Obama: Lift U.S.-Cuba Travel Restrictions

Illinois Senator Criticizes Limits For Cuban-Americans Who Want To Visit Cuba Or Send Money Home

(AP)  Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Tuesday said the Bush administration blundered by tightening restrictions on Cuban-Americans who want to visit the island or send money home and promised to reverse the measures if elected.

The Illinois senator said the restrictions, imposed in 2004, isolated the communist island from "the transformative message carried there by Cuban Americans." He promised to grant Cuban exiles unrestricted rights to visit their families and to send remittances home.

"The primary means we have of encouraging positive change in Cuba today is to help the Cuban people become less dependent on the Castro regime in fundamental ways," Obama wrote in an op-ed piece published in The Miami Herald.

"Unfortunately, the Bush administration has made grand gestures to that end while strategically blundering when it comes to actually advancing the cause of freedom and democracy in Cuba," he added.

While the U.S. embargo has limited who can travel to Cuba and what can be sent there since the early 1960s, Bush's restrictions made visiting and shipping gifts to Cuba more difficult.

Now most Cuban-Americans can only visit the island once every three years and can only send quarterly remittances of up to $300 per household to immediate family members. Previously, they could visit once a year and send up to $3,000. The U.S. also tightened restrictions on travel for educational and religious groups.

The Cuban-exile vote is considered key to winning Florida, and top presidential candidates have generally followed the recommendations of the community's most hard-line and vocal leaders, who support a full embargo against Fidel Castro's government. Castro, 80, is in poor health and turned over temporary power last year to his brother Raul.

But sentiment in the Cuban-American community is changing. Unlike the early waves of immigrants who brought their entire family, often by plane, to the U.S., most Cubans now flee by boat and are forced to leave relatives behind. Fewer of these immigrants were overt political opponents of the government, and they want to be able to visit loved ones and to send money home.

Many Cuban exiles are also frustrated with the U.S. embargo, which has failed to yield fruit after nearly 45 years. And with the specter of an ailing Castro and a possible change in leadership, they are more open to changing U.S. policy.

[chicagopoet]

Are you kidding? Clinton isn''t go to rip anyone a new one. All she is doing is paving the way for Giuliani. John Edwards has a real plan for change. It''s not just all talk. Okay, maybe we''re not the "safest" planet on the earth; that''s not really what I meant to say. What I meant is that for six years Bush has been pumping the fear into the public by crying wolf about terrorism when there hasn''t been a single incident of terrorism in the United States since 9/11. Bush would like to take credit for this, but there really wasn''t any foreign terrorism in the United States before 9/11 either (besides that other WTC bombing). That''s what I meant to say. I agree that China and Russia are becoming more of a threat than the boogymen terrorists. I hope we get someone with a brain too. Like John Edwards. Clinton will just continue the war. Obama has already spoken about attacking Pakistan. Edwards clearly wants to end the war.

[erasmus6]

chicagopoet

"...even though we are safer than any country on the planet."

And what makes you think that?
Your country has borrowed massive amounts of money to fund this war and your military is spread very thin. Most countries are not looking too kindly towards you anymore. China is poisoning your food and now you have pissed off Russia. NOT GOOD! Don''t think for one minute that you are the safest country. From the way things look from where I''m standing I don''t think you are going to get away with too much more and some country or countries are going to retaliate. You better hope you get someone with a brain with the next election to try and undo some of the damage.

[xzavierbrown]

John Edwards is the only sane choice for America. I just read that he is now tied in second place as a front runner with Obama. So there!!!
Posted by chicagopoet at 09:04 PM : Aug 22, 2007
+ report abuse

*****

okie dokie...but rest assure that hillary will rip both obama and edwards a new one..maybe in 2012,,edwards 3rd try

[chicagopoet]

