Armey Urges End to Cuba Sanctions

Los Angeles Times ^ | 08/09/02 | Paul Richter

[RFH]

In a vivid sign of waning support for the economic embargo on Cuba, House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) said he believes that the United States should open trade with the Communist regime and that he has backed the restrictions on travel and trade only out of loyalty to two Cuban American members of the House.

Speaking at a trade promotion event in Wichita, Kan., on Wednesday, Armey acknowledged that congressional support for the 4-decade-old restrictions is fading. "If they last a year, it will be the last year they last," said Armey, who plans to retire from Congress at the end of the year.

(See article for the remainder - Excerpt since it is an LA Times Article...)

[CholeraJoe]

i like dick

Ummmm....OK.

[Slip18]

I find my classmates in the most unusual threads.

Howlin, how are you?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Is this thread about Fidel, or dick?

And could someone explain the difference between the two.

[SupplySider]

More trade will give the people a taste of what they have been missing, and hasten the demise of Communism, as it did with the Soviet Union. I only wish congress had more Texas economists and fewer Northeast lawyers.

[Wm Bach]

I agree with Armey. Flood Cuba with U.S. dollars, tourists, goods, culture, and Fidel will wither on the vine. Fidel can not save face if the U.S. offers it's hand of friendship and he refuses it.

GW should even go as far as to apologize for the Bay of Pigs. Not for moral reasons of course, but for the realpolitik result which will be the liberation of Cuba. The long term good of liberation outweighs the historical good of denying communism validation.

Let Fidel retire in the delusion that he did his country good. Just get him out of the way via a "Thank you for a job well done, here's your gold watch, enjoy your retirement."

[Luis Gonzalez]

"More trade will give the people a taste of what they have been missing, and hasten the demise of Communism"

What are you talking about? Do you for one moment believe that anything that Fidel buys will find its way to the people? If that's the case, then why hasn't it happened already?

Fidel freely trades with nearly every other country in the world, and he's reneged on payment to nearly all of them.

Now, as his credit lines are exhausting, he looks to the North for help.

These are the actions of a desperate man, and now we should bail him out?

Trade isn't possible with the Cuban people, only with the government, and the majority of the goods imported go to the Tourist stores, or the diplomatic stores. The average Cuban isn't even allowed in those stores.

[xsmommy]

hiding, OPH darling? don't think so.

luis, you nailed it, there is no difference.

[xsmommy]

thank you for raising the level of discourse to discuss the complete lunacy of lifting the embargo!

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Flood Cuba with U.S. dollars, tourists, goods, culture, and Fidel will wither on the vine."

It will never happen, only that which he wishes to happen will happen.

The only stores in Cuba are government stores, the only tourist agencies in Cuba are government tourist agencies, he controls everything.

Why do you think that hasn't happened already in light of the fact that Fidel trades with the majority of the world already?

[xsmommy]

Why do you think that hasn't happened already in light of the fact that Fidel trades with the majority of the world already?

THIS is the question that those that favor lifting the embargo are NEVER able to satisfactorily answer. THIS proves up the fallacy of that argument.

[xsmommy]

you are just jealous because you don't know dick about cuba and i do...

[Stone Mountain]

he has backed the restrictions on travel and trade only out of loyalty to two Cuban American members of the House.

I guess now that he's retiring, he can admit that he wasn't making decisions based on what's best for the country, but in fact was making decisions based on his friendship with two Cuban-American house members. Lovely.

[oldvike]

IMO, the quickest way to destroy that Cuban communist regime is to import capitalism.

[Prysson]

I am wondering the same thing...I think he must have stopped taking his medication or something. He has suddenly gone wacko.

[William Wallace]

what is the deal with dick?

Anatomically impossible as it seems, this dick is also an ass, either that or he forgot that Cuba is a penal colony!

(already ashamed of myself)

[PhiKapMom]

He didn't just wander off the reservation -- he flew off of it. This is so out of character with what I have observed over the years. Personally think he should keep his mouth shut and leave gracefully!

[PhiKapMom]

You comments hit the target IMO. Castro is not going to help all his people -- only the ones he chooses will get the benefits of lifting the embargo.

Don't understand why people cannot see that including Armey who I have now lost all respect for!