“I found it strange that they did not understand that the father was nothing more than a pawn used by Castro to force the U.S. to say ‘uncle’ in front of the world. Clinton pretended to offer for the father to move to the U.S., but it was rejected and, of course, not pursued (because Clinton didn’t really want to).’”
Yeah. I remember at the time wondering why, aside from the polarization, this was such a big story. What about all the other kids in Elian’s position? Surely there was some precedence.
The answer, of course, was that it was a story because Castro and Castro-sympathizers made it a story. It was the last meaningful throwback to the old Cold War PR fights (considering our deference to China). We lost.
“What about all the other kids in Elian’s position? Surely there was some precedence.”
There was precedence.
The Walter Polovchak case in 1980.
He wrote a book called “Freedom’s Child.”
“Polovchak’s Ukrainian parents, Anna and Michael, found themselves in a drawn-out court battle, fighting to take their son back to his homeland. Young Walter, at 4 feet and 82 pounds, said he would sooner die than return.”
The ACLU took the side of the parents - naturally.
His case dragged on in courts for six years (much thanks to the Reagan administration) at which point he turned 18yrs of age and could decide for himself.
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-04-03/news/vw-1068_1_american-dream/2
http://www.henrymarkholzer.com/how_robert_novak_helped_save_the_littlest_defector.html