More stupidity from Bush

[natedogg]

This guy is a walking foreign-policy disaster.

I recently read a news article about Castro warning Bush not to invade. WTF!?


It seems that the administration has been eyeing Cuba with the goal of regime change there. They are concerned about Castro's plan to transfer power to his little brother when he dies. I am also concerned about that and would like to see the communists fall in Cuba, but the administration's tactics are wholly flawed.


The article stated they are exploring ways to increase
economic pressure on Cuba. They have already curtailed the once a year family visits for Cuban Americans down to once very three years. And now you can only send money to immediate family members whereas before you could send money to cousins and other extended family.

Again, Bush's approach is the height of folly, although to be fair to the unimaginitive evangelical little imp, it is merely a continuation of the last 40 years of folly,
all perpetrated by presidents much smarter than he.

I propose a surefire, wholly effective means of undermining Castro and effecting a regime change without shedding one drop of blood, without defying the U.N., without even angering the likes of Chris Alger, while benefitting the U.S.economy and the people of Cuba at the same time.

How?

Sell them our stuff. Open up fully unmitigated free trade with Cuba.

The Americanization of Cuba will be devastating to Castro's awful regime. Sell them as much Coca-cola, Levi's, Cold Play, J-Lo, Big Macs and iPods as they can handle. We could
even subsidize wiring the whole island up to high speed internet access.

That would be a death blow from which his oppressive communist dictatorship would never recover.

With a 24 hour bombardment of Seinfeld reruns, Brad Pitt movies, People magazine, E! online, medical marijuana, Chanel hand bags, Ikea home furnishings, Yahoo! Fantasy Football, George Foreman grills, and of course, Budweiser the King of Beers, the "nation" of Cuba wouldn't stand a chance. We could really finish the job by awarding a Major League Baseball franchise to Havana. That would be one kick-ass baseball team let me tell you!

It would be all over in a matter of months. Cuba would be our staunch ally and economic partner for decades to come
because believe you me, they want their MTV.

I'll be running for president in 2008 with this as part of my platform. Thank you.

natedogg

[ThaSaltCracka]

...

[paland]

I think that is an excellent idea. Which explains why the administration would never go for it.

[Zeno]

In 2008 you will be running against Queen Bee Hillary. Good Luck.

The best part would be a Cuban baseball team in the American League East - To squeegee the Yankees out of first place.

Your plan has excellent potential and is certainly better than the economic embargo pandered off to the public as sound foreign policy by every president since JFK.

-Zeno

[jcx]

If it were only as simple as you suggest...

While I agree the policy of this nation towards Cuba has been a failure, there is no evidence to suggest free trade with Cuba would do anything to topple the regime. It certainly hasn't worked with the Chinese. Cuba would be in the position to pick and choose what items it would allow into the general population's hands, thus filtering out anything it considers a threat. If anything, opening up trade w/ Cuba will lead to more enslavement of political prisoners to make cheap goods, again borrowing an idea from the Chinese.

There is also the problem of the millions (In today's dollars perhaps billions) of stolen property belonging to US nationals & corporations (Not to mention exiled Cubans). No US company is going to start a project on land that may be in dispute, they'd get sued in US court.

It will most likely be a moot point in a few years anyway. When Castro takes a dirt nap, there is no cult of personality waiting in the wings to take over. His brother Raul is no leader of men, and he's not much younger than Fidel himself. Again I see a parallel with China. Deng's "To get rich is glorious" speech would have been unthinkable when Mao was alive. I believe whoever ultimately comes to power in Cuba will decide getting rich sounds pretty good too, and rapproachement will begin.