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In one year alone 750,000 Americans went overseas to seek affordable or superior medical treatment in countries like Costa Rica, Thailand, India, and yes, even Cuba. I don't believe any Cubans thought of that as a slap in the face.
Those Cubans in America are probably going to be relieved at perhaps not having to send money back to family but actually applauding the ability for those families to soon earn a better income from all the American companies that will move there and hire them.
Did you miss the little gem where Obama has invited Cuba to the next meeting of the Americas? American corporations are salivating already.
Who do you think really pushed for this.....probably the same money'd guys who bought and paid for Obama's presidency.
Affordable yes, superior not a chance. This move with Cuba is a healthy and welcome one; it's a common sense move when most of the world already trades with Cuba. At least we can start smoking superior cigars now.
Has anyone thought what this might do on the political front with Putin and Russia? Putin's popularity in Russia relies upon his assigning traditional U.S. hatred of communist countries to Obama. How's he going to spin this move?
Some Russians are bound to start questioning "why Cubans and not us" of their exalted leader.
Might be fun to be a foreigner sitting in a bar listening to Americans and Russians interacting....."your ma wears army boots....oh yeah, well she can drink more vodka than your old man." Perhaps segregation of both should be enforced by Cuban military. Haaaar!
U.S. military personnel from Guantanamo will maybe take leave in Havana??? There goes the neighbourhood...yipes! LOL
How will it be spun in Russia? Like this:
Quote:
Российская газета
Рогозин: США будут "душить в объятиях" Кубу
18.12.2014, 00:39
Вице-премьер российского правительства Дмитрий Рогозин скептически оценил перспективы визита президента США Барака Обамы на Кубу в ближайшее время, передает ТАСС. "Теперь будут душить в объятиях", - так прокомментировал вице-премьер изменение отношений США и Кубы в своем Twitter.
Напомним, что днем ранее Вашингтон и Гавана впервые за полвека выразили готовность в нормализации отношений между странами. В частности, Обама дал поручение госсекретарю США Джону Керри заняться нормализацией отношений с Кубой. Власти Кубы при этом освободили гражданина США Алана Гросса, который с 2009 года находился в заключении на острове по обвинению в шпионаже.
Bold: "Now (Obama) will choke in the arms of (Cuba)"
Basically what the article says is that Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin is skeptical that Obama will ever even visit Cuba. The last paragraph is just about a possible end to the embargo, Kerry's involvement, and the prisoner exchange.
There was another article in the newspaper but it just showed that the Kremlin is happy with the new US policy towards Cuba.
The other newspapers are probaly spinning similar stories - especially Komsomolskaya Pravda and Kracnaya Zvezda, lol.
The Russian people? The Cuban issue is totally ignored at the Russian Forums. The top threads there are all over the collapsing Ruble. My friend in Omsk is basically negative but he's been negative about the graffiti, potholes, and the rate hike for the utilities last summer. He was born negative.
Everyone else is optomistic, even in St. Peterburg, Khabarovsk, and Orel.
@ the OP:
It's very interesting that the US-Cuba talks began around the same time when Russia passed the Anti-Gay-Propaganda Laws and banned adoptions to foreigners.
It was an unexpected power play and Obama knows how close Russian-Cuban ties are...
And there were definitely other factors driving the talks.
It probaly has a lot to do with Russia erasing $32 billion of Cuba's debts, the modernization of Lourdes surveillance base, the plans for the new Russian naval base in Cuba, use of Cuban airfields for patrols over the Gulf of Mexico, the Tu-95 Bear nuclear capable bombers, and the extension of runways at Maiguetia International Airport to facilitate them. Other Factors Driving the Talks
When Obama said that the old tactics had failed and that it was time for a new strategy that could work, his goals were to change up the way JFK played the game.
But it's still the same game - and a New Cold War.
Even Medved is calling it that and he totally should know. He virtually is Russia.
Cuba is communist. I bet as long as it stays communist, foreigners won't be allowed to own land. Even in capitalist countries in Asia, it's hard for foreigners to buy land
I watched Obama's speech live.Obama just said something in Spanish, how many RWNJ heads will explode on this board from that?
Yeah, normalizing relations with Cuba, just like every other nation no earth, including all of our allies, is just terrible. What a blow to whatever it is you think Cuban sanctions are supposed to represent.
Among other things, they represent our collective memory of Castro's urging the Soviets to nuke America in 1962. Making nice to scum accomplishes nothing except risking infection.
There is no upside to rescuing an authoritarian dictatorship from its own geriatric ideology. We should wait till Fidel dies, then let Raul beg us to let his people immigrate here to clean our motel rooms...
Obama continues to cement his legacy of cheap opportunism and historical ignorance.
I am baffled and amused that the conservatives who are up in arms about this, all of sudden care about human rights.
They don't care about human rights, they care about bashing whatever the president does, no matter what. They are like Pavlov's dogs--mention the name Obama and they begin to slobber all over themselves uncontrollably.
Kudos to President Obama, and welcome home, Mr. Gross. This was long, long overdue.
Obama is supporting a Cuban govt that oppresses it's people with horrible human rights violations. Our president again, is on the wrong side.
We never had sanctions on Cuba for moral reasons. It was ideological. We didn't like communists, so we didn't like Cuba. How they treated people was never the reason. We love to pretend that's why we do what we do, like Iran. We just really care about their people. Sure, there a war lords in Africa raising armies of children that we ignore, but we really do care...
It's all political. As far as I'm concerned, raising sanctions on Cuba at the very least makes us somewhat more honest. Besides, the Castro brothers are 20 years away from death tops; there will be a revolution and some new government will win over. If their lucky, the Cubans will get to decide who the leader is every few years. If not, we'll keep an eye on them and if they start abusing their people, will look the other way unless we see an economic opportunity. Just like we always do.
Apparently, the communist tyrants need be subsidized and Obama's determined to assist them in retaining their tyranny.
So how did King Reagan miss this tiny little island 90 miles offshore of the USA while eradicating communism from the planet? How did Bush/Cheney miss this axis of evil next door while wiping out evil dictators?
Communist tyrants? Fidel is barely alive, if alive at all.
This is great, and I am very thankful for a 'lame duck president' not beholden to any voting bloc of old Cuban exiles in order to make progress with capitalism and commerce in the western hemisphere. The young dynamic Cuban Americans who would like to progress economically here and in Cuba are very pleased with this turn of events. Interesting to listen to all the naysayers who would prefer to keep communism going next door.
Exporting capitalism is going to destroy the 'communist tyrants' much faster than attempting to force democracy on the mideast. I think it is very very sad that there are Americans who hate the president so much that they prefer the misery of the Cuban people would continue for eternity.
Among other things, they represent our collective memory of Castro's urging the Soviets to nuke America in 1962. Making nice to scum accomplishes nothing except risking infection.
There is no upside to rescuing an authoritarian dictatorship from its own geriatric ideology. We should wait till Fidel dies, then let Raul beg us to let his people immigrate here to clean our motel rooms...
Obama continues to cement his legacy of cheap opportunism and historical ignorance.
Obama will come out of this looking like a hero as Marco Rubio disappears into obscurity. You do realize Krushchev is long gone--correct?
I don't think I'll hold my breath waiting to see if this will happen. The Obama, as usual, has given away the farm for little, or nothing in return.
You're the hundredth poster to talk about getting nothing in return.
And not one of you have said a damn thing about what Obama is supposed to get.
It's a poor Caribbean nation in the West Indies. What are we supposed to get outta them? They've got nothing.
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