Checkers and Chess

The Obama Administration, seeking to "make history" and provide an opportunity for Mr. Obama to appear presidential, is rushing to normalize relations with Cuba at any cost.

President Obama is like that naive man, wet behind the ears, who walks into the Castro Car Dealership wanting that sexy hot rod so badly, he'll pay anything for it. A cardinal rule of negotiations is that whoever wants the deal more is at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, the Castro Brothers play chess:

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Cuban President Raul Castro demanded on Wednesday that the United States return the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, lift the half-century trade embargo on Cuba and compensate his country for damages before the two nations re-establish normal relations.

The Communist dictator also "demanded that the U.S. end the transmission of anti-Castro radio and television broadcasts and deliver "just compensation to our people for the human and economic damage that they're suffered.""  He insisted, "if these problems aren't resolved, this diplomatic rapprochement wouldn't make any sense."

Why isn't President Obama Making the Following Demands?

• Repatriate stolen property.
• Open shuttered opposition newspapers and let the satirists, artists and dissidents out of the communist dungeons. 
• Allow dissidents to travel in and out of Cuba freely. 
• End Russia's military presence on the island.

Instead, we get hopium-filled platitudes from Obama Spokesmouths:

The Obama administration says removing barriers to U.S. travel, remittances and exports to Cuba is a tactical change that supports the United States' unaltered goal of reforming Cuba's single-party political system and centrally planned economy.

So, in a nutshell, Obama's Grand Strategy is:  

Step 1:  Open embassies and remove travel restrictions
Step 2: Cuba is free.

But seriously, does anyone know what President Obama's goals and objectives are in dealing with Cuba?

Anti-communist Nixon went to China, ending an uneasy partnership of convenience between China and the USSR, building trust and dialog between our governments, opening up trade markets between our countries, and setting China on its course of liberalization.  All wins for the United States as well as the Chinese people.

More Questions than Answers

Can President Obama be trusted to drive a hard bargain?  He has already handed over billions to the Iranian fascists in exchange for the privilege of continuing to talk with them.
What US goals are advanced by Obama's rapprochement with Cuba?
How does this further US interests?
How does it benefit us as a nation?
What does Cuba's communist dictatorship regime give up?
What do we, The United States of America, get out of the bargain?
Will any of this benefit the Cuban people?

Contemporary Marxist-Leninists believe Uncle Sam's sole purpose is to serve up Cuba on a platter to politically-connected oligarchs who will buy her, sell her and milk her dry all in the name of capitalism.  I hate to say it, but that is the most plausible explanation I have heard so far.

One final question:  Who do you think wants this deal more, the fascists who run Cuba's communist gulag, or the Obama Administration?