Boston Herald
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Cuba policy
as election football
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Among the
many political footballs to be tossed around during this election
season is this nation's future relationship with Cuba.
No responsible politician, Democrat or
Republican, will defend Fidel Castro, his human rights policies or the
economic basketcase he has created 90 miles off our shores. The
differences, however, are generally about tactics and the tactics are
directly related to our own domestic politics. How do we ``punish''
Castro and yet not further punish those he already rules with an iron
hand?
It is becoming ever more apparent that
Cuban-Americans, a huge voting block in Florida, no longer speak with
one voice. Some of the differences are generational and related to how
recently a Cuban-American emigrated.
But when such high-profile new emigres as
the family members of New York Yankees pitcher Jose Contreras are
willing to risk their lives on anything that floats, perhaps the Bush
administration needs to re-evaluate what it no doubt thought was a
vote-winning policy.
The tough new restrictions on travel by
Cuban-Americans to Cuba (reduced from once a year to once every three
years) and the amount of money they bring (reduced from $167 a day to
$50), and limiting family members who can be on the receiving end of
gifts sent from the United States (now only parents, children, siblings
or grandparents can qualify), are making us look like the bad guys
here.
As much as Cuban-Americans want to see
Castro gone, they don't want to sever family ties in order to do that.
A bipartisan Congressional Cuba Working
Group, which includes Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) is considering
amendments to the recently implemented travel restrictions - a
difficult chore in this presidential election season. But some things
ought to be above political calculations. This is one of them.