Terrorist attacks have NEVER been common in America. Besides the two World Trade Center incidents, what other foreign terrorist attacks in America can you name? Being comfortable again??? I''m not comfortable now. I was waaay comfortable during the Clinton years. I was NOT comfortable during the Bush #1 years. Bush is the one giving a daily reminder that we are not safe, even though we are safer than any country on the planet. Bush is the one spreading fear, not the Democrats. These people these people these people there you go again. They they they they they. You use that word as if it means "n****r". I grow so tired of all your simplistic views. War war war war, war is the answer to everything. The crime is not that people like me have freedom of speech, the crime is that people like you want to censor people like me so that you can have more war murder carnage death destruction hatred hatred hatred. The enemy has been fabricated. YOU are responsible for 9/11, get out of the middle east and start caring about your neighbor, start investing in infrastructure. John Edwards is the only sane choice for America. I just read that he is now tied in second place as a front runner with Obama. So there!!!

[xzavierbrown]

ahhh that liberal mindset again..pretty much just like africa..


********
"The primary means we have of encouraging positive change in Cuba today is to help the Cuban people become less dependent on the Castro regime in fundamental ways," Obama wrote in an op-ed piece published in The Miami Herald.""

(that quote is perhaps one of the most idiotic comment I ever heard from a politician)

obama, i dont think it would help the cuban people..more revenue would just mean you are securing the future of the castro regime. Teh cuban people cannot help NOT TO BE DEPENDENT because they are under a regime..you know a dictatorship..a system of govt where you get killed for speaking against castro..

AGAIN..INEXPERIENCE..

[xzavierbrown]

Posted by chicagopoet at 01:16 PM : Aug 22, 2007
+ report abuse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

****the thing that is effecting you is the ol quote ''out of sight..out of mind''. Terrorist attacks are not common in this part of the globe is because we are really leaning on any terrorist plans..AKA BEING PROACTIVE TO AN ATTACK INSTEAD OF YOUR PREFERED REACTIVE..hence since you are being comfortable AGAIN with your safety..that you are starting to forget.. actually you are right..maybe we should vote those appeasing democrats into office so you would have a daily reminder that you are not safe. Remind you that these people are very very very conservative..they do not tolerate liberal lifestyles.

[realpatriot1]

chicagopoet,

I''ve been listening to all the candidates speak about the war and I believe it was Edwards himself who said during the last debate that whoever wins the nomination will get us out of Iraq if we are still there.

Perhaps you should read a bit about Al Quaeda before commenting, because they do want to get us. Forgive me if I talk about them as though they are insects, that''s unfair to insects. I''m not reading their minds I''m reading their words and observing their actions.

I don''t simplistically lump all Muslims together or even all Muslim revolutioanry groups for that matter. I think Hezballah is someone we can possibly negotiate with under the right circumstances. Not Al Quaeda. Not Al Zawari.

I think your views are quite simplistic.

[xzavierbrown]

Posted by chicagopoet at 02:18 PM : Aug 22, 2007
+ report abuse

*****

you are so full of sh*t! you are running on the wrong argument that our enemy..the terrorists..should be shown compassion and appeasement. there are way too many watchdogs in this planet that is making sure that the very thing you are yapping about DOES NOT HAPPEN.

the crime in here is that mindless morons like you have the right to express thier idoicy.

[chicagopoet]

Bush is like Hitler. As a matter of fact, his grandfather, Prescot Bush, actually help to fund the nazis. Bush is rounding people up and they are mysteriously disappearing. Who knows how many. Innocent people in Iraq have their homes invaded in the middle of the night and family members are taken away, and there are no charges even made against them--they just disappear. The only thing keeping Bush from being exactly like Hitler is the two term limit. Hitler didn''t begin his invasions and mass murder until he was in office for several years. Bush has committed more crimes against humanity in his first six years in office than Hitler commited in his first six years in office. The concrete evidence about the Bush conspiracies will only come to light after he is out of office (if they ever do come to light).

[speakinup]

chicagopoet - please don''t equate the Bush administration with Hitler. You do a grave injustice by saying this. We don''t have people in Iraq systematically rounding up others and killing them. Rarely do we see the exact same circumstances in history. Without knowing all the facts, which none of has, none of us is in a position to unequivocally say they know the truth. All things are possible, but some are much more probable than others.

for example, I understand that you are frustrated by the "They, They, they"; but, reason says that it is pretty *** hard to keep a secret involving three people. Imagine how impossible it is with thousands. There would be all sorts of concrete proof if the Cole were staged, if WTC were government sponsored, etc. Wouldn''t you think ?

