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Originally Posted by sherry5851
All I can say is Wow. I think this is a very good sign.  |
Very bad idea and I hope that Obama does not fall for this stupid publicity stunt. I really do not think that Obama will fall for this anyway.
We are not talking about Americans being held by the Taliban or the Iraqi insurgents. We are talking about Cuban dissidents being exchanged for the Cuban 5 accused of spying. Why should America be desperate to have these Cuban dissidents here in the US? We don't care. We already have rafters coming in on a regular basis. Also it is better for these dissidents to remain in Cuba so that they can continue to put some pressure on the Cuban government and draw some attention to issues in Cuba. To have them leave Cuba is exactly what Castro wants.
If we agree to this exchange, the only person that will be a winner will be Castro. He will have his Cuban 5 back and also be able to get rid of some opposition at home. Our government is not stupid enough to let this happen.
Raul knows that Obama being the President of America is a rare opportunity to resolve the Cuban crisis and he is trying to take advantage of the opportunity. I think that Raul is still not ready to give up anything and he is really going to be dissapointed when he realizes that Obama is nobody's fool and is not ready to fall for any stupid and meaningless deal.
Sorry to break it to some of you guys but I do not see any major change in US-Cuba relations, if these are the sort of things that Castro has in mind.
The issue with Cuba is simple. There has to be tangible and meaningful reforms. That is all there is to it. The issue is not so much about democracy or making the Castros to leave power. That is for Cubans to decide but there must be tangible reforms that will ensure that rafters do not continually try to risk their lives to reach the US. That is all that the US needs from the Castros.
Charles