyway, I wonder why the US doesn't recognize that an end to the embargo would be the biggest blow to Cuban socialism. The US has created the conditions for being seen as aggressors by Cuba, and the political reality in Cuba is probably such that without the imperialist face of the US, it would be harder to keep the people motivated in solidarity for internal values and against external 'aggressors'.

Cuba's challenges aren't just about whether its political leadership is leftist or hell bent to the right. In fact, they have done remarkably well on some fronts (health, education, etc) despite serious economic limitations. The challenge I see for them is about how to build economic capability in a country where no one has any capital, foreign investment is constrained, and the market channels for inputs/outputs are centrally planned-- oh, and much of the building stock, vehicle fleet and infrastructure are in dire need of TLC. However, their social conscience may not have to be completely sacrificed to begin economic integration with the rest of the world. Problem is, the rest of the world is a pretty capitalist place, and even countries like Australia and Canada seem to have shifted quite a bit to the right in recent decades, arguably for the better of the economy but at times to the detriment of social security and sometimes even social liberties! Tough times for Cuba's leadership! Cuba's political history will make it blatantly obvious whenever a social benefit is being traded against an economic gain.

Whoa. That's too political.

I had a Party Short on the highway last night and it kept me alive. I'd sure hate to see my Cuban cigars be disrupted or diminished in quality, whatever the political realities.

Cheers!

[jjdolphin]

In Cubas case I think that their social benefits at this point are so low, any move towards a market based economy can only help them. They just need to pay attention to take things slowly. It can easily turn out like in Eastern Europe; the people at the top of the system took everything, excuse me, 'privatized everything for their own benefit', while the rest of the folks stayed at the bottom struggling.

[benjaminbbush]

WOW, there have been some great comments/analysis here. While I certainly don't agree with all, I do appreciate how open everyone has been with their view.

It is too bad that we have to have this discussion by lobbing electrons at each other. Now if only we could reconvene this conversation on the Czar deck (Ken's is much too small and infested ) with cigars and drinks---that would be GLORIOUS!

[cellinisart]

There is an element in the U.S. for whom no amount of belicose militarism, no degree of corporate toe-sucking, no quantum of mollifying compromise will ever be enough to mitigate his one glaring, obvious character flaw, to-wit: the color of his skin.

Some examples: he was criticized shrilly for bowing to the Japanese emperor, even though there was footage of George W. Bush kissing on the King of Saudi Arabia; he was vilified for being acquanited with William Ayers even though it is undeniable that George W. Bush was a close personal friend of the Bin Laden family; he's been denounced as a "socialist" even though he pushed through an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the extremely rich; right-wingers routinely portray him and his lovely wife as an ape, even going so far as to use the disgusting N-word epithet; the Secret Service reports that threats on the President's life have gone to unprecedented levels since Obama's inauguration; the so-called "tea party" routinely refers to taking "their" country back, with numerous references to firearm-based violence.

Taken together, Chaki, President Obama will never have "enough credentials" to satisfy the old un-reconstructed Confederates who exist in far greater numbers than anyone not living here can ever fully comprehend. If he gave away free money to millionaires (oh, wait! He DID that!), they'd still call him "an anti-colonial Kenyan socialist with a deep-seated hatred of white people" (See Glenn Beck, Newt Gingrich. Rush Limbaugh, et al).

What this means is that even his most well-intended, benign policy decisions are subjected to withering scorn and race-based hatred. The same impulses would apply to any decision to relax the (amazingly stupid) Cuban embargo, which decision would be worsened exponentially by the wildly radical Cuban ex-pat community in Florida, a state he badly needs in order to be re-elected, which is the single goal of any U.S. president who has been elected the first time.

Are you serious with the race card? Do most Americans hate chavez because he is spanish? Do some (cough...most) Americans dislike Jesse jackson because he is black? Try again.

It's 2011 not 1960. It's about politics. FYI Colin Powell polled well with republicans back in 2008 had he ran. Clarence Thomas (the republican SCOTUS judge) was defended by most if not all republicans during his issue and funny enough look at the video of him being questioned about the anita hill case and see who is leading the interrogations of him....Wow is that our current vice president of USA Joe Biden?

Oh JOE, your a racist too? Come on

[cigcars]

There is an element in the U.S. for whom no amount of belicose militarism, no degree of corporate toe-sucking, no quantum of mollifying compromise will ever be enough to mitigate his one glaring, obvious character flaw, to-wit: the color of his skin.

Some examples: he was criticized shrilly for bowing to the Japanese emperor, even though there was footage of George W. Bush kissing on the King of Saudi Arabia; he was vilified for being acquanited with William Ayers even though it is undeniable that George W. Bush was a close personal friend of the Bin Laden family; he's been denounced as a "socialist" even though he pushed through an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the extremely rich; right-wingers routinely portray him and his lovely wife as an ape, even going so far as to use the disgusting N-word epithet; the Secret Service reports that threats on the President's life have gone to unprecedented levels since Obama's inauguration; the so-called "tea party" routinely refers to taking "their" country back, with numerous references to firearm-based violence.

Taken together, Chaki, President Obama will never have "enough credentials" to satisfy the old un-reconstructed Confederates who exist in far greater numbers than anyone not living here can ever fully comprehend. If he gave away free money to millionaires (oh, wait! He DID that!), they'd still call him "an anti-colonial Kenyan socialist with a deep-seated hatred of white people" (See Glenn Beck, Newt Gingrich. Rush Limbaugh, et al).

What this means is that even his most well-intended, benign policy decisions are subjected to withering scorn and race-based hatred. The same impulses would apply to any decision to relax the (amazingly stupid) Cuban embargo, which decision would be worsened exponentially by the wildly radical Cuban ex-pat community in Florida, a state he badly needs in order to be re-elected, which is the single goal of any U.S. president who has been elected the first time.

*A rare acknowledgement, Bob - and Thank You! I'm also looking at more & more media outlets here in the States finding themselves forced to have to acknowledge the same unfortunate reason for all the assinine, 3 year old, thumbsucking, dim-witted, cheap shot attacks against our President...all because he stayed in the oven too long. When Bill Clinton was in office he too took a whole lot unnecessary attacks and put downs. And his greatest condemners (of his extra-marital affairs) were just as guilty, if not more so, than he was. Talk about "talking out of both sides of one's mouth"! However, hope springs eternal for me. I'll never stop hoping and praying for the best for all concerned