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I for one am for it. But what people forget is the connection with Chavez and does anyone remember Granada? Maybe that is why people who know history are concerned.

April 10th, 2009 12:39 pm ET

Brian Crooks

Since when is Cuba a Liberal stance?

JFK initiated the silence after trying to overthough Castro… LBJ supported it… Carter and Clinton continued the silence.
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Note that I had liberal in quotations. It's not a liberal stance, it's a "liberal" stance. By that I mean it's something the conservatives have railed against for the past 8 years, saying that anyone who wants to normalize relations is a far-left radical. JFK initiated the silence because at the time, he thought Castro was a real threat and because he thought he could effectively cut them off from the rest of the world and make them overthrow Castro. LBJ supported it because it was in the same time frame and the same circumstances. I have no defense to offer Carter or Clinton, they both should have taken a stance to normalize relations.

@ ray ray April 10th, 2009 12:26 pm ET

Maybe those 7 in 10 would feel differently, maybe not. Who can really say accept for those particular individuals? China, the U.S. debt purchaser, is world reknown for it's inhumane government practices. Yet, the U.S. still conducts business with that country. Under President George W Bush, the U.S. had/has "secret prisons" where people were snatched off the streets and detained at indefinitely. Not to mention the U.S. conducts torture but get's up in arms when our citizens/soldiers are tortured by other countries.

My point is 50 years of isolation has solved nothing. It's well past the time to try something different. Perhaps open talks will be able to stimulate the Cuban government to change its stance. Besides, the U.S. has approximately 7 failed assassination attempts on Fidel to its credit. How would you feel if a foreign government made attempts on you life?

Lastly, what on earth did you mean by President Obama and Cuba being "birds of a feather?"

Sucks having to send your lackies to Canada to get Cuban Cigars. especially since Batista was SUCH a nice guy.

70% of Americans do not support Socalism & Communism as some will suggest, the 30% minority will continue to cling to post WWII McCarthyism with the same fear tactics they perpetuated then as they are doing now!

If we can have relations with Communist China and had relations with Communist Russia and now have relations with Vietnam . . . what the hecks with having relations with Cuba.

What is the right afraid of Cuba for?

Hey!!
Michael – USAF (Ret.)

Ummmm ... lets see here
"No Child Left Behind" ... sounds like a failed Socialist program
Medicare D .. Failing prescrition drug program .... sounds Socialist
AIG bailout & subsequent Gov take-over ... sounds Socialist
Patriot Act (actually Un-Patriot Act) ... sounds Fascist
Establishment of "Secret Prisons" ... sounds like a Gulag to me.
Permitting torture ... again Fascism at the Gulag

Do I need to go on?
You seem to have a misunderstanding as to what is or is not Socialist or Fascist in nature.

Talk about long overdue... Couple of simple comments here, made possible by a very high altitude vantage point.

For 50 years a gaggle of Cubans have been living a life fed entirely by the hate. That usually tends to turn people into very ugly examples of the species.

For 50 years the US has allowed itself to be manipulated into thinking a gaggle of Cubans in Miami have the right to determine foreign policy towards 11 million people living in Cuba. That might explain why the policy has been nothing more than a spectacular failure. One word: "righteousness". Cuban exiles have none.

And if you want to truly understand the real issue behind the exiles and their attitude towards the real Cubans who stayed behind and do not want to leave, go look at the pictures of all the balseros (the people trying to make it to the US in all sorts of floating contraptions) and see how many black ones you can find.

Yes, America should open the doors with Cuba after all these years. Half of Cubas population and or realatives are already here in the US after a generation and should be able to build those family relationships again without government limitations.
Past indifferences grow old and stale much like Castro's has. Let the Cuban and American people set the standard ...

Open the borders, geographic and mental.

Michael wrote: "... President Obama has done a good job influencing his change to Socialism and Communism, that it's no wonder why 7 in 10 Americans support a Communist nation."

1. It is a typical Conservative rhetorical trick to call their opponents "socialists" or "Communists." It is often used by people who cannot define socialism or communism. Allowing trade with and visitors to Cuba does not make the US or Obama a socialist or a communist, unless visiting Communist Red China, trading with them, and outsourcing our manufacturing to them made Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George Bush1, and George Bush2 also Communists. What do you say, Mike?

2. Cuba is as much a threat to the US as Costa Rica.

Poll: 7 in 10 Americans back diplomatic relations with Cuba

It is long past time to do this.

This is smoke and mirrors for Obama, the community organizer / social worker / elected non American president to push a comprehensive immigration reform bill before the 2010 election. Allowing access to Cuba for the tax evading Democratic Party that will need the votes and spin to make themselves “look” good. Obama and his tax cheating, staff and Democrats need to be investigated, first for tax evasion, then for driving this nation into bankruptcy.

