++President Obama did it. With mediation from Pope Francis,President Obama ended the Cold War isolation of Cuba and embarked on the normalization of relations with Cuba. An embassy will be established in a few months.
++Mysteriously, one of the prisoners exchanged was an American intelligence operative held over 20 years in Cuba.
++President Obama made the right sounds about the civil society and American support for the freedom of the Cuban people while emphasizing no one would profit from an economic collapse of the island. He also supported Cubans right to form trade unions--something we need in America.
++The end of the economic embargo actually removes the major default excuse of the regime's failure and also ends our own isolation in the international community, who saw the embargo after the end of the Cold War.
++President Obama invited Cuba to the next OAS summit and emphasized the OAS' Charter which binds the hemisphere to democracy and human rights. Actually this section of the speech has wider hemispheric repercussions because the OAS has begun to fray with the various political tensions.
++Marco Rubio's reaction seemed schizophrenic. He says the release of Gross means that Obama has put a price of every American's head. At the same time,normalization of relations with Cuba would free trading and banking.
++Canada has had relations with Cuba for years and has paid a positive influence in the development of the Caribbean. Canada played a role in mediating the talks between the two countries.
++Since my e-mail this morning is only about Senate Democrats crying about torturing a few terrorists--great attitude from our military vets, who once were bound by an honor code and the rules of war. I expect the attacks on this speech to begin once the rightwing blogosphere gets its line straight.
++Of course, normalization of relations doesn't mean "approval" of the Cuban government or vice versa. But it does make life simpler internationally.
++A nice move by President Obama. He ends one more chapter of the Cold War.
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