Posted on 04/10/2015 10:03:17 AM PDT by Rusty0604
Twenty-four hours before coming face to face with Cuban President Raul Castro, President Obama on Thursday continued to extend an olive branch from Washington to Havana — but analysts say there are real questions about whether Mr. Castro truly is interested in friendly relations with the U.S.
At a town hall in Kingston, Jamaica — the president's last stop before heading to the Summit of the Americas in Panama — Mr. Obama praised the "extraordinary" Cuban people and said it's time for the two nations to put the Cold War behind them.
Also Thursday, the State Department completed its review of whether Cuba should be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The Castro regime has made removal from the terrorism-sponsor list a prerequisite for the opening of a U.S. embassy in Havana and other steps forward in the diplomatic process.
Mr. Castro also has made other demands that the U.S. surely won't meet, such as reparations for economic damages caused by the U.S. embargo on Cuba and the immediate transfer of Guantanamo Bay to the Cuban government.
Those seemingly unrealistic requests have led many analysts to question whether Mr. Castro truly wants to mend fences with the U.S. or whether he has been forced to begin cooperating with Washington out of sheer economic necessity.
Still, Mr. Obama expressed nothing but optimism Thursday.
Mr. Obama announced the historic diplomatic reboot with Cuba in December, but formalizing relations has got off to a slow start.
Analysts say that's largely because of Mr. Castro, who in his heart likely wants to maintain the status quo.
"By engaging Cuba, I think the president is calling Castro's bluff.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
CHE 2.0
This demented, decrepit commie can go piss up a rope.
The last thing they want now is US relations, i bet
Once the people see what the rest of the world lives like, the castro’s will be gone.
This is not 1960’s. Communication is not restricted to a select few.
Pipe dreams! Someone needs to investigate what O is smoking in his presidential pipe...because every thing he is doing is delusional, IMO.
Sorry...but add a banana to her headdress and she’ll look like Ms Chiquita.....
If we normalize relations and drop the embargo the communist will lose the #1 excuse they use to explain the horrible economic disaster they have foisted upon their people.
How do you fall for this? Cuba in 1959 was like the 51st state. Cuba was full of Americans and Cubans vacationed in the US and the US was the biggest trading partner.
LMAO!
Fist bump...LOL.
He’s not going to get reparations. He’s not going to get Gitmo back. He might get taken off the terror list.
The cold war was not an attitude we need to overcome. It was a political and cultural necessity born of the scourge of communism, a scourge Obama wishes to reinvent.
Republican Leadership is an oxymoron.
And even what they DON’T ask for! :)
Any other President I would agree. But with B. Hussein Obama it could happen. Obama wants to weaken the USA and will do anything he can to do so.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.