Why not?

The Russian missile crisis was 40 years ago.

Maybe if tourists from a democratic country can come in and show the vast differences being the two governments, then the Cuban people may decide it is time for a change!

@ Jon,

Castro took over Cuba by military force and has subjected the people to his dictatorship. Thousands have fled Cuba on rafts, boats, many losing their lives in the process.

Opening the door of "diplomatic relationships" with Castro legitimizes his dictatorship and oppressive regime.

Castro will be dead soon. Obama apparently WANTS to either give Castro this victory or is too naive to understand his misstep.

The Cuban-American voters will certainly remind the President and will remember this in the next election.

What the heck give it a shot. Communism does not work effectively without at least a sprinkle of capitalism in the mix. If Cuba follows the China blueprint they can become very prosperous and maybe just maybe some illegal immigrants may want to go there instead of here.

Brian Crooks

Since when is Cuba a Liberal stance?

JFK initiated the silence after trying to overthough Castro... LBJ supported it... Carter and Clinton continued the silence.

UNREAL!!!!! How about when they ask the poll question, they remind people of what the Castros have done to their own people! THAN ask the question. These racist biggots in the CBC are repulsive. Should we have had diplomatic ties with Hitler or Stalin. WOW, WOW, WOW. I have an idea...how about you people that support Obama and these leftist agendas try doing some research instead of just listening to movie stars and singers. Remember when the country looked at a bunch of muddy hippies getting naked in a field and having sex in public and said " wow, these are the people that will run our country some day"? Well...that day is here. Congratulations!!!!

Finally, when will people wake up. It is time to normalize relations. Too many of us have been there and know better. Open it up and I would bet in 20 years Cuba would be the #1 tourist destination.

Establishing normal relations with and allowing unrestricted travel to Cuba will be the quickest way to bring about change in the Cuban government.

It makes no sense that I can travel to China or Vietnam but can't legally
take my boat to an island just 90 miles from my home. The wet foot/dry foot policy needs to be changed as well. We give Cuban immigrants an advantage that no other group has and this policy has encouraged organized crime to get involved in people smuggling. As soon as their cargo hits shore they are allowed to stay and given financial assistance.

Americans are allowed to go to North Korea, Iran, Afganistan, and on and on. It's about time we let go of this 40 yr ban on Cuba. You can never make friends and influence people if you treat them like enemies every day. It's about time, Americans (far to the right) realize we can not force every single nation to be just like us, with threats and embargos. I love how President Obama is running the country and restoring some common sense to our government; not acting from blind adherance to a failed policy.

Time to send Hillary over to apologize. Obama to follow. Hope we can get this done before Iran, North Korea and Mexico attack us. What a joke these people are. CBC tells Castro, who murder thousand and has thousands more in jail for political reasons that America is racist. I guess Cuba is there dream for America.

If you were to ask the MAJORITY of AMERICANS this question you would find that is simply not true! The leaders of this country have suppressed the real Cubans for years and it continues today. What we need is a government who can step in and HELP free these people much like we have brought freedom from those in Iraq.

Ray Ray, my relatives have of course never been in a Cuban prison. But why does this country not allow diplomatic relations with Cuba because of human rights abuses, while we allow diplomatic relations with countries around the world with just as bad or worse human rights records? It doesn't make any sense, and trying to cut Cuba off from the rest of the world is pure hypocrisy. I'm glad we have an administration that understands that.

Well President Obama has done a good job influencing his change to Socialism and Communism, that it's no wonder why 7 in 10 Americans support a Communist nation.

Yep, it's the 70% of Americans who believe in traditional American values VS the 30% hard core neo-fascist Republicans.

I wonder how these 7 in 10 would feel if it were THEIR father/mother/brother who was in Fidel's prison for political reasons?

But... I completely understand why Obama feels so compelled to improve relations with Castro. Birds of a feather flock together.

US farmers, most of whom are Republicans, would benefit greatly from trade with Cuba. It's amazing that some of them actually understand this.

But ...but ... uh, are you sure it's okay with DICK Cheney? After all, he IS the expert on EVERYTHING having to do with foreign affairs, right?

Poll after poll after poll suggests that the country supports typically "liberal" stances on a variety of issues. Can we now do away with the myth that this is and always will be a center-right country? I don't think it's a far-left country, but evidently it's a center-left one.

Let's see, approximately 70% approve diplomatic relations with Cuba, George Bush ended with a 28% approval rating and Conservatives represent approximately 26% of the population. Yep, the math checks out pretty well.