White House Resists Change in Cuba Policy
"Here is the deal: By any objective measure U.S. policy towards Cuba over the last 50 years has been a failure," says Rep. Jim McGovern, who organized a bipartisan effort to pressure the Bush administration to rethink Cuba policy in light of Fidel Castro's resignation. But according to Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, America's attempts to isolate Cuba economically and diplomatically won't go away "any time soon."“Here is the deal: By any objective measure U.S. policy towards Cuba over the last 50 years has been a failure,” says Rep. Jim McGovern, who organized a bipartisan effort to pressure the Bush administration to rethink Cuba policy in light of Fidel Castro’s resignation. But according to Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, America’s attempts to isolate Cuba economically and diplomatically won’t go away “any time soon.”
Your support matters…Guardian:
Jim McGovern, a Democratic member of Congress who was one of the organisers of the letter to Rice, said Castro’s success in managing a peaceful transition — in the face of nearly 50 years of US opposition — should at least focus attention on the failure of Washington’s hard line to influence events inside Cuba.
“Here is the deal: by any objective measure US policy towards Cuba over the last 50 years has been a failure.
“I am not going to hold my breath that this administration is going to do anything good or positive. But hopefully the next administration and the next Congress will get the backbone to begin to pare down this policy that is a relic of the cold war.”
Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Since April, at least 69 people have been appointed or transferred to political jobs within the administration with little or no fanfare. A ProPublica investigation reveals who some of them are.
The Obama administration has seen another key player out the door. This time, it's national security adviser James Jones, whom Obama thanked for his "sacrifices" in his announcement in the White House's Rose Garden on Friday. Who's next?
In alleged retaliation for Republican stonewalling, President Barack Obama will bypass the Senate and make recess appointments to 15 high-level administration jobs. For context, George W. Bush made more than 170 such appointments; Bill Clinton made nearly 140.
Could the current climate in Washington, D.C., be discouraging lobbyists from practicing their persuasive trade in and around the White House? Or does the downsizing of their ranks have more to do with the economy than the political zeitgeist on Capitol Hill?
The bad rap that "faith-based initiatives" got during the last administration hasn't kept the new management at the White House from treating its Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships seriously. It has fleshed out the lineup of advisers to a total of 25 with two new recruits.
Here are the five most-read stories of the last seven days, including Chris Hedges on America's moral meltdown and Robert Scheer on the economic incompetents who find easy employment in the Obama administration. Full list after the jump.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.