More Cuban-American obstruction

(Via TPMCafe)
Senator Menendez (D-NJ) really needs to do some soul searching:

Senate Majority Leader Reid "was forced to delay a pivotal vote on [the omnibus spending bill].... The most stinging defection: Reid's own senatorial campaign committee chairman, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J), who told Democratic leaders that he'd be voting 'no' over his objections to the House bill's easing of the embargo against Cuba.

A Senator is holding up funding for the entire government over a House provision supporting his own President's position on Cuba.

On a side note, I think that the poster is serious about the "Cuba Lobby" being more powerful than the "Israel Lobby". I'd suggest that the dynamics are very similar (Being critical of Israel/Cuba equals being anti-Israel/Cuba equals being antisemetic/communist) even if the ways in which the power of each group is manifested. Either way, both lobbies seem to successfully promote foreign policies that are in opposition the interest of this country.

The Rational Nexus of Climate Change/Travel Embargo

Included in the Obama budget proposal was a reduction in the enforcement of the travel ban of Cuban-Americans back to Cuba. Since Senator Robert Menendez doesn't want his Cuban-American brothers and sisters to travel back to that country, the NYT reports that he has decided to resond by obstructing the nomination of two top Obama science advisors.


Interestingly, the Senator is publicly mum about this move: "Menendez spokesman Afshin Mohamadi declined to comment on the matter, writing in an e-mail, 'It is our office's policy not to speculate or comment on anonymous holds or rumors of anonymous holds, across the board'."

Clemons: Raul Castro changes course

Bloomberg notes that change is coming to Cuba:

Cuban President Raul Castro replaced key members of his government, including his cabinet chief, about a year after taking control of the communist country from his brother, Fidel Castro.
...
“This is one more sign that Raul Castro is consolidating his power,” said Jose Azel, a senior research associate at thee University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies. “He’s putting his people in there.”

Meanwhile, Steve Clemons remarks on what this means:

Raul not only demands pragmatism from his team, he wants a government that "works" and which can function with greater efficiency than the past. This is particularly the case given the grim reality that the global economic crisis is hitting Cuba hard -- as the price of oil has made Venezuela's patronage less robust and global tourism to and investment in Cuba have both taken significant hits in recent months.

Lifting the Cuba travel ban

One thing I want to avoid in this blog is foreign policy. Every now and then, though, I think it makes sense to dip into that world, especially when it makes sense from a local perspective. With that in mind, the Miami Herald points out that language in the new budget would, "kill enforcement of regulations that restrict travel to Cuba by Cuban Americans." The Herald Editorial Board thinks that the Budget approach is the wrong way in accomplishing this. Instead, the Board argues that Obama not de-fund enforcement but re-engage in the Cuba debate, noting that they don't believe the trade embargo should be eliminated.

I think that this is a convenient way for the Herald editors to have it both ways. They highlight the Budget proposal (which, by the way, would represent a cost savings) they disagree with while pushing an approach they know will end in no change.

Meanwhile, some of the research shows (pdf) that "sanctions, including the embargo, have no relationship to some optimal policy which would lead the regime to open up the political process." Anyone have something to balance this against?

(ht SFDB)