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.”

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.”

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