Obama answers questions from top Cuban blogger

[rabs]

I find this disappointing. No change. Obama's reply had to have been written by the bushwhacks still embedded in Hillary's State. Recall that both Fidel and Raul both made positive statements about Obama soon after his election.

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By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer Will Weissert, Associated Press Writer – Thu Nov 19, 2:05 pm ET

HAVANA – President Barack Obama has answered questions submitted by a celebrated Cuban blogger, saying he isn't interested in "talking for the sake of talking" with Raul Castro and indicating he won't visit the island until the communist government changes its ways

In an unusual written response to Yoani Sanchez, who has gained international acclaim for daring to criticize her government online, Obama also said it is up to Cuba to act if it wants normal relations with Washington, saying that a true thaw in nearly 50 years of deep-freeze "will require action by the Cuban government."

His comments were posted Thursday on Sanchez's blog, "Generacion Y," which like most sites critical of the Cuban government is blocked on the island.

Raul Castro, who took over the presidency from his ailing brother Fidel in February 2008, has said he would be willing to meet with Obama and has even suggested they should sit down at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Obama told Sanchez he doesn't want empty dialogue.

"I am not interested ... in talking for the sake of talking," he wrote. "In the case of Cuba, such diplomacy should create opportunities to advance the interests of the United States and the cause of freedom for the Cuban people."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091119/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_dissident_blogger

[Braulio]

1. Standard Operating Procedure

US Presidents don't engage with foreign leaders until underlings have prepared the ground. Human Rights Watch has proposed a viable strategy, the US would end the embargo, in exchange European Union nations would press Cuba on its human rights abuses. This could be achieved by treating Cuba the same way South Africa was treated when it had apartheid. No sports or cultural exchanges, for example. This is what should be done to Israel as well, but we know the Israeli Lobby has too much power over US authorities.

[Peace Patriot]

2. Um, except that nobody else in the world agrees with the US embargo of Cuba.

It's absurd, outdated, and unfairly punitive. The US itself is guilty of far, far, far, FAR worse deeds than Cuba--including the slaughter of one million innocent people to steal their oil, and the torture of thousands of prisoners, at Guantanamo Bay, at Abu Ghraib and in torture dungeons around the world. What has Cuba done? Thrown a few people in jail unfairly (or not--were they CIA agents)? Cuba doesn't even have the death penalty. And they have some of the highest stats in the world on the health of their population and on education. Who are WE to throw stones? That's the way the rest of the world sees it. They think our policy on Cuba is INSANE. And I agree.

Too bad our politicians are in thrall to US corpo-fascists. They just don't want us to know about Cuba's FREE health care system--one of the best health care systems in the world. That's what I think. The US accuses Cuba of censoring information. But WHO has the worst, most disgusting, most lying, most propagandistic, and least informative news media in the western world? They accuse Cuba of being undemocratic, but who has the filthiest, most corrupt, most non-transparent election system ever devised?

Why don't they tell us about Cuba's health care system, hm?