[chicagopoet]

Actually, John Edwards'' plan to end the war is quite different than the other plans. Maybe you should go to his website and actually read it before you comment on it. I get so tired of hearing the same old hogwash about how people want to get us; this country has become so paranoid it is ridiculous. Everyone talks about they they they they they as if you can read "their" minds as if they are not even people but just some kind of insects. If "they" want to kill us it is because "we" have been killing them. Evil evil evil they they they WMDs WMDs WMDs terrorist terrorist teorrist, keep repeating it enough and you might start believing it. End the war now. The war against terrorism is equal to the communist terrorist threat that Hitler used to gain support for his invasion of Poland. The threat is in the White House, not in Pakistan.

[realpatriot1]

chicagopoet,

The Edwards plan to end the war is no different than any other democrats plan. The difference is that he has called the war on terror a slogan. That''s true to a point but is dangerous to buy into to the extreme.

Even if you believe that our government and/or the Israelis had some complicity in Sept. 11, do you also think they faked the USS Cole, the African Embassy bombings, WTC1,etc.?

Slogans didn''t kill 3,ooo plus innocent civilians on Sept.11, people did, and the same people want to do it again and again and again and they have no interest in negotiation or peaceful coexistance. Just ask them, they''ll tell you.

The only sane choice is a candidate who recognizes the threat we''re up against and confronts the real evil and doesn''t either fight the wrong battle or pretends the problem will just go away.

[tibu987]

Right on Obama. Allowing travel to Cuba would do a lot for both countries. I cannot see that it would do anything but good. Whether or not Castro would allow it remains a question. However, perhaps Castro would allow it as Cuba needs U.S. dollars.
Better us than Chavez and Ortega taking over with their brand of socialism.
I welcome the unorthodox views of Obama although it may hurt him in the big picture.
It is time for a president who will help to unite the United States and the world instead of dividing it as the evil Bush cabal has done.

[chicagopoet]

John Edwards has a plan to end the war. John Edwards is the only sane choice.

[realpatriot1]

nexgen99,

OK, I''ll take the bait..what handout? Do you mean a job?

[andrew_693]

The US must be one of the few countries on the planet where their citizens don''t posses freedom of movement, since their nationals are allowed to go certain countries and not others. So much for the beacon of freedom, you see? you are not really free. Off course compared to Iran or Somalia we are doing very good.

[nexgen99]

realpatriot:: you wrote

Nationalizing an industry doesn''''t necessarily mean that the government runs it, it means that the citizens own it and it can''''t be offshored or its profits pilfered by foreign interests.
------------------------------------------

If you want to own a business buy its stock. Stop asking the government for handouts.

[realpatriot1]

nexgen99,

That was a nice recitation of conservative small government theory but has nothing to do with nationalizing the industries mentioned by brianwb.

Nationalizing an industry doesn''t necessarily mean that the government runs it, it means that the citizens own it and it can''t be offshored or its profits pilfered by foreign interests.

Now why don''t we all get back to talking about whether or not Cuban-American families should be able to visit family in Cuba or send them money.

[realpatriot1]

Mike71067,

The charges against OJ weren''t dropped so that has nothing to do with what battyellison was talking about. The truth is that OJ and Lohan both got over because of class, but even class generally won''t get an African-American off as quickly as a Caucasian-American.

If you choose to believe otherwise you''re deluding yourself. If you think that African-Americans who do "make something of themselves" aren''t generally subjected to a different kind of justice, I suggest that you take a look at the facts regarding the Jena, Louisiana case.

[nexgen99]

brianbwb,

you ask why is it idiotic to nationalize the private sector. Look at the mess our education system is in. Have you ever known a government run system to cost less than private business. Look at NPR (national public radio) It gets millions of dollars from the government to sprew liberal bias. All the private sector media make it on their own. And if people don''t listen to a radio station, it goes away, it''s not proped up by the government like NPR.