Cuba Regains the Center Of Political Debate in the U.S.
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON — American policy toward Cuba, set in stone for decades and long relegated to the far reaches of presidential campaign debate, is enjoying a brief appearance on center stage this week.
On Tuesday, Senator McCain of Arizona told a Miami rally that Senator Obama of Illinois sends “the worst possible signal to dictators” by his stated willingness to meet with leaders such as the Castro brothers in Cuba. In a White House speech yesterday, President Bush declared a “Day of Solidarity with Cuba,” hosted relatives of Cuban political prisoners, and announced he will open a small window in strict American sanctions, allowing cellphones to be sent to the island.
As Mr. Bush spoke at the White House, Mr. Obama prepared to travel to the epicenter of Cuban emigres in this country, Miami’s Cuban American National Foundation, where he will address a sold-out lunch tomorrow. Although Mc. McCain and Senator Clinton support current American policy, Mr. Obama has pledged to lift new restrictions on travel and sending cash to Cuba that Mr. Bush imposed in 2004.
Cuba has surfaced as an issue during an unsettled time for both its residents and their relatives in this country. Raul Castro, who assumed power in Havana four months ago from his ailing brother, Fidel, has introduced small economic liberalizations in the closed communist system and has promised further reforms.
Cuban Americans, who have historically been reliable Republican voters — supporting American sanctions and opposing any contact with the Castros — have begun to split along generational and political lines. Divisions have deepened between those who support current policy and those who believe the American embargo and isolation of Cuba have failed to bring significant change.
The White House this year put a new gloss on the criticism of Fidel Castro and the expressions of support for the Cuban people that it traditionally issues on May 20, which is Cuba’s independence day. Early this month, the administration declared a new “Solidarity Day” on May 21, establishing a Web site and an international petition drive calling for Cuban democracy.
