Four years ago, President Obama (and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) was amid his "reset" with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Together with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Obama lobbied to end "Cold War legislation" that sanctioned Russia, pushed for permanent normal trade relations and was even caught on a hot mic whispering "sweet-nothings" in Putin's ear.
Great column by renowned author and journalist, Andres Oppenheimer, in The Miami Herald:
Castro mediates Colombian peace deal — but won’t talk to Cuban dissidents
What irony! Cuban President Gen. Raúl Castro has been applauded by world leaders for his mediation in Colombia’s peace talks, but he steadfastly continues refusing to hold peace talks with his own country’s internal opposition.
Well-intentioned supporters of Obama's Cuba policy, who believed it was aimed at bringing freedom and democracy to the Cuban people, are getting a rude awakening.
Obama's Policy Permits Expansion of Cuba's Military
Cuba is the most militaristic dictatorship in the history of Latin America.
President Obama announced his new policy of engagement insisting its goal is to empower Cuba's few “self-employed” residents, promoting their success and freedom from oppressive state authorities.
On the one-year anniversary of the resumption of U.S.-Cuba diplomatic ties, the Obama Administration should be pressed on whether Cuba is respecting Vienna Convention standards in its treatment of U.S. diplomats and the operation of the Embassy.
One of the most tragic consequences of Obama's shortsighted Cuba policy.
Clearly, the Cuban people aren't getting the "hope and change" message of the Obama-Castro deal.
And these numbers don't even take into consideration all of those who have been lost at sea -- like the 13 whose boat collapsed just this week.
Imagine a scenario whereby a politician dedicated nearly all of his time and effort to providing financing to a notorious deadbeat.
Seems utterly irresponsible, right?
Yet that is the case with U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Cuba's Castro regime.
This week, the Chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on Transportation Security, U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY), filed bipartisan legislation to ban commercial flights to Cuba until various key security and infrastructure-related conditions are met.
Rep. John Katko leads GOP effort to ground U.S. air travel with Cuba
U.S. Rep. John Katko on Tuesday led a House Republican initiative to halt all scheduled commercial air travel between the U.S. and Cuba, just ahead of plans to resume daily flights between the two countries.
Just last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and agribusiness interests launched a full-scale (and failed) lobbying campaign to try to secure credit for agricultural sales to the Castro regime.
Ironically, last Friday -- the day after these efforts were defeated in the U.S. House of Representatives -- Cuban dictator Raul Castro gave an economic update to his puppet National Assembly, where he admitted the regime's deadbeat status.
