Free Republic

On Condi and more. So it will be Condoleezza Rice. We must deny the temptation to ruffles and flourishes which, heaven knows, one might revel in for a good hour. A woman! An African American! An academic! Who had a high post at a tough, competitive major university! And — mirabile dictu — a conservative! Okay, slide by that and concentrate on the theoretical and historical challenges she faces. Some of these she had a role in creating; some, she just bumped into. Begin with Iraq. Tony Blair was just in town, injecting great drafts of high octane enthusiasm for...

CANCUN, Mexico -- A year ago, when U.S. farmers and businessmen gathered in this resort for the first time to discuss sales of agricultural products to Cuba, no one knew what to expect. Even Cuban officials didn't have a good idea how much rice, soybeans and corn they would buy from U.S. growers. They estimated perhaps $37 million worth of U.S. farm goods would cross their docks to cover their losses after Hurricane Michelle in November 2001. Since then the Cubans have signed contracts to buy $255 million worth of goods. "They just kept buying," said Kirby Jones, president of...