President Barack Obama signed a one-year extension of the law used to impose the trade embargo on Cuba, disappointing those who favored allowing the law to expire as a friendly nod to Havana while reassuring others who oppose easing the sanctions.
The extension of the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWTEA) was largely symbolic. While it was used by President John F. Kennedy as the legal basis for slapping the embargo on Havana, another law would have kept those sanctions in place even if Obama had not signed the extension.
Several groups that favor improved U.S. relations with Havana had urged Obama to allow TWTEA to expire as scheduled on Monday as a signal to the Cuban government that his administration was truly interested in rapprochement.
More here.
More Change We Can't Believe In.
Posted by: KevinD | September 17, 2009 at 04:44 PM
Change!
Uh oh. This is gonna make it really hard to keep using those examples of the superior nature of the Cuban health system, not to mention pissing off those members of the CBC who spent that extra effort going to Cuba and stroking Fidel for the New Guy.
FTR While I see the Cuba embargo as not only ineffective but counterproductive in itself, and merely for the political assuagement of a huge Floridan demographic I can't really blame any national political figure of either party for wanting to cross.
Posted by: BuddyPC | September 16, 2009 at 01:38 PM
what in the WORLD do we have to fear from Cuba? the embargo has become laughable. just because the country is of no benefit to us is no reason to carry on a decades long crusade. you think the embargo would still be on if Cuba were oil-rich? fat chance. we'd be sucking up to Castro like we did to Ghadafi, allowing him back into the international community. he hasn't changed. the price of oil did.
Posted by: jaymeegabriel | September 15, 2009 at 08:50 PM